I Found God In "Wicked......."

A few months back, we saw the play, Wicked; it was FANTASTIC!!! To be honest, the original Wizard of Oz is one of my LEAST favorite shows (right up there with Sound of Music and Mary Poppins... I know, I'm weird, I guess!), but this parallel story of the "true" events surrounding the Wicked Witch of the West really touched me. I loved the story of friendship between Glinda and Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) - and the surprises of how The Wizaard, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion were weaved into this story.

There is a song at the end of the play entitled "For Good"* - a song between Glinda and Elphaba who realize they will probably never see each other again once they go their separate ways. Here are a portion of the lyrics:

GLINDA

I've heard it said

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn

And we are led

To those who help us most to grow

If we let them

And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true

But I know I'm who I am today

Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit

As it passes a sun

Like a stream that meets a boulder

Halfway through the wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you

I have been changed for good

ELPHABA

It well may be

That we will never meet again

In this lifetime

So let me say before we part

So much of me

Is made of what I learned from you

You'll be with me

Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end

I know you have re-written mine

By being my friend:

Like a ship blown from its mooring

By a wind off the sea

Like a seed dropped by a skybird

In a distant wood

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?

But because I knew you:

GLINDA

Because I knew you:

BOTH

I have been changed.......... for good.

The lyrics have a double meaning... it could be read as "I have been changed forever"... or "I have been changed to BE good (vs. evil)" - both meanings are significant to the central characters.

And BOTH meanings could fit with our relationship with God and with the people who enter our lives that influence our Christian Walk.

When it comes to God's power and grace, we ARE "limited" - limited in our abilities to see the whole picture of what's ahead... limited in our understanding of how God's plan for us will unfold. And I think it is absolutely true that "people come into our lives for a reason... bringing something we must learn" - God places some people and situations in our paths very deliberately to help us grow and learn. And sometimes we are placed in someone else's path to aid them in their own journey.

If you consider this song as if it was being sung to the Lord, you'd see other parallels as well... So much of me
Is made of what I learned from You
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know You have re-written mine
By being my Friend...

Once a person has opened up their hearts and minds to God, that person IS forever changed for the better. What a powerful friend we have in God! I can say, that for myself...

Because I know Him...

I have been changed...

for good. :)

♥Mags

*If you are interested in hearing the full song of "For Good" as well as others from the musical, click here: http://www.wickedthemusical.com/#MusicPlayer