The Choice is Up to You

In the above clip from Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring, the hobbit Frodo is beginning to feel the weight of the task he has been given. He has been tasked with taking a most evil object, the Ring of Power, to its destruction. There are evil forces hunting him at every moment seeking to reunite the ring with its master. One he thought was his friend has become intoxicated with the power of the Ring and wants to claim it for himself. To protect his other friends he decides to separate from the group and set out alone. And think about it to a tiny hobbit, the journey to travel all the way across Middle Earth to take the Ring to the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor, the only place it can be destroyed was daunting when he had the eight other members of the Fellowship with him, but alone, it probably seemed impossible. However, the words that Gandalf told him once come back to him and gives him a new surge of courage. 

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.

"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Frodo and Gandalf Fellowship of the Ring 

As I was watching this the other day it reminded me of our journeys as Christians. There are moments in our lives where we are faced with tasks and challenges that we wish we could give to someone else. A relationship issue, a problem at work, a job or location change, a health problem whatever it is there are things in our lives that we don't want. Even the Apostle Paul talks about how he had something in his life he continually prayed to God to take away from him. 

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (MSG)

See Paul was given the gift of communion with God, he was given visions and revelations that if he wasn't careful could have caused him to become conceited and begin to rely on himself. Knowing this God gave Paul a constant reminder that he needed to rely on God and not himself. At first, Paul prayed and prayed begging God to take away this "thorn" as he calls it. However, as he began to listen to what God was telling him, Paul began to realize the purpose behind the thorn and realized that when he used it right, he became all the more powerful because he HAD to depend on God.

Frodo had been given the task to destroy the Ring out of the blue, no one had come and warned him or given him a heads-up that he was going to be trekking across the wilds of Middle Earth and risking his life to save the world. But isn't that how it always is? We never know when calamity is going to strike or when our own personal thorns are going to be particularly painful but that's where the choice Gandalf and Paul talk about come in.

See we're all given a choice as to how we are going to take the trials and challenges this world throws at us. We can sit in a corner and say "Poor me, I wish this never had happened. Why is this happening to me?" Or we can choose to say "Okay God, what are you trying to teach me through this moment? How are you going to use this in your Kingdom?"

And don't worry, God doesn't leave you to face this journey of life on your own. Not only is He always with you, but he will provide you friends and others to come along in this life journey and encourage you. Most of us have at least one person in our lives who is extra special to us, Frodo had Sam. Who is your Sam? Who has God placed in your life that gives you a shoulder to lean on when needed, provides encouragement when the road is dark and is there to rejoice in your successes? I know I have a whole Fellowship of people around me (you know who you are :) ) who has helped me in this life to get through the challenges.

Final Thoughts: While we may not be taking the Ring of Power across the whole of Middle Earth pursued by the dark forces of Sauron, we do have the message of the Gospel and we are being pursued by the dark forces of the Evil One. Don't let that thought discourage you, though, rather let it be an encouragement! You have a very important role to play in the story of history. You will face times of discouragement, and fear, but you always have a choice as to how you will let it affect you.

 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)