thoughts on the fellowship of the ring

I just finished reading Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring. It took me a while to get through. Not because of the sheer size of the content (531 pages), but also the use of older English by Tolkien as well as other languages of middle earth. I have now come to appreciate the job Peter Jackson did with directing the movie, condensing it to a little under 3 hours depending on the version you watch. And while I may not agree with the content he decided to leave out, I appreciate the work.

It's a great book, the first of the trilogy but the second book in the story, after the Hobbit. It was only after finishing the book and looking back at the story in a big picture perspective that some of the themes became apparent. So I'll like to share a bit of what I got in as general terms as I can possibly make it.

Chance
What may seem to be chance may turn out to be after all  Was it chance that the ring came to Frodo? Or to Bilbo before him? Was it chance that it was discovered by Gandolf when he did? I don't like to think so, for what may look like chance may actually be deliberate. We do not always see that invisible hands at work in and through ordinary things.

Resistance
All through the journey to destroy the ring, where was resistance. Everyone linked to the destruction or the Fellowship has some form of encounter with the enemy. Their enemies are fearsome and terrible, never relenting in their pursuit, always a few ways behind bringing destruction with them. Their aim, to destroy all that is good. But the enemy is afraid. Afraid of what a few weaklings with courage would do.

Disappointment
No one expected that a member of the Fellowship would be lost to the mines of Moria. Not least of all the leader of the fellowship. His loss brought great grief to everyone as most losses do. Most of all to Frodo, the young bearer of great trust and hope. To him he was not just the leader of the fellowship but a guardian and a voice of wisdom. Even a dear friend. However if we must grow from where we are, we cannot rely solely on man, or even wizard.

Help
All through their journey they came across friends who aided them one way or another. Whether with shelter and supplies or a brief respite from the trouble of the world, a quiet place to rest and renew strength. There were a lot of forces working against them and a lot of forces working for them. This was very encouraging.

Separation
All faith is tested. And only through testing that the true nature of things are reveals. Through testing, the true nature of the hearts of men were revealed. The ring is treacherous and will amplify the desires of the heart, laying them bare so that sheer act of will is no longer enough to suppress it. With testing came separation when a divergence of purpose was apparent. Everyone must choose the path they want to walk in and the part they must play.

Determination
This journey is a lonely one. Frodo had Sam as his companion yet for each of our journeys, we may not be fortunate to have a companion, least of all one like Sam. We may have to walk alone but we are not alone, far from it. Only with courage and perseverance can we accomplish our task. For frodo it was the destruction of the ring, but we all have our task, different, and yet the same.

Now I can't decide whether to read the Hobbit next or the Two Towers. The last time I check in Popular bookstore I could not find the Hobbit but found a Lord of the Rings book with all three books in one thick book and was tempted to get it.

-ONWARD!

do the hard thing

I've been listening more and more to john piper. And on his last podcast he talks about this thing called the rebelution. Its basically a message by young people, to young people to "rebel against low expectations" to walk the hard road, to be more.

On his last podcast he talked about how Paul was saying to Timothy not to despise his youth, saying don't let the adults look down on you. You have the power to change them by the way you live. Live responsively, honour them, listen to your advice and even though they expect very little from you because well you're young don't give them that privilege. You have the power to influence them.

In this time in my life, i guess i need strong leadership, and i need something to devote my life's passion and a purpose i can live for for the rest of my life and dedicate all my time, talents and treasures to.

So please someone buy me this book. There's a good review here. I've been visiting this blog quite often and i'll put a link to it in the links section.

~shalom~