I saw The Wizard of Oz for the first time when I was about 3 years old. The movie had a powerful impact on me. I was mesmerized by it. I loved the singing, adventure, and friendships. So many scenes captivated me. I remember being very upset when Dorothy was trapped in the witch’s castle and the hour glass was almost empty. I was crying from fear she was going to die. I also cried, a time after this, when I watched The Cowboys and John Wayne was killed. I thought he was really dead. It was a relief to learn we don’t really kill people in movies; they’re just acting. So many things about The Wizard of Oz impacted my life, including the overarching theme: there’s no place like home.
One influence that came from the movie was my infatuation with the weather. My mother did not particularly appreciate this. She was terrified of storms, and not without good reason…we lived in Oklahoma. It’s not called Tornado Alley for nothing. We spent a lot of time in the cellar, as a result. I never wanted to go in the cellar. I wanted to watch the storm. Sometimes I would hide, hoping to escape the visual black out the cellar created. I just was not afraid, and I didn’t really understand my mom’s fear. I’m sure she couldn’t believe she had a child who wasn’t afraid of storms. I didn’t want to induce a panic attack, so after she yelled for me for a while, I would relent.
My own daughter, Dayton, also fell in love with the movie, and when she was 4 years old, we had to watch it at least once every day. One spring afternoon, she and her brother, Gabriel, were with me at my in-laws. We had gone to visit and do some laundry. A storm rolled in while we were there, and I wanted to get back home before it started raining. The television had not been on, so we hadn’t heard any weather. I looked up at the clouds, as I backed out of the driveway, and remember thinking their swirling action was interesting. There was nothing ferocious about it, so I wasn’t concerned.
Dayton was in her toddler seat beside me, and Gabriel, only 6 months old, was tucked away safely in his infant seat in the back (yes…in the middle position). We had only traveled about two miles and I was looking out the window to my left, when Dayton said, “Look mom…it’s The Wizard of Oz.” “What?,” I inquired confused. As I turned in her direction, she said it again, “It’s The Wizard of Oz.” I got my head turned around far enough just in time to see a tornado demolish a yellow farm house! This was roughly 1/4 mile from us. We were in the countryside, and there was nothing between us and the house. Dayton wasn’t the least bit concerned, and I wanted to keep it that way, so I calmly said, “Well yeah, look at that. Ain’t that neat.” She didn’t notice I had significantly increased the rate of speed in which we were traveling. We were headed south, the tornado seemed to be on an eastern path. I needed to keep going to stay out of the line of fire. (I’m not advising you to get in your car and try to outrun a tornado, but the distance, directions, and rates of speed of the two objects involved, made my strategy a success.) I was very blessed to have been on the right path.
Are you on the right path, or do you find yourself heading towards imminent destruction? Maybe you aren’t directly in the line of the tornado that’s coming your way, but you’re in the “suck zone”. That’s just as dangerous, because you have placed yourself in the position to still be part of the collateral damage. If you are lost, this is easy to figure out…you are directly in the line of danger. If you continue on the path you are currently on, you will spend eternity in Hell. And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire, Revelation 20:15 Timothy talks about how God wants everyone to be saved and come to know the truth, 1 Timothy 2. When He calls you and wants you to be saved, do not ignore or deny Him. Do not delay, but repent and be saved.
Christians can find themselves on the wrong path as well. You can be caught up in a lifestyle where you are not walking hand-in-hand with Jesus. A saved person who is not living a way that brings glory to God is in danger. 1 Thessalonians 4 is very clear about this. If you are saved, you are not going to go to Hell, but you are not fulfilling God’s plan for your life. Maybe you have found yourself complacent to the sin around you. You are compromised. You have convinced yourself that since you are not committing the sin personally, you are okay in the eyes of God. How big do you think His eyes are? He sees you sitting in the “suck zone”. God would rather you choose a camp. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth, Revelation 3:15-16. You are actually making God sick! He vomits you out.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ…I implore you to live a life on the path that is worthy of the glory and blessings of God. To my lost friend, surrender yourself to Jesus before it is everlastingly too late. Look out the window, and recognize you are on the path of destruction. There is no place like the home that awaits those who have given their lives to the Lord.
But as it is written: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard, and what has never come into a man’s heart, is what God has prepared for those who love Him.
Here’s what the home looks like for those who never accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord:
These will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction, away from the Lord’s presence and from His glorious strength, 2 Thessalonians 1:9
They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:42
It is your choice to make. Be aware, that if you choose to ignore the Lord’s call, you won’t be able to click your heels together three times and repeat, “There’s no place like home”, and make it all better. Hell will be your home.
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