You might be surprised that finding themes about Christ in entertainment is actually fairly common. However most Christians usually only look at the surface of movies, music and other art. For instance, it’s safe to say you have probably seen the classic movie “The Wizard of Oz” but did you ever find a Christian message in the story? Believe it or not, there are underlying themes from the Christian faith buried in the classic tale. While “The Wizard of Oz” wasn’t originally written with the gospel in mind, there are still lessons that easily allude to the Christian lifestyle.

“The Wizard of Oz” follows the story of Dorothy, a young farm girl from Kansas. On a stormy and dark day she is swept away in a tornado and lands in a far-away land of the munchkins. All alone and desperate to find her way home, Dorothy is told that she must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City to find the great and powerful Wizard of Oz who has the power to send her home. On her journey, Dorothy meets friends that accompany her. Each gives advice with great intent; however they are unable to really help her.

Once Dorothy arrives to the Emerald City, she is filled with disappointment when she finds that the great Wizard is actually a mere mortal with no special powers. Everything he promised he could do, he was unable. Glinda the Good Witch tells Dorothy “You’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas” and with the tap of her slippers, Dorothy learns she can get home. Glinda also tells that she didn’t reveal this to Dorothy earlier because she would not have believed it. “She had to learn it for herself,” Glinda tells Dorothy’s friends. And the lesson that Dorothy has learned is that her heart’s desire isn’t “any further than her own backyard.”

Dorothy journey can be compared to the journey that many of us take trying to find something to fill our hearts and make us feel truly at home. As Christians, we learn that the path to Christ, where our true home is, can be a very long journey down the “yellow brick road.” You are likely to run into many difficult encounters along the way.

Only when we finally accept Jesus into our hearts at the end of our journey, do we learn that we already had everything we needed. We learn that we already had the only friend we needed, who promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5) and we have the power of the Holy Spirit who promises to always guide us (John 16:13). Just as Glinda told Dorothy that she always had the power to return home, we always have the power to return to Jesus. We have the power to seek out the Savior that loves us.

Our biggest problem is that we don’t always believe, or many of us forget or simply never knew, that we have the Lord’s power in us. All too often, just like Dorothy, we are searching for something we already possess. Dorothy went searching for the Wizard of Oz, thinking that he was the true master that could help her get home. People do this as well, looking for something to fill their hearts. They might try to feel complete by seeking romantic relationships, addiction, and other false idols.

Her three friends that helped her along the way gave her great advice and pushed to help her get to the Wizard of Oz. Though they had great intentions, they were only pushing her towards a false idol. They too, were broken, and thought that they would be completed through the Wizards help. This reminds us that not everyone is going to help us go on the right path. People aren’t always right. God is the only one that can hold all the truths and knows what is best for us.

In the midst of Dorothy’s struggles to get home, she is frequently attacked by the Wicked Witch of the West and her minions. This can be comparable to Satan trying to intervene on lives of people on earth. Dorothy is frequently brought down and hurt by the Witch and those who follow her. Christians are constantly being tempted by the Devil as he tries to bring them away from God. As Dorothy overcomes the temptations of the Witch, she becomes one step closer into finding her way home. As we also resist the enemy, we are further pushing ourselves to Christ.

It can seem silly to compare “The Wizard of Oz” to the Christian life, but there are some great morals that can be taught through the comparison. Just like Dorothy, we can learn that God is always with us and we had the ability to “come home” to Him the entire time. Next time you are watching the classic, analyze some of the different characters to see how they compare to people on your Christian journey.