Cring takes us on a journey through America, with a stop-off in the Garden of Eden to visit Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and, of course, the Tin Man.

TRANSCRIPT

The Wizard of Odd

(Singing)

Oz never did give nothin’ to the Tin Man

That he didn’t already have…

That song lyric is so obscure that even people who are old enough to know it scrunch their faces in confusion. It’s from a song by a group called America. It’s called “Tin Man.”

And as you can tell from the lyric, these fellas from the band came up with a very interesting insight. For you see, there was this guy named Frank Baum who wrote a book called “The Wizard of Oz.” Most people have heard of “The Wizard of Oz.”

What has sustained that book for year, being passed along from generation to generation, is that it not only has an interesting story, but summarizes the problem that we humans all struggle with. We believe we’ve located what we need and have convinced ourselves that we don’t have it.

The Tin Man was convinced he didn’t have a heart. Turns out all the Wizard of Oz does is give him a token to remind him of what a heart does.

You may remember, there’s a Cowardly Lion. He wasn’t really cowardly, but the Wizard gave him an award for courage.

And let’s not forget that crazy Scarecrow, who wanted a brain instead of a head full of straw, and the Wizard game him… What was it? A diploma. Was that it? I think so.

And we can’t forget Dorothy, who wanted to go home, and it was made clear to her that the power to do so was at her heels all the time. Click-click!

This struck me this week.

As I watched the people around me struggle with what they fear to be their inadequacies, as they seek God, government, psychologists, medication, alcohol, drugs, and any number of other “wizards,” as it were, to confirm to them how they can overcome their lack, it makes me realize that each one of us is only weakened by our fear of weakness.

What do you know?

You think there’s power in knowing. Actually, your greatest power is in becoming. So, what would happen if, like the Tin Man, you decided to become what you know?

Simplify.

Sounds a little simple, doesn’t it? Which could lead to “simpleton,” and God knows you don’t want to be a simpleton. You want to appear multi-layered. After all, it should take years to study you.

Of course, we need to be honest—most people won’t give us more than a few seconds.

Let me ask you another question.

Let’s take this Garden of Eden story, and let’s drop a little “Baum” on it. Frank Baum.

What if the Garden of Eden wasn’t really a garden at all, but instead, the internal life, feelings, spirit, mind and strength of a human being?

Fruitful. What if each one of us is a Garden of Eden? What if the answers don’t lie in the stars? Or the Good Book? Or some wise words from Dr. Phil or Sister Oprah?

YOU’VE ALREADY GOT EVERYTHING YOU NEED

What if Jesus, the Wizard of Nazareth, was right when he said that the Kingdom of God is within us—that’s it’s been within us all the time, to solve the majority of our concerns and problems?

After all, the Tin Man showed much heart in his concern for the strange girl who fell from the sky.

The Cowardly Lion took on all sorts of monkeys.

And the Scarecrow was willing to be “de-strawed” to be of assistance.

And Dorothy herself stood against apathy, silliness and even some evil.

What if it’s inside of us—this Garden of Eden? And the mistake we continually make every day is constantly trudging over to one particular region inside ourselves, where we play around with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, bouncing back and forth between our foolishness and our discovery?

What if the Garden of Eden is us?

What’s the best way for us to emerge from the dark cloud of believing we’re under a dark cloud?

How can the world know who you are? I can think of three magnificent attributes which are often overlooked:

1. A smile
2. Courtesy
3. Patience

You see, these are not virtues. They’re keys—to get you in the doorway of a life of someone else’s Garden of Eden.  And when these are inserted at the right moment, they are gleaming gold in a world of dirt clods.

What if Dorothy hadn’t had a smile?

What if she hadn’t shown courtesy to the Scarecrow, the Lion and the Tin Man?

What if she had not given them patience as they struggled with their silly insecurities?

Because when you watch “The Wizard of Oz,” even when you’re just a little kid, you don’t believe the Scarecrow is brainless; you don’t think the Tin Man has no heart, and you certainly don’t hold to the idea that the Lion is cowardly.

You struggle along with them, hoping that they will come to their senses and find that singing again.

(Singing)

“Oz never did give nothin’ to the Tin Man

That he didn’t already have…”

Because you can’t fake these things. My dear God, you paste a smile on your face without feeling it and you look like a corpse in a box.

You can’t wait for courtesy to take over in your thinking, or the moment will pass and you’ll be kicking yourself for not knowing what to do.

And it’s impossible to be patient after you’ve already started complaining.

So, what kept these four individuals from discovering what they already had inside of them—the Garden of Eden that was growing—and made them think they needed to pursue the Wizard of Oz (the knowledge of Good and Evil)?

Why were their smiles changed to perplexed faces?

Why did their courtesy cause them to procrastinate on their journey?

And why did their patience often turn into grumbling over the obstacles that stood in their way?

Because there were so many things, so many problems and so much “witchiness” that scared them away from common sense.

Just like it does you and me.

We don’t spend enough time in our own Garden of Eden, talking to our own heart—our own emotions—letting our Spirit speak and using the reasoning part of our brain and feeling our strength instead of every ache and pain.

So, here’s the power:

In a world filled with perplexed looks, procrastination and grumbling, you become a champion simply by using what you have until more shows us.

That’s what happened to the quartet in Oz, the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man and Dorothy. They just decided the greatest thing they could do in their lives was become the person they admired.

I’m not so sure any one of us can find our answers simply by going to our favorite Wizard in Oz.

I sometimes feel great sadness when I listen to speakers, politicians, corporations and preachers play off the weaknesses of human beings to get their attention, their vote, their devotion or their money.

The greatest thing you can do is empower people to find the Garden of Eden in the Kingdom of God within them, so that their emotions can be touched by them, passed through their spirit for purity and then renew their minds, to gain new strength in their bodies.

Frank sure did drop a Baum on us.

It’s probably one of the greatest stories ever told—it shows us that we can feel free to journey and struggle, but basically, the answers to our problems lie within us—right there, in our home.

So, the good news is, instead of applauding those who choose to be different, grab a tambourine and of your own free will, join the band.

And the better news is, communicate to those around you what you truly believe by reaching inside your heart, soul, mind and strength, and start becoming instead of complaining.

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