Dove-Eyed

Dove.  The soap.

“I lost my sight when I was 14-years-old…so I really navigate the world by touch.  I think Dove asked me to try out this body wash because I’m so in tune with my hands and how things feel to me.”

I don’t like commercials, but before I could mute or skip this one, it had captured my attention.  Although I am kind of a beauty product junkie, that’s not what hooked me. 

Molly, the young lady in the advertisement, instantly intrigued me.  Her story, all 10 seconds of it, instantly inspired me.  She had learned to live by her sense of touch.  Her hands had become her eyes. 

This was incredible to me.  I’d heard stories like this before, of course, but for some reason, that day, her story resonated with me.  The resourcefulness and intricacy of the human body.  How God fearfully designed each member of it with its own particular purpose and function, but then wonderfully equipped it with the strength and instinct to compensate for a weaker part in its time of need.  How amazing!  How marvelous are His works! 

And when the Dove commercial ended 20 seconds later, I thought about…   

Dove.  The Spirit.

In Christian symbolism, the dove represents the Holy Spirit.  Like a white cane used by the visually impaired, the Holy Spirit’s responsibility is to lead and guide a dependent people.  Not only known for its gentleness and purity, scripture also notes another distinctive characteristic of the dove: its eyes.      

“Behold, you are fair my love!  Behold, you are fair!  You have dove’s eyes.”  (Song of Solomon 1:15)

Dove-eyed.

While this is a beautiful declaration of romantic sentiment, some of its significance also lies in the fact that doves have singular vision.  Although they see very well, their sight is limited.  They focus on one thing at a time.  That one thing?  Usually their mate.  Hence the term: “love birds.”     

If the Church, represented here as the Shulamite woman, has eyes like a dove, then are we focusing on our King, Jesus…the lover of our souls?  Do we have eyes only for Him? 

I must admit that I have often been guilty of focusing on multiple things.  A lot of earthly things.  Mostly temporal things.  Much too often, circumstance has produced unbelief and fear that have then skewed my perspective of Jesus.  My vision of Him has become cloudy, even darkened at times.  Because I can only see in part, I have ended up walking by my own sight and navigating the world according to my own senses, by how I feel.  My feelings have, at times, interrupted my faith.   

God has given us, as women, the gift of intuition and depth of emotion.  In general, we’re intensely attuned to our feelings.  And in their rightful place, this intuitiveness, depth and intensity bring insight, wisdom and revolution to our worlds. 

But when we lose sight of Him and His truth, we are prone to give in to the instability of cataracted emotions.  Our inability to see and set our affections on things above and our loss of focus on the love of Christ, cause us to sometimes delay the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives. 

When you read on to Song of Solomon 5:12, the King is described as having dove eyes as well.  He wants us to see as He sees and to love as He loves.  I’m learning to allow Jesus to anoint my eyes that I may see the light of His truth and to correct my perspective that I may live by and touch the world with His faith.  Sisters, “…one thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.”

PRINCIPLE: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”  II Corinthians 5:7