With the Lord of the Rings trilogy, there is so much oozing out in terms of themes that reflect our faith and how we should live, that it can be difficult to nail it down to just a few central themes. However, with my study of the films over the past week, I have come to the conclusion on two main themes, with these themes being the temptation of sin, and the need to live an extraordinary life.
For those who are not in the know, “The Lord of the Rings” is a trilogy adapted to the big screen. Originally written by J.R.R. Tolkien and adapted by Peter Jackson, follows a young man, Frodo as he is sent on a mission by the great wizard, Gandalf, to destroy the one ring that has put a schism on the world. The story takes three films and includes wars, relationships, friendship, love, and at its core faith.
The first main theme to focus on with these films is that of sin and the temptation that comes along with it. When Frodo is given this ring to take to Mordor to destroy it, he thinks it’s an easy enough task. But, as we soon learn the temptations of the power that the one ring provides is almost his downfall. One of the main tempters along with the ring is a central character by the name of Sméagol. Sméagol, a man who has become obsessed with the ring and all of its power, represents what the temptation of sin and sin in general can do to us. It can take control of our entire soul, our entire being, and can ultimately destroy us. Sméagol throughout the films tries as hard as he can to break Frodo, to turn him to giving into the power of the ring. He tries to sabotage his relationships, his inner being, all to gain the ring.
It is through this that we can see what sin can do to us. If we do not cling to the Father above, we will be destroyed by our sin. The ring truly represents our pride, but also our secret sins. We think we can do it all on our own, but as is shown in the film and in many of our own lives, we simply cannot. It is through God and His almighty power and love that we will conquer our sin.
The second theme that is noticed in these films is the need to live an extraordinary life. This is at the core of the films, as we see a normal guy just living life in his small town, called upon to live an extraordinary story. I believe that this is what God wants out of all of our lives. We are not called to live a normal life, but as children of God, we are called to live out great stories.
When we reach heaven and are sitting on a log telling Jesus about our lives and all the stories that we lived, do we want to say that we were born, went to college, got married and had kids, and then died? Or do we want to tell Him about our adventures? We are called to live an adventurous life, and like Frodo we still have many a story to write with our lives.
So, what kind of life are you living?
My Story. 