No Place Like Home

I’m pretty sure L. Frank Braun, did not have the gospel in mind when he wrote the classic; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, But that’s the trip I’m going to take us on now.

The Wizard of Oz is the story of Dorothy, a young girl from Kansas. On a violent stormy day, a tornado sweeps her away and she touches down in a far away land of the munchkins. All she is familiar with is turned upside down and quickly she feels the need to find her way home. Follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and the great and all-powerful Oz will make things right. And just so you don’t get too lonely, some friends will accompany you on the road.

With great anticipation she reaches the place she hopes holds all her answers. Instead, she is disappointed and disillusioned when she doesn’t get what she hoped for. The mortal she placed her truest heart’s desire couldn’t deliver. And then Dorothy hears these words: You’ve always had the power to go back home. In response, she asks: Why didn’t you tell me that at the very beginning of the journey? Because, you wouldn’t of believed. You had to learn it for yourself.

Our greatest desire is right in front of us too. Our journey has always been about seeking what fills our heart and makes us feel truly at home. Our yellow brick road does at times feel overwhelming, and possibly today more isolating than ever. It is only when we truly enter into a relationship with Jesus that he enters our heart. And it is at the end of the journey that we learn that we always had everything we needed. He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide us. And we always have the power to return to Jesus, the one who loves us unconditionally. Our challenge rests in believing that. Like Dorothy, we go searching for something we already have. We too are surrounded by some good intentioned people and some dark menacing forces do cross our path. We need to realize that even the good intentioned ones have not reached the final destination, and are yet broken too.

We are probably struggling in some way these coronavirus days, longing for a return to what we call normal. Truth be told, there is a sense of fear thriving. This fear is not of God. Fear is the choice weapon of the Dvil. Fear separates and divides us - from God and from one another. It is in grabbing on to God’s choice weapon, love, that we stay connected and are on the more direct path back home.

Maybe you think it’s silly of me to compare The Wizard of Oz to these unprecedented times, but there is one truth I am certain about, God is always with us. And our greatest desire is all telling. A heart is not judged by how much love you have, but by how much you are loved (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz).