Steve McVey Writes:

We are Not in Kansas Any More

 In The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy and Toto were lifted from their home in Kansas by a tornado and carried to the land of Oz, it was a whole new world there. Until then everything had existed in a land of black and white, but when Dorothy opened the door on this new dimension of living, suddenly for the first time she saw that she had found a home rich with beautiful colors.

As she entered into her new life in that wonderful place over the rainbow, she soon discovered that many things were different than they had been in her old life. Standing in awe of the beauty that was revealed to her, she rightly concluded, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

This is the experience of every person to whom God graciously reveals the reality of our true identity in Christ and what it means to walk in grace. Many have lived for years in a world of empty routine, marked by drab, colorless religious activity that holds no real beauty. We were sincere as we went about the business of doing our daily chores for God. Deep within, however, there was a gnawing hunger, a desire for something more. Many of us wondered at times if what we were experiencing was all there is to the Christian life. Surely there must be more “somewhere.”

When Joshua prepared the people of Israel to cross the Jordan River to go into the promise land, he cautioned them to carefully follow The Ark of the Covenant, the visible sign of God’s presence with them. He made clear to them that the reason they needed to follow God was, “you have not passed this way before.” In Canaan there would be so much to learn. Everything there would be new. The culture, the food, the language and many other things would be new when they arrived there.

It’s the same way for us when God delivers us from the wilderness of self-imposed religious-rules-keeping and brings us into the land of grace. We find ourselves in a new world where old terminology doesn’t fit. Old methods of living are obsolete. Even the vulgar language of guilt, shame, self-effort and personal determination are replaced with the mother tongue of life that effortlessly flows from our King. We learn to relax in a world where we don’t live in tension about being judged for missteps but instead gain the freedom to live boldly knowing that our faith will be affirmed even when we think we have failed.

We couldn't have imagined what a grace walk would look like. It is better than anything a person could ever conceive. In the land of grace, it is necessary to renew our minds to a new way of life. It takes time to see by experience that the old ways of living don't fit in this new world. Grace isn't simply a truth we add to our lifestyles. God's grace expressed through the indwelling Christ becomes our life. He doesn't simply make the landscape of life more beautiful. He is the very air we breathe. "In Him we live and move and exist" (Acts 17:28).

Entering into an understanding of this kind of world brings about a transformation in the way we think. We will find that the way we see all of life is changed as our minds are renewed by the grace of God. The old assumptions about life that Dorothy held in Kansas had to be scrapped when she arrived in her home over the rainbow. As you move deeper into the land of grace, you will discover that you too will begin to interpret life through a new paradigm. Your adjustment to living in the land of grace will be rewarding if you are willing to have old beliefs removed and replaced by new ones which are appropriate for the new world in which you now live.

The Bible says, "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). The old world is a world of dead morality where everything is black and white. The only thing that matters there is doing your chores and doing them well. Life revolves around laws of cause and effect. To be transformed means to step across the forms set by the world of morality and be renewed in our minds to the reality of our God’s eternal, unchanging, never-diminishing, outrageous love!

In the new world of grace, the only cause for blessings is the goodness of God. He wants to renew your mind to this new way of life. It is a life where He blesses you, not because of how good you are, but because of how good He is. Purpose at this moment to stop viewing life through the lens of your old life. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You aren't in Kansas anymore. You are in the land of grace -- a place where God is anxious to show you all the beauty He has prepared for you. Don't try to apply the principles of life you knew before in this new place. They don't fit. Just trust Him. He has the days ahead already planned for you. It isn't your responsibility to navigate your way through life. Just walk with Him. Follow the grace-bricked road and enjoy the journey.