Reposted from 8/18/2010
“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.”
This is one of my all-time favorite LotR quotes. Tolkien delves to the heart of a truth that is difficult to accept: more often than not, we have no control over the evils that change our lives— but that’s not the end of the story.
Human nature argues that this is unfair. When I face consequences of my own sin or stubbornness or stupidity, I may be upset, but I also feel a sense of justice— I messed up, and it’s coming back to bite me. Just as often, however, I suffer from the consequences of someone else’s mistake that was out of my control or knowledge. This feels wrong, and this is the heart of Frodo’s lament. Sauron came to power through no fault of Frodo’s; evil in our world often rises without our help or consent.
Gandalf acknowledges that Frodo’s wish is common and expected, but it must not plunge him into despair. On one hand, Frodo has no choice: he was born into a world ruined by the greed of Sauron, just as we are born into a world ruined by the Enemy. On the other hand, choices abounds: Frodo has been given time on the earth graced with good health, devoted friends, a sharp mind, and caring mentors— now he just has to decide what to do with the gifts he has been given. Gandalf urges Frodo to focus on what he can change rather than what he can’t. This is a challenging call for all of us.
Too often I give in to despair and sit down in the middle of the crossroads, refusing to make any of the choices before me. Instead I am indignant that I was born onto a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, and wish I had been placed on a highway instead. With a gas-efficient Toyota. And a really good road map. However, God never lets me stay sitting down for long. In the end, I have to accept the road I’m on— and that acceptance frees me to focus on the choices that I can make.
Time is a gift. We can use that time to go right or left or even backwards, just as long as we keep walking.
~Lisa Shafter
'How shall a man judge what to do in such times?'
ReplyDelete'As he ever has judged,' said Aragorn. 'Good and ill have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves, and another among Men. It is a man's part to discern them, as much in the Golden Wood as in his own house.'
Love that quote— I believe it's on my queue for blog entries.
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