Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Whenever I go outside I love to hear the soft song of a Mourning Dove.  It is something that has always been dear to me.  I am thrilled that these special birds have been common wherever we’ve lived.  During our last year in Colorado Springs we had the blessing of a pair of these doves nesting on the top of our trellis below our deck.  Daily we were able to see them and watch the whole process from building their nest to raising their young.

When I see or hear Mourning Doves a wonderful process kicks in. I stop, enjoy their beauty, think of my Lord Jesus, and am filled with gratitude for Him and the blessings He has given me. My enjoyment of these birds triggers this process that leads me to a quiet, rich reservoir of gratitude for my God.  Gratitude is priceless and is one of the most important attributes we can have.

I also love bouquets of fresh flowers.  One of my favorites is blue hydrangeas.  The blue color is rich and deep and they are so beautiful.  At Williamson Christian College where I worked there was a large bush of them.  I tried to keep a vase of these flowers on the front desk where everyone could be blessed by their beauty during the day.  The wonderful thing is that these flowers trigger the same process within me that the Mourning Doves do.  I go from seeing and enjoying their beauty to savoring the richness of my love relationship with God.

Daily I experience this marvelous linkage with my darling wife, Donna.  There is an immediate link from seeing her smile, thinking of her, being with her, getting to go home to her….to being overcome with gratitude for the priceless love-gift she is to me from the Lord.

I believe this is a process that we all can and should experience repeatedly each day.  We are surrounded by beauty, whether in flowers, birds, nature or the people around us.  We need to ask the Lord to open our eyes to see and enjoy it – to recognize the moments.  It is then simply a matter of His Holy Spirit creating the links within us that go from seeing beauty to enjoying the peaceful place of gratitude for Him.  The thrilling thing is that pretty soon we start seeing beauty everywhere and it all leads us to Jesus.