Patty Heard

This is all new to me. I have NEVER replied on-line before - so bear with me as it may become long. For the past three days I have been thinking about "Animal Sacrifices" - Although I have never seen an animal killed (I did try to wring the neck of a chicken once, but only stretched it out, and that was REALLY sad!) This lesson has touched something DEEP in me. As I have pondered what it would feel like to take an unblemished, valuable female animal and put my hand on its head while it was being killed I've thought about several things. First: As a nurse, I have been with people when they died. At the moment of death I have seen the person become ONLY a body, something leaves them. I can't explain it, but the change is there. Second: As a woman, I have experienced the birth of three children, and have spent many years watching them grow up into the adults they are today. Third: As an older Christian, I have learned to STOP and ponder and allow God time to teach me. My husband and I are actively involved in prison ministry, among other things. Over the years we have seen some men change and TRULY serve God, while others have gone back to their "old habits" and ended up back in prison. The animal sacrifice must really touch the heart. If you look at and touch something innocent, while it is being killed, it has to affect you, IF your heart is not hardened. Although this seems barbaric to us in this century and in our culture, I wonder if it really is??? Could it be that we would think about our sin a little more IF the pain of an innocent was closer to our eyes??? Do we blind ourselves to the Truth, and harden ourselves from the pain of others, by living so isolated and remote from life??? Sin costs - after the "fun"! It cost God the Father His Son (in a loving gesture to help us out - because we couldn't do it ourselves:"God forgive them, because they do not know.") It cost us our fellowship relationship to God and many times closeness to our loved ones. A good question to think about - Thanks for the lesson and your insights.