What do you think makes a good story? For me, a good story is one that draws you in for the adventure and pulls you into the lives of the characters. What about the best stories, the ones that leave a permanent mark on your heart, that you are sad to see come to an end, and fill you with a special kind of wonder? These special tales don’t come around very often it seems, but when they do you really aren’t the same once you have closed the book and said goodbye to the people in them. What makes these particular stories so unforgettable? There are certainly many qualities to be noted. They have a way of fleshing out themes from Scripture by bringing them to life in the characters. They enamor us with the beauty of Biblical truth. They affirm the honor and nobility of doing what is right. They inspire courage in our hearts to fight the darkness of this world, no matter what it costs us. In short, they awaken something in our hearts, a longing desire to live our own stories, even the mundane parts, for something bigger than ourselves… for the glory of God.
I have recently turned the last page of just such an epic
story. For the first time ever, I have taken
a journey through the masterpiece tale by J.R.R Tolkien, namely The Lord of the Rings. No one could have prepared me for the gamut
of emotions I went through in reading it, nor could they have warned me how
much I would love every page of this book!
I feel as if I’ve lived the story, grieving and rejoicing and learning
and growing right alongside the characters.
Certain passages and lines hit me right between the eyes, showing me
hidden faults and giving me encouragement for my journey in life. Tolkien had a marvelous gift for making
spiritual truths become larger than life so that those with eyes to see would
in fact see and understand how life is to be lived. I have a whole list of treasures that I took
away from the book, but I have narrowed it down to a few of the most important
ones for me that I want to share with you. I'll highlight a different one in a series of several posts. Don’t worry… I won’t give away any surprises from the story!
