Dorothy had it right all along

I had the wonderful opportunity not long ago to share with little Scamp a much loved movie from my childhood, The Wizard of Oz.  I remember watching it once a year filled with excitement and just a little trepidation at the appearance of those pesky flying monkeys!  Looking at it now, as an adult, I can't help but wonder how those little winged chimps could have brought on such fear.  They just looked so realistic!  Their acting skills must have been less than great, though, as I don't think any of them have done much since.  I do love the part towards the beginning of the movie when Dorothy first lands in Oz and steps out of her witch killing abode.  She had been living in a land of black and white and she is suddenly thrust into a world of brilliant color.  I've often thought this was a good representation of my life after the Lord found me. 



I have so many favorite scenes there isn't room to list them all, but one does stand out in my mind today.  It's the one when Dorothy meets the wizard for the first time.  She and all her friends fearfully make their way down the long corridor leading into the throne room of the great and mighty Oz.  When they get there the head that seems to float before them is quite intimidating.  It's harsh and angry and downright mean to the little group.  When they present their requests he requires a seemingly impossible task be completed first.  You all know the movie, I'm sure, how Dorothy throws water on the wicked witch and melts her thereby allowing her to take her magic broom for the wizard.  When they all return to the Emerald City and present the broom they are shocked when the wizard tells them to go away and come back later.  Dorothy gets mad and starts to tell the giant floating head off when her attention is grabbed by little Toto.  The little dog had discovered a curtain with a funny little man behind it over to the side.  "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" says mr floating head, but the gig is up.  He's been found out! 

How many times have we trembled in fear before a giant floating head in our life only to find out later is was controlled by a harmless little man behind the curtain?  We must not take what seems to be truth at first glance to always be right.  Dorothy and her little crew could have given up and gone away never to see the realization of their dreams, but they were willing to go behind the curtain.  They looked deeper and learned the truth, and as we all know, the truth shall set us free. 

The lesson I learned from this favorite childhood movie is this; don't accept surface reality.  Look deeper, question everything, take nothing for what it seems to be.  How many times has the enemy floated a big old giant head in front of me and told me I couldn't do something?  How many times have I, like the cowardly lion, dove through the window to escape what I was sure was certain death?  If I had only stopped to check out the little man behind the curtain, things could have turned out differently.  Remember, just like Dorothy, we already have all we need to make it home.  We simply have to believe. 

The movie has given me a few ideas.  Parts of it had the same affect on Scamp as it had on me as a child.  I wonder if those monkeys do private work.  I could use some help on the discipline front. Too much???  Maybe.......

Soaked in His blessings,
Spokenfor

Great players never die, they just face plant.

It seems the weather has finally decided to cool off. I, for one, am so glad.  I don't care too much for hot temperatures.  I don't do sweating.  It's simply not a good look for me.  This hasn't  always been the case.  When I was younger I was always outdoors, always active, always involved in some sort of physical activity.  I didn't care if it was volleyball, or basketball, or biking or touch football, but softball was my favorite!

I started playing at a really young age.  At the tender age of only four years old,  I actually remember the day of my first real game.  We used a tee to hit off and I was so nervous walking up to the plate.  Coming from a totally baseball family I had been well prepared for everything except my nerves!  Nevertheless, I swung and made contact.  The ball went soaring (to my 4 yr old eyes, it was soaring!)  towards the outfield and I started running.  I made it all the way around the bases and dashed for home while the opposing team still looked like an ant hill someone had stirred up.  I was exalting in my very first homerun.  I then proceeded to jump right over the plate without touching it!  In my excitement I didn't realize I didn't touch home plate.  I triumphantly swaggered towards my dugout when I felt the catcher tag me in the back and heard the umpire say "she's out!"  I was stunned.  I remember it like it was yesterday, not 40 years ago! lol

I went on to play for many years, hit many homeruns, and develop the instincts of a pretty good player. I found out the hard way a few years back that I never lost those instincts.  It was a gorgeous summer evening.  Mumbles was playing on a rec team and it was the yearly Moms vs boys game.  The first clue that things were not as I assumed was when, while at bat, I fouled a ball off right into Mumble's eye as he knelt behind the plate as catcher.  He had quite the shiner but he learned to never play that position without his facemask.  The fact that I didn't realize I had hit him and continued to bat until hitting a ball into deep right field and rounding the bases made this not quite my shinning mom moment.  It wasn't until I was standing on third base that I realized what had happened and received my trophy as the mother of the year! 

He wasn't the only one to limp away from that game with an unfortunate injury.  The last 5 years I spent on the softball field I always played 2nd base, so it was only natural I would take up that position again in this battle of parent vs child.  I learned an important lesson that day, while I retained my natural instincts for the game, my body could no longer keep up with them.  When there was a line drive that shot straight up the middle my instincts said to quickly pivot that direction and lunge for the ball.  It seems my brain was much faster than my body!  I did find out that I am still impressively limber for an old woman of my size.  How did I come by this knowledge, you ask?  I think I first realized this fact as the bottom of my feet hit the back of my head after I face planted in the mud!  After I could breathe again I couldn't stop laughing!  While I would feel that splat for quite a few days the only obvious wound at the time was to my pride.  I don't know who was more embarrassed, my kids or me! lol



There is, of course, a point to my ramblings. I am going somewhere with all this and I welcome you to join me on the trip!  As I was recently relating this story to a friend of mine I started to see a spiritual parallel (you should have known I would).  I believe it is possible to abide in Christ to such an extent that you allow the Holy Spirit to nurture those instincts.  After 25 years of being absent from the field, I still had the instincts to do what I needed to do to make the play. The fact that I no longer had the body for it only gave me a sadly humorous tale about what happens to old women trying to recapture their youth.  The fact remained that my instincts also remained.  I want to develop my spiritual instincts in the same way.  I hope, one day, for my first reaction to be to walk after the spirit in every situation and not after the flesh.  So I'm going to be asking the Lord to reset my default button, to sharpen my instincts till my natural instinct is for the supernatural.  My goal will be to reach a point when that is the norm and not the exception.

Meanwhile, I'll still be here dreaming of green grass, the crack of the bat and the smell of a new leather glove.  I'll still dream of those things, but in reality I'll be on the couch with a coke, some popcorn and the Braves on tv, but in my head........

Till next time,

Soaked in His blessings,

Spokenfor