Lessons From Oz - A Heart That Beats

“For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:6

We left Dorothy and the Scarecrow still on their way to the Emerald City in search of the mighty and powerful Wizard of Oz. In trying to escape the attack of some crazed apple trees they find the Tin Man. The Tin Man tells them that he needs a heart, so Dorothy and Scarecrow invite him to join them on their journey to meet the wizard. 

Luckily, we humans were created with powerful hearts. Our hearts are engineering marvels, 4 chambers, some valves to control flow direction, major arteries and veins and the consistent lub-dub of its muscle contractions allow our life’s blood to be oxygenated and pumped throughout our bodies. But the human heart is important for more than its physical presence and work. The human heart has a spiritual aspect as well. 

Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Our hearts can either reflect our better natures filled with light or they can reflect the darkness that is active in our world. 

Last week, we talked about the need to use our brains, to use all of the information stored there to do good - to love, to forgive, to show mercy and compassion. The spiritual state of what we store in our hearts, based on the information in our brains - drives how we act, how we treat one another. The Apostle Paul writes: “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). 

What flows from your heart these days? Is it the light of God’s unfailing love or something cold and dark that you have picked up from the world around you? At the end of the movie as the Wizard is giving the Tin Man his “heart” he tells him a partial truth when he says it is not so much how the Tin Man loves but how much he is loved. The complete truth has more strength to it. We who call ourselves by the name of Christ can love much because we have been loved much. Jesus loved us so much that he willing gave His life for us and His love for us is so great that our hearts should be overflowing with that same love. We love, because we have been loved. 

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). We must fill our minds and hearts with good stuff, with the love of Christ - so that His light will overflow from our lives into the lives of those around us. 

So, how is your heart beating these days?

A Prayer
Father, thank you for filling our hearts with your light. Help us in those times when we let the darkness of this world into our lives. Help us to guard our hearts so that your goodness and love overflows our lives into the lives of those around us. Help us to love others better because you love us completely and for all time. In the name of Jesus who is our example of unconditional love we pray, Amen.