LESSONS FROM THE WIZARD OF OZ

The Wizard of Oz was by far my favorite movie as I was growing up!  I’m definitely going to date myself here, but it only came on once a year and it was around Easter time.  I could not wait, in fact, I was still waiting for it when I got into high school too!  If you would ask why I loved this movie so much I’m not quite sure what I would tell you.  Auntie Em was so sweet, Dorothy was sweet but yet bold, Glenda was the beautiful fairy tale witch while the wicked witch really scared the daylights out of me.  The munchkins were always too cute and you’ve got to love Toto!  But, truth be known I would say the three friends she met along the way were the ones who spoke to me the most!

I pondered this several years back but thought about it again last Sunday in church and figured it would make a good blog.  So these three guys, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Lion all join Dorothy on a journey to Oz to see the Wizard.  For a little recap: Scarecrow needed brains, Tin Woodsman needed a heart and the Lion needed courage.  So off they go down the yellow brick road to meet the GREAT and POWERFUL Oz because they are told that he will grant them all what they want or what they feel they are lacking.  They get to the Emerald City and to the castle and begin to walk down the long hallway and there is the head of Oz with smoke and fire and an ominous voice that frightens them all.  Come to find out that he is behind a curtain running controls that are allowing for him to come off as a very mean wizard when actually he ends up being very kind, gentle, compassionate and loving.  He reveals to all of the friends of Dorothy that they already possessed the things they so desperately wanted all along!  Somehow, over time they had the sense that they had lost intelligence, heart and courage.

This really spoke to my heart as the way we approach or think of God at times.  A big man, with fire and brimstone and a loud frightening voice.  The thought of asking for anything just scares us because of our perception of Him!  But eventually, we do ask- we ask for the fear and the torment to be lifted and, like the lion, for a big dose of some much-needed courage!  Just like in the movie I  and many others have come to find out that God is like the man behind the scenes who told Dorothy, “Oh no I AM A VERY GOOD MAN, just a very bad wizard.”  He is kind, gentle, compassionate and loving and He is telling you just like the man told Dorothy’s three friends: Everything that you need to live a fear free life is already in you!  It’s just been clouded over and the layers just need to be peeled back to order to uncover what is already there!  That is exciting! You CAN and WILL get your freedom back and FEAR will be just a distant memory!

Don’t make the mistake of thinking like the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Lion that the limitations that you have in regard to fear will just always be there. Oh No!  Be encouraged because God is making a way for you where there seemed to be no way~Just unveiling what’s been there all along!

#courage #freedomfromfear