Doves In A Garden

                                         
                                                           Doves In A Garden
Dear Friends,
     Doves are such quiet, peaceful birds.  In my garden I will see them either perched on a low branch of the maple tree, or napping  quietly in a shady spot. When they are hungry they enjoy the weed seeds that I can never seem to keep from multiplying in the summer. Sometimes I accidentally frighten them because they are so still and quiet and I don't see them until in fright they fly off in a group with a whirling sound of their wings. It is such a unique sound, not like anything else I can compare it to. The only other sound  they make is the soft cooing conversations they have with each other.
     Seeing the little doves reminds me of the doves my dad had in a small aviary attached to the shed in the back yard. He would open the door of the cage in the morning and the doves would enjoy the yard and sit on my dad's shoulder or hand. They would return to the aviary when the sun was setting.
     Doves are an important bird in the Bible and I'm always glad when they visit my garden. We see Noah take a dove in his hand and let it fly to look for dry land. The little dove trusted Noah and returned to his hand in the evening.
     The dove mentioned at the baptism of Jesus is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. It's so beautiful that God chose a dove that is quiet and gentle, not like a hawk. The word for Holy Spirit is the same word for wind, which indicates strength, direction and purpose. 
   Imagine the sky opening as Jesus comes up out of the water and the beautiful dove rests on His shoulder, His strong shoulder that carried the cross. His shoulders are also the place in the story of the lost sheep where the shepherd placed the sheep when it was found. 
Luke 15: 5
     "And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders."
    So when we see a little dove we can think of the strong shoulders of our Messiah Jesus.