In Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo Baggins had a dream. It was a dream most Hobbits shared — to live a peaceful and pleasant life with no threat of evil in the Shire.
In order for his dream to come true, however, Frodo was faced with a challenge — a new dream, if you will, and not one he welcomed. He would be the one to deliver all of Middle Earth from the tyrannical rule of the Dark Lord, Sauron, who lived in the Dark Tower in the land of Mordor.
It seemed an impossible dream. How could one small Hobbit, however well-intentioned, succeed against such a formidable enemy?
Through numerous difficulties and life-threatening circumstances, his dream to destroy the evil that endangered Middle Earth empowered him to persevere.
Long ago, when human beings existed only in the mind of heaven, God began dreaming. At just the right time in history, the Father would send the Son to be miraculously born, live a perfectly sinless life, die a horrible death and, incredibly, return to life.
It wasn’t a dream in the way we think of dreams. At best, we hope our dreams will come true.
God’s did.
Jesus is alive! Therefore, with God all things are possible!
God wants us to believe that all things are possible because of the risen Christ. Jesus overcame the negative barriers set before him and persevered in his dream to redeem all people through his death and resurrection.
I don’t know what is facing you in the present. Maybe there are health problems in your family or a family member is battling addictions. Maybe you are looking for a job and can’t seem to find one.
Maybe your marriage isn’t what you want it to be. All of us are faced by negative forces in our lives. It is how we handle the problems of life that determines what kind of faith we have.
Following are some steps we can take to persevere:
● Choose to believe Jesus will make a way for you through the maze of life
● Embrace the great promises of God’s Word
● Pursue support relationships with other believers
● Look for the joys that refresh your spirit
● Remove unnecessary confusion from your life
● Accept the Lord’s grace and forgiveness
● Discover how Jesus identifies with your struggles
● Place your hope in the God of surprising outcomes
Frodo Baggins lived out his dream. We are in the early months of 2019 and we can live out our dreams if we allow God to lead us. All things are possible with God’s help.
— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. David Busker is the retired pastor of Monroe United Methodist Church.
