Cutting Away

As queer as it may sound - I found myself googling circumcision today. So you don't think I'm too odd, I was looking up spiritual circumcision. In the New Testament Paul tells us that it's our hearts that need to be circumcised. That word just brings with it an awkwardness that makes you want to shake off any images that come to mind. Its such a painful sounding word. Makes me glad I'm an American woman! (I've heard some tribal women in other countries are sometimes circumcised too, but we won't go there.)
This morning I went to hear Bishop Tony Miller bring God's Word to a congregation of eager listeners. My note writing is slower now than ever, but he said something like: When you come to Christ, you get rid of the stuff you don't like (about yourself). When God knows you're ready, He starts getting rid of the stuff He doesn't like.
As I read up a bit on circumcision I learned in part, that just as physically its a cutting away - of the flesh, spiritually its a cutting away of the flesh-man, the sinful nature of our heart. It was also pointed out that circumcision is not something one does to themself. Its an act of total surrender (although, its usually done in infancy and the poor little guy has no idea what he's surrendered to).
For us as Christians, once we've begun to surrender to Christ He can begin to circumcise our hearts, cutting away the things He knows we'd be better off without. If He hasn't done any cutting away yet, maybe that means we haven't really surrendered to Him at all. But on the other hand, if we're feeling the pain of the knife cutting away things in our lives we thought we couldn't live without - that just might be a good thing. I could mean we're finally giving in to our Savior, surrendering our will to His. : )