One of my favorite songs is Misty Edwards’ Dove’s Eyes. Two lines are the reason this is on repeat on my itunes. “Give me dove’s eyes. Give me undistracted devotion for only You.”
Get Rid of Distractions
“Undistracted devotion”. I’m a pretty smart girl. I realized that to have undistracted devotion would mean that I would first have to get rid of the distractions.
I began to ponder the stories in scripture and the distractions various men and women of the Bible had. If we start at the beginning, we have to think about Adam and Eve. There they are in the Garden of Eden. . . . walking with God . . . perfect communion . . . what could be better, right? But there were some distractions.
We know the story, the serpent told Eve that God lied to her when he told her not to eat the fruit or she would die. And so, she began to consider what it might mean to eat the fruit.
In Gen. 3:6 it says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it.”
We know the result was sin entering the human race and that easy morning walk with the God of the Universe wasn’t so easy after that.
Our Human Distractions
Let’s list the distractions Adam and Eve were dealing with: the devil, temptation, power struggle, eye candy, desire for food, desire to be like God, control, power, wisdom of the universe.
Adam’s distraction might have been a sexual one in regard to doing what the woman wanted. Or, his may have also been one many fall into, that of just being a follower and not thinking for himself.
There are others such as Samson. His distraction was Delilah or women or sex. The rich man in the New Testament. His distraction was his money. The Pharisees, their distraction was their pride, their power. There are many others. Each distraction pulled the person away from an intimate relationship with God.
How Can We Be Undistracted?
With all these examples how do we have undistracted devotion? The song says give me “dove’s eyes”. One source that said a dove, by the way also called a love bird, has a binocular visual field. It is able to only put attention on one thing at a time.
It is also intriguing that in Song of Solomon 1:15, the man says to the woman: “Behold you are fair, My love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.” A dove’s eyes are very beautiful. To me their beauty is in their large innocence.
Dr. Kluane Spake, a theologian, points out, “When a dove fixes its gaze upon its mate, it is not distracted by any activities around it. Therefore, it is often referred to as being a ‘Love bird’.
“Our having this ‘dove’s eye’ indicates we are becoming increasingly aware of the Lord’s person and presence and that we possess a spiritual awareness that will lift us above the pulls of the earthly.”
One Thing
Psalm 27:4 says it this way: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
This is more than belly button contemplation. If God is our purpose, what does it mean to you when it says things like dwell in the house of the Lord, gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple?
To me this is an active seeking to be so close to the Lord that I know what his calling is for me: what his purpose is every year, month, day, minute because I have undistracted devotion to Him.
In Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching the disciples that they shouldn’t worry about basic provisions such as food and clothing. In 6:33 he says, “But seek first his kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Real Purpose
I don’t know if you caught the inference to distractions and single mindedness there, but I had to do a double take. Jesus was saying the stuff (like what to fix for supper and what to wear for church on Sunday) we worry about today are distractions from the real purpose which is seeking Him.
This is the Dove’s Eyes, binocular vision, focusing on one thing and one thing only, a love bird paying attention to the First Love. This extreme focus is so that we can be obedient to the Lord’s desires because we know Him intimately. It is a giving up of anything that stands in the way of knowing him better.
Give Him that thing that has been gnawing at your heart since we started chatting about this. Close your eyes and feel His presence right here with us.
Dove’s Eyes by Misty Edwards
I don’t want to talk about You like You’re not in the room
I want to look right at You I want to sing right to You
I believe that You are listening
I believe that You move at the sound of my voice
Give me dove’s eyes
Give me undistracted devotion for only You.
Teresa Shields Parker is a Christian weight loss author, coach, podcaster, and speaker, who has lost 250 pounds and kept it off since 2013. Her books include: “Sweet Grace: How I Lost 250 Pounds and Stopped Trying to Earn God’s Favor,” “Sweet Grace Study Guide,” “Sweet Victory: Winning the Battle,” “Sweet Surrender: Breaking Strongholds,” “Sweet Journey to Transformation: Practical Steps to Lose Weight and Live Healthy”, “Sweet Freedom: Losing Weight and Keeping It Off With God’s Help,” “Sweet Freedom Study Guide,” “Sweet Change: True Stories of Transformation,” “Sweet Hunger: Developing an Appetite for God,” and “Sweet Excuses: Stop Lying to Yourself & Start Losing Weight.” She also offers Overcomers Christian Weight Loss Academy and VIP intensive coaching. Don’t miss her weekly podcast, Sweet Grace for Your Journey, where she shares tips from her personal journey of losing weight and discovering healthy living. Contact her at [email protected].
Love this. Beautiful post.