Concerning Hobbits
Well, I did it. I finally finished J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Forty years ago was my first and only reading of the book, and since then, Peter Jackson’s excellent movie version has made its way to the big screen.
It was interesting to note the differences between the book and the movie. For the most part, those differences did not change the story. However, there was one omission that I felt left a glaring hole in Tolkien’s story as found in the book; the return of the hobbits to their home.
If you’ve read the book, you may remember that Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin return to the Shire only to discover that Sharkey and his band of thugs are running things now. The poor, little hobbits of the Shire are cowed into submission by these surly men and some of their own who have been deputized as shirriffs to “keep the peace.”
But the four returning hobbits are changed. They are not intimidated by the shirriffs or the large men who rule under Sharkey’s command. They quickly take charge, providing courage to the other timid hobbits. Before long, the Shire is returned to its rightful owners, and Sharkey (who we learn is Saruman) is killed by Wormtongue.
What a difference from the four timid hobbits who left for their journey a year ago. Their adventures filled with peril and pain, darkness and death, and great personal suffering have changed them. They now possess a strength of character and force of will known to only a few, hobbit or human. And yet, they remain humble hobbits.
I think the words of Lady Galadriel sum it up best: “Even the smallest person can change the course of history.”
Our Lord delights in using the hobbits in our world. Unknown, unnoticed, living life on the margins. The longer I serve Him, the more I delight in seeing how important the “little people” are to Him. And just how much Christ uses them in His kingdom and for His purposes.
In my early years, I saw things very differently. I longed to be a “mover and shaker.” No more. Nowadays, I long to be as insignificant as possible. Hidden. A mere mustard seed in the church I attend and the ministries I choose to be a part of.
Paul’s words are now my own, deeply rooted in my heart, filling me with a joy and freedom found in Christ: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”
In Christ,
Dan