BY Sherry Orcuttm owner of Hallelujah Acres
How many of you were raised annually watching the 1939 American Film Classic film, The Wizard of Oz? In 1956 telecasts started playing to the public making this an annual tradition for families I can remember as a little girl just waiting with anticipation for that movie to play on TV and as a family, we would all sit to enjoy popcorn and watch the plot unfold.
There were many delightful characters involved: Dorothy, the dreamer who was determined to return home, The Lion and his courage, the Scarecrow who needed a brain, the Tinman who needed a heart, and the Wizard who was all-powerful.
We can learn a lot from history and from movie entertainment. All of these characters were looking for the “magic bullet” from the Wizard. I think this is a picture of the way we look at our health in this country. Today, people are looking for the “yellow brick road” to health. Many people don’t want to exercise, or eat boring salads every day. They want the magic pill to fix their problems – the quick fix without having to do much work. We look at those “magic potions” as our way to return to health.
The Scarecrow was living a dull life in a farmer’s field and he lacked brains. He was looking to the Wizard to give him intelligence. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.” Many people make decisions based on fear and circumstances rather than seeking wisdom from our heavenly Father. God gave us a brain and unfortunately, we only use about 10 percent of that gift. By researching our problem and entertaining new thoughts, we can achieve great strides in our health. Our life should not be dull. It should be filled with the peace and joy of the Lord as we trust Him to guide all our steps.
The Tinman wanted to be an un-rusted real man again and he wanted a new heart. Fifty percent of people today are seeking that same thing; they want a heart that pumps properly. They encounter stints, triple by-passes and multiple heart surgeries trying to achieve that goal. If Mr. Scarecrow took the time to take care of the heart that God gave him by exercising and eating a healthy diet; free from junk foods and high fat meals, he could live a healthier life.
Mr. Lion was a coward and he wanted the Wizard to give him courage. God is the source of our courage. Many times, fear motivates people to take drastic measures to regain their health. We need to have courage to trust God with our life and all our decisions. He will guide our steps perfectly to let us know the course in regard to our health. When we tap into our Lord, He is the source of our faith and our courage. If God brings us to it, He will walk us through it! The Wizard can only provide false hope and temporary fixes.
The Wizard of Oz is a very deceptive character. He appears to all powerful, all mighty, and all knowing. He tries to give the impression that he holds the key to everyone’s desires. Sounds like Satan to me. Today, the world follows the crowd when it comes to eating. They are consuming the Wizard’s foods (processed, genetically modified, pretend foods loaded with chemicals, hormones, pharmaceuticals, sugar, salt and fats) and not realizing that this food is deceptive and is in fact, not food at all.
Dorothy’s character was one of great delight. Even when disaster struck and she lands in Oz, she remains optimistic and sets out to return to home, despite the magic and wonder of Oz. She is determined to return to her simple life, meets danger, witches and exposes the true identity of the Wizard. His power was just an illusion; smoke and mirrors. He didn’t have any power at all.
The moral of this story is that many people do not have the courage, desire or motivation to tour the road less travelled. They are filled with fear when health takes a turn for the worse, they don’t have the heart to change their lifestyle, they don’t’ use their brain to gain wisdom, making health decisions and they are looking to false wizards to conjure up a cure. Jeremiah 30:17 states, “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds.” God is all powerful and wants us to take care of our body and the precious life He gave us.
