Dove's Eyes

I sit down with my coffee in hand and there is a stillness that wraps me. This is the part of the morning that I love. I slip into the place my family calls “my nest”. It is that place where bibles, devotionals, composition books some full and some waiting to be filled, pencils, highlighters and pens reside. I love being surrounded by paper and books! In my nest I sit, I pray, I listen and read. This morning I sat in the silence trying to drink it up along with the hot black stuff that I cradled in my hands. Then I heard her, just outside my bedroom window, singing her song, cooing to me as I listened. A dove had landed on the window sill. Her song of gentleness was so soothing. I had asked the Lord to still me this morning as I walked to my nest, anticipating what He would say. Still me, He did. I didn’t move for almost ten minutes as she continued to be His instrument to serenade my soul to a place where it was ready to listen. I wondered how many times He has tried this before and I have rushed on and never noticed? After she flew away, I thought about the truth that I had tucked in my heart about doves. I turned to the Song of Solomon. (This is the place that if either one of my children are reading they have gasped and said, “No, mom you’re not going to talk about sex!" No, I’m not...maybe some other time though!) In chapter one verse fifteen, of this book that is a beautiful love story of two very real people and an amazing metaphor of my love relationship with the Lover of my soul, the Beloved is speaking and he says to her, “How beautiful you are, my darling, how beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves” As with so many comparisons in the book, like, “your hair is like a flock of goats” this statement about eyes being like doves seems strange to us women walking around in 2012! The fact is, dove have no peripheral vision. The only thing they see is what is right in front of them. I lived in West Texas for almost four years where dove are plentiful. Many times I would see a dove as I was driving down a street and think that it was not going to get out of the way. It would wait until I was right upon it before it would move. Whatever is front of them is what captures their vision and they can’t see anything else. I know He was reminding me how easy it is for me to allow other people and other situations to consume my vision. I am so easily distracted! Oh how I pray for dove’s eyes, so that my Beloved is the only One who captures my vision.

Be Thou My Vision….

Kim
(Song of Solomon 1:15, 4:1, Hebrews 12:2)

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all