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Frodo's Courage

You know you're emotional when you cry at the part of Fellowship of the Ring when the council of Elrond is in a chaotic uproar about who will take the ring to Mordor, and Frodo stands up saying "I'll go." Gandalf's facial expression was the last straw before I felt the tears roll down.

Frodo's a hobbit. His race is known mostly for eating and partying. They aren't warriors, and they don't leave home. Here's what I see in Frodo:

1. Availability. Frodo showed up and volunteered. He didn't fully understand what he was signing up for (if he had, he might not have done it), but he saw a need that he could fill.

2. Humility. He knew he wasn't the strongest, biggest, or bravest. He didn't think of using the ring for himself, and he didn't volunteer to look cool.

3. Perseverance. At the Council of Elrond, Frodo had already nearly died, yet still he volunteered. He didn't give up. If you know the entire story, you know that he continues to persevere even through near death by sword, starvation, and madness.


I relate to Frodo. He's a nobody undertaking a massive task. It's like Moses delivering the Israelites, or David and Goliath. I'd like to think that I'm part of a big adventure like Frodo's. It's hard, and I have no idea what I've gotten myself into, I'm in over my head, but it's epic. I wish I had some direct correlation to something in my life, but I don't know what my massive task is. I'll let you know when I find out.

Do you guys get all philosophical about LOTR too? What do you relate to? Tell me I'm not alone!

Comments

Joshua said…
I get all sorts of philosophical about LOTR. My favorite scene is in the Two Towers when Gandalf and the boys first enter Rohan. In this scene, Theoden, King of Rohan, sits enslaved on his own thrown by the evil of Saruman. It is easy to make the connection where the spell he is under is sin. Could be me, could be you, we're all as helpless to the guilt and condemnation of sin as Theoden was to this spell.

Gandalf, the Christ figure here, is the only person who can release him from the spell. Why? Because Gandalf was now the White Wizard, having gone from life to death to life again. The back and forth dialogue between Gandalf and Saruman in the scene is truly empowering to the Christian. Oh grave, where is your victory? It chokes me up every time.
Thanks, Joshua! Zane and I started the Two Towers last night, I was thinking about your comment throughout that scene. So impactful!!

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