A Path Chosen
One of my favorite parts of the Lord of the Rings is a conversation between Frodo and Gandalf. A dark evil is filling the land. Wraiths and orcs--demonic forces of darkness--are on the move. Powers of malice are threatening the whole earth. And, as you probably know, the only way to stop the evil is to destroy a powerful ring that will otherwise control the future by its hellish magical force.
The task to destroy this ring falls to Frodo, an average hobbit with a monumental challenge accompanied by perilous terrors. As the young hobbit carries the weight of the ring through one life-threatening crisis after another, the burden becomes almost more than he can bear. And in a moment of near despair as Frodo speaks with the powerful and good Gandalf, he cries: “I wish the ring has never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”
We've all known such moments: moments we wished had not come our way; burdens we wished we did not have to carry; challenges we wished we did not have to face; circumstances we wished were not our lot to endure; risks we wished were not ours to confront; threats and impending dangers we wished were never a part of our lives.
Gandalf's response to Frodo has inspired me numerous times. In fact, sometimes I'll re-watch the movies or re-read the book, just to get to this moment of Gandalfian wisdom: “ So do all [wish none of this had ever happened] 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 to us.”
Very often in life, we do not choose our path; it chooses us. More precisely, it is chosen for us by God. What's left for us is to decide what we will do with the time and the path chosen.
Alert Christians in our moment of American history are aware that we are in perilous times; times of economic peril, moral degradation, social meltdown, freedom loss, global disdain for Christian values, and a wholesale unraveling of anything like a fundamental commitment to basic morality and the sanctitiy of life.
These are perilous times which are only going to worsen in the days to come. We wish that such times would not happen, but they do. And these times are our times. What is for us to decide is what we are going to do with the times we are given.
In recent days I've felt the call of God to do more than pastor my flock. There is a call upon men and women of God to be a conscience for society, a defender of the helpless, a beacon of truth and guardian of all things sacred. The church is not supposed to be hidden, but out in the open. It's not to be slinking off into the shadows hoping for the "safety" of anonymity, but stepping out onto the hill side in the power of love and with a bull horn for truth and right. This is the moment and the path chosen for us.
Right now I'm trying to discern what that path is to look like for me. How do I become a voice for righteousness as the darkness gathers? And what about us all? What is the self-denying perilous path of obedience and courage to which God is calling you and me in this our time, our moment, our battle with evil?
We have no choice but to ponder our place and moment and calling in this hour. Are we willing?
The task to destroy this ring falls to Frodo, an average hobbit with a monumental challenge accompanied by perilous terrors. As the young hobbit carries the weight of the ring through one life-threatening crisis after another, the burden becomes almost more than he can bear. And in a moment of near despair as Frodo speaks with the powerful and good Gandalf, he cries: “I wish the ring has never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”
We've all known such moments: moments we wished had not come our way; burdens we wished we did not have to carry; challenges we wished we did not have to face; circumstances we wished were not our lot to endure; risks we wished were not ours to confront; threats and impending dangers we wished were never a part of our lives.
Gandalf's response to Frodo has inspired me numerous times. In fact, sometimes I'll re-watch the movies or re-read the book, just to get to this moment of Gandalfian wisdom: “ So do all [wish none of this had ever happened] 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 to us.”
Very often in life, we do not choose our path; it chooses us. More precisely, it is chosen for us by God. What's left for us is to decide what we will do with the time and the path chosen.
Alert Christians in our moment of American history are aware that we are in perilous times; times of economic peril, moral degradation, social meltdown, freedom loss, global disdain for Christian values, and a wholesale unraveling of anything like a fundamental commitment to basic morality and the sanctitiy of life.
These are perilous times which are only going to worsen in the days to come. We wish that such times would not happen, but they do. And these times are our times. What is for us to decide is what we are going to do with the times we are given.
In recent days I've felt the call of God to do more than pastor my flock. There is a call upon men and women of God to be a conscience for society, a defender of the helpless, a beacon of truth and guardian of all things sacred. The church is not supposed to be hidden, but out in the open. It's not to be slinking off into the shadows hoping for the "safety" of anonymity, but stepping out onto the hill side in the power of love and with a bull horn for truth and right. This is the moment and the path chosen for us.
Right now I'm trying to discern what that path is to look like for me. How do I become a voice for righteousness as the darkness gathers? And what about us all? What is the self-denying perilous path of obedience and courage to which God is calling you and me in this our time, our moment, our battle with evil?
We have no choice but to ponder our place and moment and calling in this hour. Are we willing?
Labels: Culture War, Mission
posted by Tim Shorey at
9:38 AM
3 Comments:
Yes, Tim, I am willing to engage the culture. If we love the Truth, we must speak the Truth into the darkness, and let God do what he will.
There are many out there now who I admire for doing just this. It's exciting because WE HAVE the TRUTH. You are right, it moves us beyond the confines of the flock. Tend the flock, yes, but engage outside too! "Other sheep I have which are not of this fold." I'm with you on this. And I think the day is coming (soon) when those outside the flock will be desperately storming our doors, looking for answers in these troubled times, and "wanting in" to the security of the flock. Let's let them know that we are here, and we are proposing answers even now!
we are where we are, in the circumstances we are in, "for such a time as this......"
I have a question. the persecuted, underground churches around the world...the fact that they are underground, does that make them less of a beacon of light for truth and love in the world where they are? granted when it comes down to it their dying is gain and many of them do die because they refuse to deny christ....but what about their "to live is Christ" aspect?
A good question Alina.
I'm not sure just how underground "underground" means. Clearly from the fact that the church in these parts of the world is growing at an astonishing rate, it would appear that it's not too far underground and out of sight. Somebody's living Christ in bold and sacrificial ways to make sure that others hear the gospel and come to Christ.
In the end each believer will answer for the moments or choices where a word wasn't spoken or a deed wasn't done or a witness wasn't given--in short when Christ wasn't lived--because of the fear of man or love of self.
That test faces us all no matter where we live.
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