Toss Me!!

We really have a lot to learn from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

:). OK, so some of my closer friends are aware of my (small) obsession with the Lord of the Rings (LOTR). A particular scene keeps coming to mind, and so I feel I must write about it. For those who share my appreciation of these films (no, I am not a big enough fan to have read the books), you may recall the scene when the humans, dwarfs, and elves (the good guys) have all fled to Helm's deep, and have positioned themselves to defend this fortress from the imminent attack of the orgs (the bad guys). The orgs march on Helm's deep, and the battle breaks forth! By sheer numbers, the good guys don't stand a chance, but they fight as if they do. In this scene, one of the main characters, a dwarf named Gimli, is among those defending the wall. The only problem is, he is too short to see over the wall to the battle raging below. He keeps asking his human friend, Aragorn, what is going on. After awhile, his eagerness and frustration mounting, Gimli say to Aragorn, "Toss me!" A look of surprise crosses Aragorn's face, and then a smile..."Toss you?" he repeats in amusement. Gimli nods affirmatively. An unspoken understanding between the two warriors reflects in their expressions, as Aragorn honors his friend's request, hoists him up, and tosses him--right into the midst of the battle below.

Every day we step outside and into the midst of a raging battle. A battle that, like it or not, will continue until Jesus returns, and takes His rightful place as Lord on earth. But until that time, there will be suffering, there will be poverty, there will be trials and wars and hardships. And these things will exist regardless of whether we choose to acknowledge them or not. So I like this scene from LOTR. Because in this battle, Gimli could have stayed where he couldn't see. He could have chosen not to engage. But he didn't. Rather, he requested to be "tossed" right into the heart of it because he knew what they were fighting for and he knew he wanted to be a part of it. And I love Aragorn's response--that of a true friend as well as a fellow warrior....he picked his friend up, and indeed "tossed" him, and each of them continued fighting valiantly!

The Bible is full of stories of people that God "tossed", so to speak. People who were thrown into the heart of a particular battle or story or situation. Abraham gets "tossed" and he doesn't know where God is even sending him. Moses gets "tossed" into a battle to lead the Israelites out from bondage in Egypt. Jonah gets "tossed" from a whale's stomach up onto shore, and into obedience to go to Nineveh.....the list goes on and on.

Ultimately we know that Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death through his own death on the cross. However, the story of His followers on earth still continues until His return. There is work to be done, and by His grace, He invites us to be a part of His Story. So, it is my hope that in this season of my life, and in the ones to follow, my request of the Lord would be one like Gimli's..."toss me." And that as I stand in faith with my friends and family, that I would be to them an Aragorn...one who lifts them up and helps them engage fully in the work God is drawing them to.

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Matt 9:37-38

"For though we live in this world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 2 Cor. 10:3-4