Drinking my green tea this morning, my finger falls down the pages of my study bible as if the words are fine jewels I’m dreaming that I could even contemplate buying. This is the feeling I get when I read the bible. I want so much to understand and ultimately may or may not.
Do not stare at me because I am dark, for the sun has gazed on me – Song of Solomon 1:6
I have read Song of Solomon in my early twenties admittedly because of the descriptive way the two lovers describes their mate’s appearance. The man is dumbstruck, stupefied, undoubtedly overtaken by her attractiveness. He sees her as beautiful – the “most beautiful of women” – S of S 1:8. She is coy and even deflated, as she admits that she has been working hard in the fields. Her skin is beyond sun kissed, it’s dark and weather-worn. She is painfully sensitive about this; so much so that she can physically feel when people lay eyes on her and notice this that feeds into her self-consciousness.
I have this image of a bland landscape with peripheral people that are afterthoughts in this snap shot. And her, a stunning beauty with a long wayward look on her face, one arm cradling her other arm, tall and smooth and wanting nothing more than to be peripheral.
Even the most (seemingly) self-confident among us are attuned to the flaws and blemishes on our bodies. We don’t and cannot measure up to the image our culture declares most attractive. I have reruns of the season opener of ANTM “High Fashion” Cycle flash through my head; a guilty pleasure of mine. But LOVE makes us look at our spouse – flaws and all – and see the ideal we most delight in. Whatever their body shape or muscle tone, we choose to declare that this person who is uniquely ours in the perfect shape and size for us. We take whatever sensitivities they have, and we lavish them in true love. We don’t just overlook, down-play, ignore, console or reassure. We delight!
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