Welcome to the Journey!

One of my favorite authors is J.R.R. Tolkien. His books are not only full of high adventure and mighty battles, but also thought-provoking ideas about life, hope, and human nature. Every character is caught up in a grand story that began long before them and will continue after they are gone. Wars are waged on the battlefield yes, but also in the hearts and minds of each person as they walk the road before them and find their place in the story.

There is one moment in the Lord of the Rings where this point came home for me. Sam and Frodo are alone in enemy territory and getting closer and closer to their final destination. They crouch in the dark, resting a while before continuing on. The road has been hard, and the road ahead is harder still. Sam remarks, “‘I wonder what sort of tale we’ve fallen into?’ ‘I wonder,’ said Frodo. ‘But I don’t know…’” He goes on to say that some people may know the end of a tale, but the people in it don’t and you don’t want them to. Sam replies,

‘No, sir, of course not. Beren now, he never thought he was going to get that Silmaril from the Iron Crown in Thangorodrim, and yet he did, and that was a worse place and a blacker danger than ours…And why, sir, I never thought of that before! We’ve got—you’ve got some of the light of it in that star-glass that the Lady gave you! Why, to think of it, we’re in the same tale still!… Don’t the great tales never end?’ 

Sam is comforted by thinking of their tale as only a small part of a greater story, instead of focusing on the misery of what they are currently enduring. When circumstances have plunged Sam and Frodo into dark places, hope is found in remembering the bigger picture because they know that regardless of what happens to them, the greater story will turn out alright.

Tolkien's work creates a true picture of our life. We are called to live for a purpose and King far greater than we could ever hope for on our own. There will be times when our strength will be sorely tried and tested and perhaps even fail, but His never will. Therein lies the beauty of the story that Tolkien tells. Our life is a journey and if the King is our companion, we will traverse heights, explore lands, and cross bridges that would be impossible to cross on our own.

Join the journey!