WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

(Post by: Madie Hobbs)

Alrighty Y’all! I am excited for this one! If any of you know me, then you probably know that I absolutely, positively, love ‘The Lord of the Rings’, and once again, J.R.R. Tolkien has delivered with some good blog post material.

The following quote is said by one of the chief characters, Samwise Gamgee, at a time when he and his companion, Frodo, are almost ready to give up their perilous quest to defeat evil and return home.

He says, “I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. 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 had 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 were 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 plenty 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?” Frodo asked.

“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”

This quote motivates me every time I read it! I love this quote because it is so relatable. I mean, how often do we feel like there is just nothing in this world that is worth holding on to? This quote, for me, is a wonderful representation of how we as Christians should live. Even when it feels like there is no good left in this world, you keep fighting. Because there are always a Few who will fight with you.

As I was preparing to write this, I didn’t really know what to say. But my mom was reading this book called ‘Book Girl’ and the author had a few pages written about this very quote and it gave me a lot of inspiration.

 She writes about how heroes and heroines are formed by the stories they believe. Frodo and Sam were able to glimpse the story that their small, faithful actions were part.

“Heroism isn’t about taking your own life in your hands; it’s about being taken hold of by something much bigger and more beautiful than yourself, by a story that draws you into its larger drama and empowers you to act in hope.”    – Sarah Clarkson

Heroic actions always come from our identity being rooted in a story. And when your identity is rooted in a good story, you are prompted to act in hope. As Christians our identity should be rooted in the greatest story in history. The story of our Savior dying for us and gaining victory over evil.

Christians have the awesome privilege of knowing the end of the story. How it all turns out in the final chapter. God wins! Good triumphs over evil. It’s already a done deal!

We are helping with a Gospel Crusade at our dear friends’ campground in Indiana this week. Last night, we had the honor of witnessing a woman give her life to the Lord!

Y’all, God orchestrated, through His body of believers, the perfect circumstances to draw this woman into a saving relationship with Him. It was beautiful!

Long-time co-workers of hers had prayed for her and shared their faith with her over the years. She ended up, through those friendships, coming to this Christian campground, where the owners loved on her and prayed with her and for her.

She picked up a book, ‘Left Behind‘, from the book box here at the campground. She read it and wrestled with the story. My dad shared his testimony at the Crusade last night, where the woman was in attendance. He told about how reading ‘Left Behind’ was part of his salvation experience. The woman then realized God was speaking directly to her, and she told the Lord if there was an altar call, she would answer.

This precious woman is now a sister in Christ. She is part of His story. She has a great story to share with others who need to know Christ. Those of us who witnessed this story unfold last night, and hopefully those of you reading this story now, are encouraged to continue fighting for good!

When we are rooted in this kind of story, we cannot help but fight for the good that is in this world, even when it feels like all hope is gone. Because when we glimpse that our small, faithful actions are part of a story that has changed the world we live in, you cannot help but be empowered by your hope in Jesus.

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”     – Luke 10:19

Y’all, it’s time to fight back against the darkness that is so quickly trying to overtake our world. We must have our identities rooted in the story of salvation and have faith in the victory that the Lord has already given us.

Because there’s some good in this world. And it’s worth fighting for.

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Do you sometimes struggle to fight for the good that is left in this world?

= Are you rooted in your identity in Christ and the story He has given you?

= What are you going to do differently?