Painful Changes on the Journey

“I miss the Shire. I spent all my childhood pretending I was somewhere else – off with you on one of your adventures. But my own adventure turned out to be quite different.” – Frodo

Who can’t identify with this statement? Who is exactly where they expected to be when they were five years old? I know I’m not. I'm aware that I wrote about the changes on a Journey in my last Blog, but it’s something that has been in and out of my thoughts since. It came back to me the other day while I was watching “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Frodo, the main character, says this to his Uncle Bilbo as they’re discussing the adventures that one encounters. Obviously, Frodo’s expectations were not met by reality. Instead, he undergoes many painful changes in his adventure. And is this not true in our own lives?

I have already shared where I thought I would be four years ago as I started my freshman year of college. But I never shared what my mindset was one year ago. Last year, I thought that by this time in 2013, I would be in a ministry internship, headed down the road to full-time ministry someday. And what is my life? I’m at home, living an uneventful life, waiting on a call-back from a job interview for an entry-level position at a local store. Not what I thought I would be doing and definitely not what I want to be doing.

It’s easy to become discouraged. Or perhaps even angry at anybody or anything you think seems to have had a hand in bringing you to such a “low” point. Believe me, I know. I look at Frodo’s story in the “Lord of the Rings” and I see that he definitely had moments of despair and times where he felt defeated. And towards the end, he didn’t even seem to have much motivation to follow where his adventure was leading. Things had become hard and he had lost sight of the sun. But there was someone in his life that helped him to keep going; someone who gave a hand up when Frodo was too weary to move and even carried him when he’d lost all strength. And that someone was Frodo’s very dearest friend and companion, Sam. Sam was everything Frodo needed when he needed it. Sam never thought of himself, but thought only of what would be best for Frodo. Sam sacrificed so much to help Frodo continue on in the Journey he’d been called to walk.

I look at Frodo’s darkest moments and I can understand those feelings. Then I look again and see Frodo’s constant companion and I am reminded that I, too, have a constant companion on this never-ending, ever-changing Journey. I have my Creator, who has sacrificed so much (His Son) so that I would never have to be alone. Jesus Christ, my Savior, endured a painful death but thought only of the joy to come (Heb. 12:1-3). I am not alone and you, if you’ve trusted Christ, aren’t, either. He is there, always taking care of us. He is our strength when we haven’t got any. He’s our trust when all looks dark. And He has already given His all so that we can have the best life ever – painful changes included.