My most favorite possession is my Wizard of Oz movie poster. The poster features the faces of Dorothy, Tinman, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion, and of course, the glistening yellow brick road. The Wizard of Oz is my all-time favorite movie, and every time that I hear "Follow the Yellow Brick Road," I start skipping with my toy poodle, Sophie at my side.
For the (hopefully) very few of you who haven't been exposed to the wonderful Emerald City, Dorothy and her gang are on a mission, their sole motivation is the chanting of "Follow the yellow brick road. Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road." This mantra does not remain simple, though. The group is tempted by drowsy poppy fields, angry apple trees, and other obstacles along their route. In one scene, Dorothy cries because she is afraid she will not make it back to her bleak Kansas farmhouse. In the end, despite the Wicked Witch of the West and monkey army, Dorothy returns to her home, safe and sound, and in the arms of her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry.
How many times in the past month have you been tempted by the angry apple trees in your life? How many times in the past year? If you are anything like me, meaning "imperfect", the number of temptations that you have faced is more than the number of bricks on the golden road to Oz. I recently asked several middle, high school, and college students to fill out a survey concerning temptation that they had recently faced, and honestly, I was shocked. Here is a breakdown of what I found:
When, in another study, I asked about the number of temptations each student faced in the last month, 50% of responders recorded that they were tempted by peer pressures, and 81% were affected by worry and anxiety.
What I learned from this study is that we tend to get sidetracked by the momentary pleasures, the temporary fads, and we easily torn from our path. Daily, we are the targets of the Wicked Witch Satan, who keeps throwing apples at us and drowsing us with the "beautiful poppy fields" of short-lived relief from our uncontrollable world.
With every apple and poisoned poppy, though, comes reward. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." No, we can't just click our heels and wish to go home, but when we do return from the tornado that is temptation and sin, we are welcomed home with a loving embrace.
So, readers, if nothing else, remember to always follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road. The journey will be tough, your faith will be tested, but after the battle comes the promise of an eternal Emerald City. After all, there is no place like home.
Blessings to you all this week! We have officially reached 2K views! I really appreciate your support and love! Please fill out a Suggestions entry, or feel free to email, tweet, Instagram, or Facebook me if you have anything you want to read about in the future!
-Emily
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