Recently my husband and I watched “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, in particular, is quite intense with epic battle scenes and constant toil for the characters. I often find myself echoing the Hobbit’s sentiment of being a peaceful people who don’t like adventures. Even watching these movies can be quite exhausting!
As one might already know, watching the extended version of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is quite an endeavor in and of itself. So I figured I should get the most out of it. Well, I did because I had a spiritual breakthrough!
We might want to run away from the challenges that confront us, like Bilbo & Frodo Baggins wanted to. However, we have the “sword of Truth”, the “armor of goodness” that we can wield to overcome the deception of evil.
For instance, was the ring that Frodo was carrying actually physically heavier as he was climbing up the mountain of Mordor to throw it into the fire? I don’t think so. The ring weighed the same as it always had. However, the resistance to good and the temptation of evil is what seemed to be heavier in Frodo’s thought and he had to summon the courage and will to overcome it.
What if Jesus simply wanted to have a peaceful life and avoid conflict? We wouldn’t have his supreme example of overcoming every obstacle of evil and demonstrating the victory of good, divine Love and spiritual Life. Jesus’ example proves what is possible, and his life-work has been inspiring to me many times.
So, though I may echo the sentiment of the Hobbits, I can feel the dominion of their victory by the end of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. The young Hobbits return home with an understanding of what it takes to overcome evil (love, unity, strength, etc). Conquering their fears, instead of hiding from them, has made Middle-earth a better place for all of its inhabitants.
Spirituality & Healing 