….because of the wonderful things He does!

After watching the Wizard of Oz on tv countless times as a kid, attending the Broadway show Wicked, and recently watching the movie Wicked (Part 1) twice in theaters, something has moved me in a different way.

Over the span of her adventure, Dorothy often wishes or hopes for something better, calling on the power of the Wizard. In a spiritual sense, this reflects how people turn to God in times of need. In Him we can do all things; we are helpless without Him. Paul stated it in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” When Glinda advises Dorothy to look inward for guidance, it mirrors the idea that faith and divine power are not always found externally but from within; through prayer, self-reflection, surrender and trust in God’s plan and purpose.

Dorothy’s faithful journey down the yellow brick road to the Land of Oz can be interpreted as a spiritual pilgrimage of self-discovery, much like a person seeking God. She and her friends had to travel the entire length of the yellow brick road to learn that the man behind the curtain could do very little for them; unlike the God of heaven who can do everything for us.

I think of Dorothy and her three kind friends as a parable about life. They all have their own unique hardship and struggles. They begin their journey believing that the Wizard of Oz can fix them. Here is where the problem lies. He’s just a man hiding behind a green velvet curtain pretending to be the answer to all their problems — all smoke and mirrors.

We wouldn’t want to get to the end of our own journey before we realize the blessings that we have. This is where the Holy Spirit, our voice of inner guidance, enters. It can be seen as the source of comfort and encouragement that is often internal, just like how the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion each discover that the qualities they were searching for — wisdom, love, and courage — were already inside them. In the gospel of John, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the “advocate” or “helper” who will come after Him to teach and support believers. The Holy Spirit is God’s personal presence working within believers to guide, empower and transform them into the people God calls them to be.

The Wizard symbolizes a false God who Dorothy and her friends believed could grant them their wishes. In today’s society, the Wizard could represent our strongholds; money, power, pride or idolatry to name a few.

Nowadays, rather than spending time with friends on the yellow brick road, people are isolating and wasting time searching for answers to the same questions on social media outlets. Like Dorothy and her friends, many people look to an external source for guidance and inspiration. While Dorothy and her friends ultimately realized that the strength they sought externally was already within them, it was the love they had for one another that helped them realize this.

Let’s take the lessons from the Wizard of Oz and build a community of friends who put’s their trust in God alone. Let’s not get stuck or break down on the yellow brick road. We should not wait around for a magician to wave a magic wand and make all our problems (poof!) disappear. We already possess everything we need to continue moving forward in life — a heart, a brain and courage — but we need to show up and do the hard things everyday.

A lot of life is hardship. We know life is full of troubles. I have learned over the last few years, when we go through hard things, we can do hard things. We don’t need to go through pain without a purpose.

First, let us find the Scarecrow within us. What occupies our minds? What directs our lives? What gives us wisdom? God is our operational power and all our blessings come from Him. The more we surrender our mindset, the more He will bless us and lead us away from temptation and harm. Our mind can teach our brains not to be bound by worry, fear, depression and anxiety.

Next, let’s find the Tin Man inside of us. The heart is our spiritual compass and connects us to God and helps us with intuitive guidance and discernment. By following our heart, we are encouraged to love others well, showing kindness and understanding. This is how we glorify God, by being called to be a blessing to others.

Finally, let’s find the Lion that roars within us. Faith over fear. It is trusting the unseen. It is having the courage to put our trust in God especially when our brick road turns to a dirt road. Let Go and let God…

My pastor says that “When we show up, God shows up.” So close your eyes and click your ruby slippers together three times and dig into doing the hard stuff. We can’t really click our heels together and get transported back home, but the Father, Son and Holy Spirit will help guide us through or around the obstacles that we will face on our own yellow brick roads.

Pay attention to how God is working in our lives. The more we surrender the more we learn and are able to excel and move ahead to brighter roads that lead to gratitude, truth, forgiveness and guidance. This is also a reminder that we are better together. We were not meant to do life alone but with community. We should focus on our blessings and all the wonderful things He does for us!

I would love to end with inspiration taken from Mark Batterson’s ‘Draw the Circle’ book.

God is the Composer. Your life is His musical score.

God is the Artist. Your life is His canvas.

God is the Architect. Your life is His blueprint.

God is the Writer. You are His book.

I am over the moon 😉 (rainbow) that you took the time to read my article.

I pray you thrive in 2025. 🎉