Sometimes we forget how blessed we are. As individuals. As families. As friends. As neighbors. As Americans.

God blesses us daily, but too often we don’t see those blessings because we’re too busy complaining. God wants us to shine, not whine.

Many years ago I was at an event in town. The woman taking tickets spotted her daughter-in-law. The words she spewed forth were scarier than 100 flying monkeys. So hateful, so bitter that when she spoke her appearance changed. She made the Wicked Witch of the West look like an angel.

“I’ll get you, my pretty. And your little dog, too.”

Let’s not wait until a tornado lifts our house into the air and puts it down in some strange land far from home before we realize how really good we have it. How truly blessed we are.

“Toto, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.”

Things change. It’s a part of life. Separating our lives from change is like trying to pull freckles off a spotted frog. It’s not possible. Change is not always our friend. Sometimes it’s our enemy.

But let’s stop and ask a few questions. Does it really matter? Is there a blessing here I’m ignoring? Have I asked God how He can use this to His glory? Does He allow this to happen so that I may become stronger in my faith? Is He using me to point others to Him? Can I still praise Him when life takes a sharp turn and I’m caught up in a tornado?

Does it really matter how someone else looks? Do I really have the right, the duty, the assignment to judge others? Remember John the Baptist? He must have been a sight to behold. Bad hair day every day. Dirty feet. Worn sandals. Crazy clothes. Earthy smell. And yet, our Lord asked John to baptize Him.

One time during the early 1970s, a woman dressed like a hippy visited our church. She didn’t wear shoes or socks. She had the nerve to go to the altar to take Holy Communion barefooted. Many church goers were shocked and expressed their shock to each other. And yet, she took Communion. She had a relationship with God. God loved her. Should we do any less?

In the New Testament part of the Bible, the world turns upside down. The weak are strong. The strong are weak. Jesus doesn’t look at people from the outside. He looks into their hearts.

The Tin Man doesn’t have a heart, and yet, he’s the most compassionate one of all. He cries easily because he feels much. If he were here today, I wonder what would make him cry?

The Cowardly Lion shows true courage when he fights for his friends. He fights through the fear. Jesus said that there’s no greater love than to lay down your life for your friend.

The Scarecrow can’t make a decision. When Dorothy asks him which way to go, his arms flail about, going nowhere and everywhere. You see, he doesn’t have a brain. And yet, he becomes Dorothy’s very wise adviser.

We have brains, but that doesn’t always help.

Dorothy wants to go back home. She doesn’t realize what she has until it’s gone. How many of us can say the same? Dorothy has to surrender everything to go back home. What do we need to surrender? What do we hold onto like it’s gold when it’s really only breakable clay pots?

Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion went on a journey to see the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. They thought he could magically give them what they wanted. But he was just a man. How often do we follow false gods? God loves us. He wants what’s best for us. Let’s not look to the latest gimmicks to solve our problems. Let’s go to the one and only true God.

There’s no place like home, especially when that home is filled with the love of God. Let’s vow to be thankful. To love and to encourage one another. It’s easy to tear down, but let’s build one another up. Let’s love and encourage one another. Let’s vow to love God above all else. To pray for God’s guidance. To follow Him instead of some yellow-bricked road. Let’s stop whining and start shining!

Kathy Yoder is a devotional writer. She may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .