Hands Wide Open

I have recently become addicted to music by Meredith Andrews. I suppose there are worse things to become dependent on.  I have listened to her new song "Burn Away" about 5 million times since her new album came out a few weeks ago.

As usual I was listening as I went through the beautification process this morning. Which gets interesting because I need my laptop to listen but I don't want my laptop anywhere near my hairspray...or my curling iron....or my makeup...

For those of you who know me, you know I love to sing. You also know I can't sing and really shouldn't be allowed to sing - EVER. Thankfully, the four walls of my apartment have become a safe place for me to belt it out...my poor neighbors!

As I curled my hair and boldly sang away, the chorus of this song struck me...it only took 5 million listens for the words to reach those back corners of my heart. You know, the dark places where all the cobwebs and dust bunnies congregate.

Chorus:

Burn away
Everything that breaks Your heart
Everything that is not love
Purify my every thought
Take away
Everything that comes between us
Everything that is untrue
Jesus make me more like You
Burn away

Those are some powerful words, Meredith. Oh my. This is where the foolishness in listening while in the middle of the beautification process extends beyond the hairspray issue...the tears began to flow. Which makes for a rather unfortunate situation - tears and recently applied mascara never mix well. I couldn't help it because as those words rushed into those dark corners of my heart and shed light on all that is there to "burn away" I felt overcome. Overwhelmed with the desire to be completely His and recognizing that this process demands He "burn away" all parts of me that are not His, until I can truly sing "Only You, only You! All I need, let nothing stand in between. Make me Yours. Consuming fire, burn away..."

For some reason "Everything that breaks Your heart, everything that is not love, purify my every thought" were easy to admit they needed to be burned away. However, "things that come between us" - well those can be good things. He desires that I surrender all to Him - even the good things in life that may come between us. Things that are good that I may hold higher than Him. I love that He wants all of me. I love the He never stops pursuing all of me. I love that He uses the lyrics in a song to shine light in the dark corners of my heart, on the places He desperately wants to claim as His. I love that when He asks me to let go and I do, I feel His hand holding fast to me.

"You have a mighty arm; strong is Your hand, high Your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before You." 

Psalm 89:13&14

This concept of total surrender is difficult - even painful. But then who am I to ask God to "take away everything that comes between us" and then expect that not to hurt? The title of the song is after all "Burn Away" and when has that ever not involved pain? Foolish of me to think that cleaning out these dark corners of my heart wouldn't involve some level of discomfort.

It isn't enough for me to simply sing these words. It isn't enough for me to just ask the Lord to make me more like Jesus. I must also do the work of shining light into those dark corners of my heart and clean out those cobwebs and dust bunnies. And, I must surrender.

I must hold all I am and all I have in hands wide open - surrendered to Jesus.