“Then, grasping the bird by its wings, the priest will tear the bird open,
but without tearing it apart. Then he will burn it as a burnt offering on the wood burning
on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”
Leviticus 1:17
As a child I offered my life to God as a living sacrifice, not realizing that at some point that sacrifice may need to be torn apart. But now, after many tearing experiences, I understand that each tear exposed more of my heart and brought me closer to freedom!
Of course, the tearing process is painful, but what hurts more is seeing the junk that lies inside! I remember the horror I felt as I gazed at the ugliness of my pride and the shock when God’s Mirror exposed the fear and lies by which I had lived. How many years would that debris have remained in my heart if God had not torn it open so I could see?
We know it’s impossible to clean our houses in the dark, so why would cleaning hearts be any different? Our loving Father sees the junk in our hearts that holds us back from freedom. So, like the bird’s wings, God takes our open arms of surrender and lovingly tears us open, just enough to expose our hearts to His Light.
The bird was torn open without being torn apart. Neither is it God’s intention to tear us apart…His intention is that our torn open hearts become clean hearts, set free to fly!
