Wings of a Dove

Perhaps one of the most wonderful assertions that can be made about Holy Scriptures is that it clearly shows man in all his humanness. If you really want to understand yourself, if you really desire to know who you are, then it would behoove you to study the sacred Writ and let God speak to your soul.

When we read David's Psalms (55:6), we immediately sense his state of emotional being. He is hurting deeply. Not physically, but emotionally and spiritually. His soul is heavy; his spirit is at an all time low, his heart pierced and his lips chapped with pain as he cries, "Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest."

This is a very human cry, is it not? Everyone at one time or another has felt the way David felt: those times in life when everything seems to go wrong; when everything we touch seem to disintegrate, when all news is bad news. Maybe you have felt that way when your doctor gives you the cancer diagnosis. Maybe it was when you suffered a financial reversal; just when you were about to get on your feet, the rug is pulled out from under you. Maybe it was when you suffered a family tragedy or when the plans you made begin to crumble. Maybe, it is during those moments of betrayal, extreme disappointment or profound loneliness that you find yourself like David, crying out in utter agony, "If only I had wings of a dove, I would fly away and be at rest."

The poet well understood this yearning when he wrote:

How often, oh, how often
In the days that had gone by,
I stood on the bridge at midnight
And gazed on the wave and sky.

How often, oh, how often
I had wished that the ebbing tide,
Would bear me way on its bosom
O'er the ocean, wild and wide.

For my heart was hot and restless
And my life was full of care,
And the burden laid upon me
Seemed greater than I could bear.

Sometimes all of us wish for wings to fly away. It is a very human cry and it comes in moments of intense frustration, pain and weakness. David wanted the wings of a bird to carry him beyond the sunset, beyond life's troubles, beyond broken hearts, beyond a tormented memory and unfaithful friends. Sometimes we feel this way. We wish we could fly away to a place beyond our circumstance, beyond the responsibility of trying to make a living, beyond the awareness of prejudice and injustice, beyond our mistakes and sins, heartaches and heartbreaks.

But, like David, we know that a change of venue will not give peace. Peace does not depend upon flight because we cannot get away from troubles. Troubles, like our shadows, follow us everywhere we go. David learned what we all must learn and that is that we do not need a new physical environment, but a new spiritual one. We do not need the wings of a dove, but the arms of a loving Father.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.

no-contract cleaning service Park Ridge ...

In The News:

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Protect your home network from hidden dangers, including router vulnerabilities, ISP tracking and smart device weaknesses with proper encryption, firmware updates and VPN technology.

Wings of a Dove

Spirituality