On Thanksgiving Day, I watched the Wizard of Oz and noticed some things that reminded me of my walk with Jesus:

• When Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion made their way down the yellow brick road to see the wizard, they encountered obstacles—the Wicked Witch of the West made them sleepy with poisoned poppies; she also threatened to turn Scarecrow into a mattress and Tin Man into a beehive, and she used her flying monkeys to capture Dorothy and her dog Toto. They were frightened but they kept going. Those scenes reminded me of how we’re on our walk with God and we face trials that are discouraging, frightening, or frustrating. We may get distracted or knocked down but we’ve got to get back up, realign our focus, and keep going.

• In the scene where Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion fell asleep after running across a bed of poisoned poppies from the Wicked Witch of the West, Scarecrow and Tin Man cried out for help and Glinda the Good Witch caused it snow so Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion could wake up. This reminded me of how we call on God to help us and He’ll come to our rescue.

• Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Scarecrow were rescuing Dorothy and Toto from the Wicked Witch’s castle and the witch set Scarecrow’s arm on fire. Dorothy grabbed a bucket of water to toss on him and some of the water hit the witch, causing her to melt. This scene made me think of the various psalms in the Bible (or even Bible stories) that refer to our enemies scheming, plotting, or planning to hurt and destroy us but they end up falling into the trap they set for us (Daniel chapter 6, the book of Ester, where Haman was killed by the pole he set up for Mordecai and psalms 7 and 9, to name a few).

• Dorothy wanted to return home to Kansas, Scarecrow wanted a brain, Cowardly Lion wanted courage, and Tin Man wanted a heart. I remember someone (on TV, online, or was it my mom?) saying that the things they were asking for were already inside of them. Sometimes were constantly searching for someone else to give us things we desire—validation, happiness, etc. but we have to seek God for those things. Our validation comes from Him (he loves and approves of us) and not from the cars we drive, the clothes we wear, the homes we live in, and the people we associate with. Our happiness comes from Him when we focus on how He’s helped us in our lives and how He’s been good to us.

The trials or obstacles that we face in our lives show us what we’re really made of. Our trials reveal our weaknesses (complaining, shrinking in fear, etc.) and we tend to think: I don’t know how to deal with this, I don’t want to deal with this. At times, it may feel like we’re being torn to shreds. This is why we need God’s help and strength to get us through every obstacle because He’s the only one (not money, fame, etc.) who can get us through it.

Whatever you’re facing, let God help you through it. He’ll give you the strength to keep going.