Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men‘s bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-29)

“[When] the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men‘s hearts… What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (1 Corinthians 4:5b; Luke 12:31) (See Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 14:25)

Many times I have watched the “Wizard of Oz” and I still find the story enjoyable. A girl gets lost in a strange land and only desires to go home. She runs into others who are seeking something they feel is missing in their life and in the end they find out that the missing piece was inside of them all along.

It is what is inside that matters. That was the message that I took away from the film. Although our outward circumstances may appear to be less than satisfactory, if we possess a sense of self and a good moral fiber inside, then we can weather any storm that life may throw at us. We can rise above all obstacles if we possess an ‘inner man’ of character. This is what the kind man behind the curtain taught the wandering travelers in their quest for significance.

That being said, there is a scene in the “Wizard of Oz” that I have especially enjoyed—the scene where Toto reveals the man behind the curtain.

A kind elderly gentleman has gone to elaborate lengths to hide his true-self behind a projected image he wanted the world to see. He had even gone so far as to build an entire kingdom around the image of the ‘Great and Powerful Oz’ when all along he was just a kindly old gentleman behind the scenes.

We all wear masks of some sort, putting our best foot forward when we are attempting to persuade others to follow our plans or objectives. It is really evident when applying for and interviewing for a new job or position. We dust off our resumes and make every attempt to put the best face on our past failures while underlining our accomplishments. We want others to see us favorably, regardless of who we really are.

Some people hide behind masks all the time. Some who are less than ethical in their business practices or political dealings, want to keep all the ‘behind the scenes stuff’ hidden from view. They go to great lengths to keep secret the double dealing and dishonest practices they employ to promote their own agendas. It is to this type of people the bible speaks so specifically.

No matter where we go or what we do, the Lord is always watching. He knows all and sees all. There is nothing hidden that He is not able to uncover. No matter how well we hide from ourselves and others, we are unable to hide from God. When the time comes, God will reveal all hidden agendas and motives of our hearts and we will no longer be able to hide behind a mask of piety while we live a life of sin and deception.

We are currently in the last mile of a marathon political campaign and there is one candidate who has gone to great lengths to hide behind one curtain after another, in a concerted effort to hide his true self from the world. While he prances around the world’s stage pretending to be a messenger of change he is masking his true incentives and motives. He is going overboard to convince others that he is not who he would appear to be behind the scenes. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain is his cry. Look instead at this huge image I have manufactured for your adoration and praise. Look instead on the outward and not what really lies on my heart.

But just like the word reveals, when the time comes, EVERYTHING that is done in secret will be revealed from the housetops. Isn’t it interesting that in today’s high tech world there are hardly any secrets anymore? A whisper can be heard around the world in nanoseconds. What was said in California can be heard in Pennsylvania. What you attempt to keep secret can be uncovered with a few strokes of a computer keyboard.

All efforts to hide one’s self behind a curtain is futile. Just like in the ‘Wizard of Oz‘, a small dog can pull back the curtain and reveal one’s true self. Even a child can see behind a curtain. All those attempts to cover-up can easily be revealed.

Wouldn’t it be far better and a whole lot less work to just be who you are? Wouldn’t it be more profitable to be your true self rather than attempting to live a lie? It takes far less effort to just be, rather than to pretend to be. Maintaining an appearance, takes far more effort than just being true to yourself and to others.

When it comes to those who seek to lead others there is a stern warning in the ‘Word of God’ for those who wish to hide behind curtains. God will reveal to all, who we really are, and if like Dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow or the cowardly lion, He finds goodness inside, He will reward you according to what lies inside, not on what you build around yourself.

So it is wise to pay attention to the man behind the curtain and not get caught up in all the pomp and circumstance, the smoke and the mirrors, the huge stage production with all it’s theatrical sound and lighting. It is wise to take time out to look behind the curtain and see what lies inside a man before you hitch your wagon to their leadership. After all, that is what God is going to do. Shouldn’t you do the same? I challenge all of us to spend more time working on “the man inside”, rather than the curtains we craft to hide our true selves.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Thanks but no thanks Uncle Sam. Thanks but no thanks to your plan to saddle me with the burden of bailing out Main Street and Wall street. There is only one street I wish to see bailed out and that is Capital Street.

I can choose not to shop on Main Street, I can avoid investing in Wall Street but I really have no say in what Capital Street decides to do to me. They can pick my pocket anytime they like and I can not bail out of the program. I do have choices in where I shop and where I invest. I can even avoid borrowing money from anyone if I choose not to but I can not avoid paying taxes. This so called crisis on Wall Street has little or no effect on my personal finances but the failure of Capital Street sure does effect me adversely. Even when I do not invest in the stock market I have been forced to do so by the federal government in this bail out. Although I do not borrow money or have a sub-prime mortgage I have been forced to buy them by the federal government as well. Although I do not have personal debt my government has heaped a huge debt upon my shoulders and the shoulders of my offspring if I chose to have some.

Spare me the chatter about saving Main Street and going after the villains on Wall Street, what I much prefer you do is clean up your own house at Capital Street before you even think about trying to clean up either Main Street or Wall Street. We the people and the free market can clean up the mess on Wall Street as you can tell from the falling stock values. People are leaving Wall Street in droves. Main street too suffers when people decide they no longer wish to shop there. Now I ask you congressmen, how does one bail out of Capital Street? Sacs Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus I can avoid, but Capital Street keeps coming around taking money from me without asking.

Perhaps it is time ‘We the People’ Bail out Capital Street! Bail out all the graft and corruption! Bail out all the pork barrel spending! Bail out all the lying, thieving congressmen! Bail out the uncontrolled spending sprees these politicians love to wage with our money. I think it is time to CLEAN up the environment of the filth in Washington. I think it is time to renovate Capital Street and clean out all the old cronyism and nepotism that seems to infest the place. Perhaps it is time to clean out the moldy politicians and get a breath of fresh air on Capital Street. What say ye?