I’m sure if you googled “Lord of the Rings+Christianity,” you’d find thousands of essays on how the story is, in some ways, an allegory for the Christian faith. But I just read The Hobbit for the first time since sixth grade, and the Lord has used even this simple prelude to the Lord of the Rings series multiple times as an illustration of different experiences on the race recently.
All of that is a fancy, heartfelt way of revealing that I’m a geek. And proud of it. (In the words of Andrea, “…you like fantasy, don’t you?” said with just the slightest bit of judgement on her smiling face 🙂 So what?? I like LOTR, Harry Potter, and the Chronicles of Narnia (a lot)– it’s like fantasy with a deeper message. Except maybe HP. Still a great story though.
For those of you who live under a rock, The Hobbit is the story of a small-town hobbit (basically a man, only smaller) who gets caught up in a grand adventure, and eventually plays a pivotal role in the fate of the entire world. The story is told through four pretty lengthy books, but that still only covers a few years in the grand history of this world called “Middle Earth.â€� There are hobbits, humans, elves (the most badass elves you’ve ever heard of), dwarves, wizards, goblins, trolls, and a whole medley of creatures—and all are involved in a truly epic battle of good versus evil that spans throughout all the ages of Middle Earth. And all of these books are about a time after evil was supposedly defeated–people thought the story was over, so they forgot about it, and moved on. This is a quote from the movie, as a prelude to The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series, explaining the background (it’s a bit long, but bear with me):
It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves: immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven, to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern over each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged, in secret, a master ring to control all others. And into this ring he poured all his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One ring to rule them all. One by one, the free peoples of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father’s sword. And Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, the ring ensnared a new bearer. The ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels under the Misty Mountains, and there it consumed him. The ring gave to Gollum unnatural long life; for five hundred years it poisoned his mind. And in the gloom of Gollum’s cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived. Its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire. For the time will soon come when hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.
And why am I blogging about this? Because I am realizing that I am part of an epic adventure. And not in the trendy, overused “Whooooooa…epic!â€� sense. I’m talking really, legitimately epic: “pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements of events is narrated in elevated style; heroic, majestic, impressively great.â€�
Yesterday some of my teammates were relaxing in the house, discussing different parts of the Bible, and one of them brought up a part of the Bible I’d never heard of: Revelations 20. Apparently after all the tribulation stuff, the antiChrist, the mark of the beast and all that (after the entire Left Behind series is done) there’s still more. After the beast and the false prophet are destroyed, Satan will still live. He’ll be chained up for a thousand years, during the reign of Christ, but he eventually will rise again. At the end of the thousand years, he will escape and gather an army for one last battle, where he will finally be defeated once and for all.
That’s when it hit me just how big all this is. This goes so far beyond my little life! I really feel like Bilbo, plucked from my homely little life and thrust into an enormous quest and battle against evil. In a land where there are wizards, elves, dwarves, and men, who are hobbits that they should have an impact on the fate of the world? They have no special powers or strengths to speak of, especially in comparison to wizards and elves. Similarly, in a universe where there are legions and armies of angels, who are humans that we should be so special to the Creator of all? But He chose us to pour His Spirit into, He created us in His image, and He chose us to receive His Son. It’s truly humbling; what possible difference could I make?? And there are numerous times in The Hobbit where Bilbo feels overwhelmed and wishes he could just be back in his hobbit-hole, in his favorite chair by the fire. There have been several instances on this race where I’ve wistfully thought of my comfortable bed, hot shower, and my own kitchen. And not just on the race: this whole journey as a follower of Christ is difficult. I’ll confess to occasional thoughts of: “Can’t I just go back to a normal life? Where it’s not so difficult, and I could just blend in and live my life, wrapped up in my own little world?” But those moments pass, and I can’t just pretend like I haven’t seen and felt all of this. Even if it means I don’t fit in like I used to.
Last week we stayed at the trendiest hostel we’ve seen yet; this place was packed with backpackers and people from the “travelers’ scene,” mostly from Europe and Australia, drinking and swapping stories about their travels. You would think that after nine countries over nine months we’d fit in perfectly there. But we just don’t. We’re not traveling for the purpose of getting wasted in different cities or hooking up with other backpackers; when the purpose of our travels comes up in conversations, people usually politely nod and move on. We’re different. And when I get home, I’m probably not going to fit in like I used to. I’ll get a job and work to support myself, but I don’t think I’ll be able to continue living my faith like this and pursue the American Dream at the same time. I don’t think I want to. He called us to be different, even if it garners a lot of disapproval from others. When Bilbo returns from his first grand adventure, he doesn’t fit in either. “Indeed Bilbo found he had lost more than spoons– he had lost his reputation. It is true that for ever after he remained en elf-friend, and had the honour of dwarves, wizards, and all such folk as ever passed that way; but he was no longer quite respectable [in his own town]. He was in fact held by all the hobbits of the neighbourhood to be ‘queer’…” But Bilbo is okay with it, because he gets to be a part of an epic tale. He has made a difference in the battles against evil– more than he ever realized or expected.
I’m excited to be a part of this heroic, majestic, poetic story. I love reading these books and getting lost in their journeys; something stirs within me and I crave that excitement and adventure in my own life. Now I realize that I am a part of a grand tale. There is considerable danger, discomfort, and sacrifice involved, but the reward of His love, peace, and salvation is absolutely worth the loss of my comfort or reputation in this short little life; I get to be a part of the epic Story, and I get a chance to try and win the battle for Good.
