Sorry about the longer wait between part 2 and 3. I have no real excuse for why it took me so long to write this other than that I simply forgot.
In the last two posts, we looked at the theme that runs throughout The Lord of the Rings wherein Frodo frequently separates from the group for, according to him, the greater good. In every scenario, Frodo's attempt at distance is either thwarted by Sam, or in the 2 cases where it isn't, there are very nearly dire consequences (you can find those posts here and here if you haven't read them yet).
This time we're going to look at what we can draw from this theme for our own lives. Before we dive in, let's set the stage a little bit.
I recognize that Tolkien did not write The Lord of the Rings as some sort of allegory, in fact he despised allegory. However, in "On Faerie-Stories," Tolkien reveals an incredibly telling drive for his writing. All the true "Faerie-Stories" (which I'm sure he counted The Lord of the Rings as one of) represent, to some degree, the great Christian story. Jesus Christ's victory from death to life and the destruction of all evil, and the fact that he invites us to escape death with him. It is from this base that we will draw. Since The Lord of the Rings is very intentionally mirroring (not representing, although we will use that word a lot) actual elements of the actual Christian story we can draw real, mirrored truths from it for own lives as we live out the Christian story.
The Connections
While Frodo is, quite obviously, a Christ figure in The Lord of the Rings, he is also (albeit somewhat less obviously) an Everyman. In Frodo, every person can see some piece of themselves. I'm convinced this is one of the reasons why Tolkien chose a Hobbit. He looks like a child, has the maturity of someone just out of their teenage years, but is in actuality, a 52 year old retiree. No matter where you are on the spectrum of life, you can see some piece of yourself in Frodo.
The Ring, likewise, is a physical manifestation of evil, or what we might call sin.
Frodo is a Christ figure in this sense because he is the one who destroys evil (or sin), just as Christ did on the cross. However, Frodo is also Everyman in this case because we all have to bear the burden of sin and evil in our fleshly bodies.
Can you see where I'm going with this?
Throughout the story, Frodo is constantly being dragged away from others by the Ring. Or to use our mirrored images, Everyman is dragged away from others by the sin that they bear. What's equally important to see though, is that those around Frodo, who are wiser than him, are against this isolation. Gandalf and Elrond both encourage him to be around others, to fellowship with them; Sam actually risks his life on several occasions to make that happen. When Frodo is successfully separated from the group, dire consequences ensue. First he is almost killed by the orcs. Then at Mount Doom, separated from everyone, he claims the Ring (his sin) as his own and and refuses to get rid of it.
What about our own lives?
Sin's great goal is to isolate us. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote,
"Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person." (Life Together)
When you're alone with your sin it's able to convince you that that's where you belong. That the holy "others" won't accept you and can't understand you. Even if they did they can't bring you real happiness after all, only your sin can do that! Nobody understands you, not really, only your sin is able to see and accept the deepest parts of you.
The fact of the matter is that that's a load of hogwash. Bologna. Untruth. Lies. Bull****.
In our current world, isolation is required, applauded, and necessary for public health. And that may be true. Don't get me wrong, I'm pro #shelterathome. However, I'm not for isolation. In isolation, all the above lies sound more like truth. The benefits of Christian fellowship and of Christ himself seem distant seconds to the immediate dopamine of sin.
Here's what we ought to do about it:
Don't be like Frodo. Don't buy into the lie that separating from the group is what's necessary. Find ways of reaching into community. We might all be tired of video conferencing, but sometimes that's what you've gotta do. Find outdoor communities you can be a part of to interact with others.
And when you get to those community events, be it with just one other or with a host of others, don't settle for surface level friendship. We noted as we looked at The Fellowship of the Ring that Sam knew Frodo better than anyone, do you think it's any small wonder that Sam is always the one saving Frodo from giving in to the Ring?
Open yourself up to a deep search of your soul by others. Doing so may just save your life. As we practice this with others, we learn how to practice it with God. Gone are the days of perfectly formulated prayers, crafted to make us appear holy to God. He already knows everything about you! So pray to him with that in mind! Not disrespectfully, but honestly. Sometimes that means you won't be complimented on how "beautiful" or "eloquent" your prayer was. And that's okay. That's good even. Jesus himself warns us against praying for compliments (Mt. 6:5).
The second thing to do is to be like Sam.
Sam leaned into community. He actively forced Frodo out of isolation and into fellowship. As Christians, we have a responsibility to each other, especially when the catastrophes feel like they keep piling on. Reach out to those who you know have been separating from the body of Christ. And as you do, don't settle for surface level friendship. Pry deeply into their lives, seeking out the dark corners where they hide their sin. Don't let it get them alone. Don't let them head into Mount Doom by themselves to claim their sin as their own. Fight them for the privilege of knowing them.
Conclusion
I hope you've enjoyed reading these posts, I've certainly enjoyed writing them. My hope and prayer is that as the social distancing continues on, but as restrictions lessen, we wouldn't continue in isolation. Watching church from the comfort of our couch, in the warmth of our sweats is tempting. However, it is especially important that we lean into community. That we seek out opportunities to see each other, to ask questions, and to know and be known. As we do so, let's not leave behind our brothers and sisters who can't begin attending church in person due to health risks. I'm as tired of opening Zoom as the next guy, but I hope that we wouldn't allow mere tiredness to be the reason we forgo the meeting of the body (even virtually).
God bless. Stay safe. Be like Sam.
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