Undistracted love

A couple of weeks ago I was listening to that lovely hymn O Love That Will Not Let Me Go during Songs of Praise. I know it well, and so it came as something of a surprise when the singers segued from the hymn into what seemed a worship song, then back to the hymn, concluding with the worship song. It was simple; just a few words addressed to God, beginning with Your undistracted love... A few words, which caught my attention, and caused me to reflect...

We can find comfort in a God of undistracted love; a God who is all watchfulness and tender care, knowing our innermost beings and our every move. This is a God who cannot be deflected or diverted from each and every one of us; who cannot be pulled away - distracted - by sudden thoughts or competing needs, as we often are. Of course, we can also be somewhat unnerved by such a God, maybe wishing that he would look aside at certain times. What a joy to discover that God is not undistracted due to hyper-vigilance, control or intrusion, but because he is so in love with us, he simply cannot take his eyes off us!

How distracted, or undistracted, can our love be? - our love for God, and through that, our love for others, and for our world? How easily can we be deflected from our best intentions; pulled away from single-mindedness and whole-heartedness? Lent, with its setting aside of certain tendencies or habits, and its positive embracing of others, can become an excellent opportunity to grow in a love which is increasingly undistracted... a love which will not let God, and his desire and dreams for us, go...

Happy Ash Wednesday, and a blessed and undistracted, loving Lent to you all!

And a bonus video for you - the version of the
hymn I saw on Songs of Praise