Back to Oz

I never saw the movie Wizard of Oz until I was a young adult. Not once. Even though the movie was released in theatres long before I was born, it would be shown on TV once a year on Wonderful World of Disney which happened on Sunday nights. But during my growing up years, we went to church—Training Union (we were Baptists) and Sunday night service. Always. No exceptions. I missed seeing the movie in its entirety every year.

Finally, there was a time when I made my own choices about Sunday nights and I vowed to watch this iconic film when it came on. I did. I was so excited—and then scared, especially when the wicked witch threatened sweet Dorothy and her adorable dog. Of course, we only had a black and white TV at the time, so her “greenness” was not apparent. Still, I was intrigued throughout the movie and absorbed its message. 

Dorothy wanted to go home, back to Kansas where she felt like she belonged. But her journey took a magical turn and she ended up in a place too grand to describe. She made new friends along the yellow brick road—experienced new perils, trials, and decisions. But Dorothy learned courage and fortitude and loyalty along the way, and by doing that helped herself and her friends complete their journeys of discovery.

One of the perks of getting older is that I can glance back at my rather lengthy road and see how perils, trials, and decisions placed mile markers of discovery. One epiphany I had while watching the Wizard of Oz movie is that Dorothy and her friends found that what they sought they already had. Security, courage, intelligence, and compassion. These attributes were already built into them, and yet, they had lost their awareness of them. They had fumbled around in fear and disillusionment needlessly. I need (perhaps you do, too) to reacquaint myself and reignite the gifts God gave me instead of continuing down the road in search of something else.

Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 (The Message).

God wants us to use our intelligence, to seek to understand as well as we can. For instance, by using your heads, you know perfectly well that the Spirit of God would never prompt anyone to say “Jesus be damned!” Nor would anyone be inclined to say “Jesus is Master!” without the insight of the Holy Spirit.

God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!