The Great Mr. Frodo Baggins

Introduction: So I have decided to start posts about The Lord of The Rings. There will be some references to the trilogy (more so the movies) so having read the books and/or seen the movies might be a good idea before reading this, otherwise it may make less sense. This first one will be about Frodo Baggins, enjoy.

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Not many people appreciate the great character Frodo is; he struggles, he falls, he fails and all sorts of things. In the end he doesn’t even destroy the ring, he succumbs to it. Why would you like a character like Frodo Baggins. You instantly think to reject him, to deem him as inferior to other characters like Aragorn, or Sam. But did you ever take a moment to realize how great Frodo is in his unworthiness. No? Well I am here to tell you about the great Mr. Frodo Baggins.

Frodo is a character with many struggles and just as many falls. But we are just like him. How many times have we been tempted with a sin; how many times have we simply succumbed to it despite knowing it is evil. Yet God calls us friends (John 15:15); He loves us despite our unworthiness. Frodo is under constant attack from the evils of the ring. How terrible a fate must he endure to constantly fight with temptation. Sound like a familiar struggle? How terrible... or how great? Sin is not good, but to overcome something evil, there must be a greater good! How great should we say his struggle is as a character.

“I will take it! I will take it! I will take the ring to Mordor!”

After having a glimpse of the horrors and evils of the ring, after experiencing the difficulty of carrying it only to Rivendell, he had the courage to take the ring, to accept the difficult challenge laid before him. I think in this moment Frodo knew, he knew that this was his cross to bear. He was probably the weakest among everyone at the council meeting, but the only one who could bear the ring to its destruction. How scared are we sometimes when we’ve been shown a glimpse of something terrible, how we tell ourselves "someone else will do it", how we run away from our calling. Frodo showed true courage in the face of evil. No evil should hold us back from our calling to our destiny: “And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’” - Matthew 16: 22-23 "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever has fears has not reached perfection in love" -1 John 4: 18

 “…though I do not know the way”

Great, Frodo said yes! A second later, first struggle! How many times have we reached a time like this in our lives. We say yes to God but we "do not know the way". We quickly realize that doubt takes us and we feel like we aren't ready. God does not always call the qualified but He always qualifies the chosen. Being willing to accept His calling despite any fears or doubts that take us, despite having "failed" before takes tremendous strength, strength that can only come from God. This is His divine providence. Frodo, soon after saying this, was made ready for the battle ahead. He received a guide, he received strong allies, and he received close friends. Just like Frodo, God has made us ready for the battle ahead that is a battle with temptation. “His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness” -2 Peter 1: 3; “And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” -Philippians 4: 19

“I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.”

Frodo is weak! Frodo is despairing! Yes, Frodo is weak, he is frail. What good could there possibly be in that? The good is that Frodo is human! Wait... he’s a hobbit... Yes, but what I mean is Frodo shows a very beautiful side of humanity that is often rejected. It is our weakness. Why should we rejoice at weakness, why should we allow weakness? Why? Because we were made weak. We weren’t made perfect and sometimes our temptations overwhelm us. But in our imperfections is a profound beauty. Frodo shows us a need for others, a need for a Saviour. Although this was his cross to bear, how far would he have gotten without Aragorn? He would have been killed in Bree. Without Sam at the end of all things, Frodo would have been lying there on the side of Mount Doom. Frodo’s weakness shows such a beautiful side of humanity: a need for each other, but most importantly a need for Christ, especially in the face of temptation. “So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12: 9

“The ring is mine.”

I think by now you’ve come to expect there to be a quotation of some sort, and I’ll point out the good in that situation. Well from the above quotation, Frodo stands at the very crater of Mount Doom, in a position to destroy the ring, to rid the world of its evils. Ready to cast it down into the fires, instead he holds on to it. Instead he chooses to cling to it and not let go. Instead he chooses to claim it as his own. If we are like Frodo, and the ring is like sin, what good is there here? Just like Frodo so many times in our lives we have said, “The ring is mine.” Well, there is no good in choosing sin. Wait what? Where’s the uplifting part? Well, I could tell you about our unworthiness again but I think I’ll give you a quotation from the next scene.

“I can see the Shire. The Brandywine River. Bag End. Gandalf’s fireworks. The Lights in the Party Tree. I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.”

When we fall into sin everything turns to darkness. But when we are lifted from sin everything turns to light. But just because we were in darkness does not mean there was never light. No, there was always light. I think these scenes beautifully show just that. Frodo fell into sin, it took him into the darkness, but when he was set free he realized that there is light beyond the darkness, there was always light when he was in darkness, light stronger than the darkness. Despite having fallen before, he could still remember what the light felt like and the forms that it appeared to him. This is the power of the light. Now, how about you? After hearing about the great struggle of Frodo Baggins, will you acknowledge a greater power than sin? What will you see when you have been lifted from your sins? Will you recognize the familiar light that has always been there? ...Will you be glad to stand with Christ at the end of all things?...

“…It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered, full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end, because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was, when so much bad happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those are the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now, folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going because they were holding on to something."

"What are we holding on to Sam?"

"That there's some good in this world Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for…"

-Samwise Gamgee & Frodo Baggins

Brothers and sisters, what are you holding on to? Is it the love our Lord, the light of His love? Is it His goodness in our world, in our hearts?

“but hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations; and as for you no one has been able to withstand you to this day.” Joshua 23: 8-9

…And with that may God be praised.