Reflections From the Yellow Brick Road

I sometimes find spiritual brain fodder in the most unlikely places.... Example? Excerpts from today's (today actually was thursday-where did the time go!?) reading in The Wizard of Oz. Disclaimer; This may well be one of those "preposterous" ponderings :D

I Read: The leader of the Winged Monkeys flew up to her, his long, hairy arms stretched out and his ugly face grinning terribly; but he saw the mark of the Good Fairy's (we refuse to call her the good you-know-what as the bible denounces you-know-whats as evil, but I digress) kiss upon her forehead and stopped short, motioning the others not to touch her.

I Reflect: C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters and Peretti's Piercing the Darkness did so much to bring the battle in the spiritual places into vivid, colorful (almost too colorful) detail. Rather unnerving to think of demons traipsing around the spiritual realm with their arms stretched out and their terrible grins, just waiting for an opportune moment.... Icky thought, but ignorance isn't necessarily bliss in the long run, certain things are good to be aware of.

I Read: "We dare not harm this little girl," he said to them, "for she is protected by the Power of Good, and that is greater than the power of evil. All we can do is to carry her to the castle of the Wicked Witch and leave her there."

I reflect: Uh-huh. Satan and his cohorts *dare not harm God's chosen ones* and have *no* authority to go messing with us. They can do their best to drag us off the yellow brick road, closer to the clutches of the evil one, but in the end, we wield the greater power, the power of God, and if we would only use it, nothing would succeed in driving us off the path of His protection.

I Read: The Wicked Witch was both surprised and worried when she saw the mark on Dorothy's forehead, for she knew well that neither the Winged Monkeys nor she, herself, dare hurt the girl in any way. She looked down at Dorothy's feet, and seeing the Ruby Slippers, began to tremble with fear, for she knew what a powerful charm belonged to them. At first the Witch was tempted to run away from Dorothy; but she happened to look into the child's eyes and saw how simple the soul behind them was, and that the little girl did not know of the wonderful power the Silver Shoes gave her. So the Wicked Witch laughed to herself, and thought, "I can still make her my slave, for she does not know how to use her power."

I Reflect: Whoah. Anyone hearing the music to "I've Got the Power...." And yet I'm so simple, so apathetic, so dull, that I don't have a clue. The Power, His Power, flowing in me, just waiting to be tapped into, scares the liver out of the enemy. And I quake at him? And God shakes his head. Ruby shoes (actually, for the record they were silver, but once again I digress), the shoes of Preparation, or the gospel... Satan quakes to gaze upon them.

I Read: ...often the Witch threatened to beat her with the same old umbrella she always carried in her hand. But, in truth, she did not dare to strike Dorothy, because of the mark upon her forehead. The child did not know this, and was full of fear for herself and Toto.

I Reflect: Note the umbrella, it has special significance.... Satan threatens, cajoles, roars and rages, but in the end, he is captive behind the boundaries set in place by the Great Protector of our Souls. I am convinced that the fact that I sometimes succumb to fear over "attack" (usually fear of future attack) is evidence of my lack of understanding of the Doctrine of Sovreignty. Look at Job... Satan couldn't touch the guy. And even when he did, he couldn't go an inch further than God's plan permitted him to. And yes, it was GOD'S plan. And God is GOOD, all the time, so if I understand this, I have nothing to fear, not even things that hurt in the moment. True Love casts out all fear.

I Read: But the wicked creature was very cunning, and she finally thought of a trick that would give her what she wanted. She placed a bar of iron in the middle of the kitchen floor, and then by her magic arts made the bar invisible to human eyes. So that when Dorothy walked across the floor she stumbled over the bar, not being able to see it, and fell at full length.

I Reflect: Oh yeah, he's cunning alright. The king of tricksters. The master of stumbling blocks and invisible traps. Surely if I am walking on human strength I put myself at risk of tripping over those invisible hurdles. But I have a Guide who sees all, whose voice is here to whisper "this is the way, walk in it" To tell me when to turn to the left and when to turn to the right. If I only listen, He will guide me through the maze.

I Read: This made Dorothy so very angry that she picked up the bucket of water that stood near and dashed it over the Witch, wetting her from head to foot. Instantly the wicked woman gave a loud cry of fear; and then as Dorothy looked at her in wonder, the Witch began to shrink and fall away.

I Reflect: ahhh, thus the umbrella. The Water of the Word causes the enemy to shreak in fear and melt away. I once heard that if you are feeling oppressed to quote scripture out loud over and over, sing worship songs OUT LOUD. Satan can't hear our thoughts, but when the Water of the Word comes pouring out of our mouths I am convinced he turns tail and flees. Try it some time!

Well... there you have it folks, my mangled spiritual paraphrasing of L. Frank Baum's tale on the demise of the Wicked Witch of the West. Now you know the naked truth, that I am indeed certifiably preposterous on occasion :D