First Baptist Church of Herndon

My Magic Wand

Linda Soller | Nov 17, 2014

What does your magic wand look like? What do you mean you don’t have one? How do you get anything done? Over Halloween weekend my daughter, sister, niece and I went to Universal Orlando for the purpose of enjoying the two Harry Potter park locations. My daughter and I had already visited Hogsmeade twice before, but were anxious to visit the new Diagon Alley. It was all new to my sister and niece. Halloween simply added to the excitement we felt as we planned our costumes. Okay, so I wasn’t thrilled about the costume idea at first. It was suggested that I dress as Professor Sybill Trelawney. I don’t really have the right hair, but I had no trouble finding her “Old Hippie” style clothes around my house. No wise cracks! Now if you aren’t a Harry Potter fan then some of this may be lost on you, but I’ll try to keep you in the loop.

I read the books when they first came out and loved them. I know they were written for young people, but I liked the premise of the story. Here is this young boy, Harry, who was saved from the Dark Lord by the love of his mother. His world was not perfect, his next of kin were terrible toward him, his room was a no more than a cupboard under the stairs. Really, it was a cupboard under the stairs! Anyway to sum it all up, Harry was special. To look at him you might not think so, but he was. Inside him were the traits of a very special person, gifts he would learn to use to help others, courage that made him a leader, and faith that he could make a difference for the good of all. One day he was handed a wand and his world changed.

Harry’s wand allowed him to tap into the gifts God had given him. The wand protected him time and time again, but it didn’t prevent all bad things from happening. He had to learn to apply the power of his wand. I may be going out on a limb here, but I think faith is my wand. If you looked at me you wouldn’t see anything exceptional. Well, I am pretty short, which I think you would notice, but nothing that would make you say, “Wow, I want to be her.” When I finally wrapped my hands around my faith and owned it, I felt like a different person. I understood I had been given gifts with the expectation I use them for God’s purpose. There were times I instantly knew my faith had impacted my situation. There were challenges I dreaded, but survived with more strength than I had ever known. Waving my faith around for people to see accomplishes nothing, but knowing how to tap into the power of faith can feel magical. Faith in action can be an amazing spectacle.

This last trip I purchased an interactive wand. I selected Snape’s wand. Snape hovered around looking serious and pretty scary, but inside he was filled with a strong love, which led him to protect Harry. When I stood in just the right spot at the parks, and moved my wand just the right way, something magical would happen. I particularly liked the raining umbrella. My faith, with time, has become more interactive. If I go to the right places, and do the right things, it can be truly magical.  It doesn’t matter if I look average like Harry, scary like Snape, or like an old hippie, my faith in action can be a powerful tool for God. So let me try asking again. What does your magic wand look like? I know you have one.

Have a great week!  :o)    Linda