We’re Not In Paradise Anymore, Toto

Tomorrow, August 25, 2024, is the 85th anniversary of the original release of the movie The Wizard of Oz.

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
Romans 8:20-21 NLT

You probably remember that scene when Dorothy looks around at the Land of Oz and says, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” I went to Kansas a while back, and driving through Kansas City, which is partly in Kansas but partly in Missouri, it’s very difficult to tell when you cross from one state into the other. It all looks the same. But Dorothy could tell that she had been transported to some place very different from her home.

We human beings are in a similar situation.

From Adam we have inherited the curse of sin and death. We have been born into a world full of sin and sinners, and we know that one day we will die.

Yet having been created in God’s image, from Him we have inherited a sense of eternity and an idea of paradise that rings true in the depths of our souls. Deep down we sense that this fallen world is not really our home.

One of the things people get most hung up on in religion is the question of why God allows suffering. People often malign God for letting bad things happen. If He’s really God, or if He really loves us, why doesn’t He stop the bad things from happening?!

Well, God put mankind in a perfect paradise.

Aaaaand we got ourselves kicked out.

On the other hand, sometimes when we’re blessed we say things like, I don’t deserve God’s blessings. That’s correct. Because of sin we don’t deserve anything but death.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

When we get upset about the difficulties of life, we need to understand that they are not a reflection on God. The difficulties are a reflection on us. They are an indicator of the seriousness and ugliness of sin. Sin is so horrible that God wouldn’t allow even a hint of it in His paradise.

Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. Romans 8:20 NLT

Boys and girls, we’re not in paradise anymore. God has the power to keep any bad thing from ever happening, but He doesn’t do that here in a fallen world. It isn’t that He lacks the power nor is it a lack of love for us. It’s simply a consequence of the fact that we, as human beings collectively, chose sin, and sin leads to suffering. We’re in a world of sin. God offers to take us back to Paradise, but not immediately, and not if we insist on living life on our own terms.

Even many believers who give their lives to Jesus then blame him when they continue to suffer. Becoming a Christian should change how you think and how you live, but it doesn’t change where you live. You live in a fallen world.

And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. Romans 8:23a NLT

God cannot contradict His own nature. He cannot lie. And He will not pretend that a place with sin can be a paradise. What’s really amazing is how often He does protect us from harm, how much He does bless us even in a world of sin and death. Some things in life are cruel, but those things are from Satan, not God. And even in those cases, God’s power and love are still there to help us until Jesus returns and we witness the “restoration of all things,” (Acts 3:21).

We humans have been displaced, much like Dorothy was transported from her home to Oz. But unlike Dorothy, we brought it on ourselves. Still, because of Jesus, we have a way to reach that perfect eternal paradise, the one we long for in the depths of our souls. And we know, as Dorothy so wisely said, there’s no place like home.

What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. Romans 8:18 NLT

Dear God, this life can be so hard and there are so many things that we don’t understand. Thank you for revealing Your word so that we have a path to follow through this dangerous world. Keep us conscious of the realities of both sin and grace, and help us to live so that whatever happens in this life we can make it home to You, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

by Christie Cole Atkins

Related Reading:

How God Plays Favorites

The Purposes of Suffering– Part 1