Song of Songs 8:14 “Come away, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains.”
I am married to a man who has one passion in life. His passion is to find anything above sea level and put on a pair of hiking boots and climb to the top. He is also trying to make it my passion. Whenever I receive a gift from him, it almost always has something to do with hiking. My first gift I received was a beautiful pair of hiking boots. I soon received a yellow windbreaker and, of course, a raincoat that covers me from head to toe. I am the proud owner of a bladder pack so I can carry my own water as we head up the mountain. I also have a great hat which keeps the sun off my face, and I truly don’t know too many women that own a headlamp for all those midnight hikes I can find myself on. The best gift he has given me has been a pair of hiking sticks that I have found very valuable as I try to reach the top of the mountain. If I ever came out of the bedroom dressed in my full get-up and said, “Are you ready to go climb a mountain?” my husband would think he had died and went to Heaven. As I would open these gifts, I would feel a little disappointed, but as I thought about it, I came to realize that he wanted me to join him in something he loves to do, his passion. I have come to appreciate these gifts and the time we spend together. When I spend time doing something he enjoys, I am showing him that he is the most important person in my life and I love him enough to take an interest in something he enjoys. I have also found I have learned a lot about my husband and myself in the tranquility of these hikes. It is a time when we can reconnect and spend time just talking and enjoying God’s handiwork. Marriage is always a work in progress, and when we are grieving it is so easy to shut down and withdraw from each other. This is a time when we need to reconnect and what better way than doing something that makes the other person feel loved. Who knows, we might find out hidden secrets about ourselves and our mate.
Lord, help us to step out of the comfort of our world and enter into the land of our mate. Who knows what exciting adventures might be waiting for us. We also might find a new and interesting couple in the making.
– Michele
