My Love, You Have Dove's Eyes
My mother has told me that when she was pregnant with me, she asked God to give me my dad’s eyes. Well, God gave my mom what she requested, I inherited my dad’s light brown eyes. As far as physical characteristics, my eyes are by far my favorite quality. Probably because they are the only physical quality, I feel makes me stand out just a little bit. My eyes are the one trait for which I receive the most random compliments from complete strangers. An interesting thing I’ve recognized about my eyes, is that they can look different on different days and in different lighting. Even still, I don’t always look into the mirror and recognize anything special about my eyes. It’s definitely not something I even think about on a regular basis. Sometimes I even forget about it all together. Until I see a stranger get this dazed look and say, “Wow, you have beautiful eyes!” I’m always caught off guard when that happens and if I’m able to, I always find a mirror and look into my eyes. That may sound weird, but in those moments I WAN’T TO SEE TOO! I want to see what others see in me! In those moments when I look into my own eyes sometimes I am shocked by their beauty and I am encouraged because I don’t always see myself as beautiful.
So, you can probably imagine my surprise when I was journaling a few years ago and I heard God say, “My love, you have dove’s eyes!” and not only did I hear Him, I also felt an intense surge of warmth and affection flood my heart in that moment. All while thinking, “Did my Abba, Father just compliment my eyes??”
I remembered those words from a chapter in the book of “Songs of Solomon.” I immediately went to my bible to re-read those verses within context. I also researched dove’s eyes. I learned that dove’s have what’s called “singular sight” which is why doves are also referred to as “love birds.” When a dove fixes its eyes on its mate, they cannot be distracted by anything else (‘The Eye of a Dove’ wadetaylor.org).
To have “dove’s eyes” is a special gift! Animals like horses don’t have singular sight. Horses, like most of us, have to wear blinders in order to run a race and stay in their own lane because they are easily distracted. Horses also have to be led about by a bit and bridle in their mouth lest they go astray (‘The Eye of a Dove’ wadetaylor.org).
Psalms 32:9 admonishes us, “Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you.”
The truth is, God wants us all to have dove’s eyes for Him! The more we grow in our relationship with God, the more our eyes become fixed on Him, no matter what goes on around us. I’m so glad my mom asked God to give me my Father’s eyes!
My Dad is also a man of great faith. Though far from natural perfection, he also has a special gift of spiritual sight. That is the quality I love the most about my him, he always addresses me through his spiritual insight of me. His perception of me is so pure, sometimes it’s like I’m talking to my Abba, Father himself! He knows that I have his eyes! He sees me and I see him. Through our ability to see in the spirit we both see each other clearly!
My eyes are still my favorite quality, not just because of their natural beauty but because I realize that I have been blessed with the ability to see people and situations the way my Abba, Father sees them. We can all be developed in our spiritual sight. As Paul stated in Ephesians 1:18, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”
Spiritual insight and enlightenment, is not only God’s will for us, it’s part of our spiritual inheritance! The way we see (perceive) a thing or person determines how we respond to it! God wants us to have dove’s eyes to see Him clearly so that we can also see everything in our lives through the lens of faith. In doing so we all will be able to hear him say, “My love, you have dove’s eyes!”