“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” JRR Tolkien

I have always loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien. In fact, autumn makes me think of it every year. Something about the changing of the season reminds me of the adventure and the feeling of coming home. There is a nostalgia to that time of year I cannot quite grasp. Like some sub-conscious Pavlovian yearning, I turn to the woods− and to God.

I have heard rumor that this trilogy is a parable describing the gospel. Maybe that’s why it rings true to me. There is, however, no central Christ figure. There are three representations of the Son of Man− possibly because one flawed human could not contain all of the character of God. Gandalf, Frodo, and Aragorn represent prophet, priest and king in three distinct forms.

The trio within the trilogy about the triune God are the main characters. They are bold, brave, strong, compassionate, and loyal. They are full of the image of God, and yet, are still flawed in their own ways.

My favorite characters, by far, are the supporting cast of hobbits. They are deeply flawed. They bumble through the story, often causing more damage than good. They are frequently a burden to the fellowship of the ring, but they bring childlike joy with them.

Hobbits are silly and foolish, playful and innocent. They did not belong in the world of men but somehow found themselves in the midst of a story that would one day become a legend. They played their part, despite their terror, out of pure loyalty to their friends. Their fighting through fear is the definition of courage.

But just like our life, God worked with and through the hobbits to bring about transformation in the world around them. God can work with the smallest and lowliest of us all to bring about big change.

I often feel small and lowly. Maybe that’s why I like the hobbits so much. Each one of them played an integral role in the story and changed the fate of Middle Earth. Without the contribution of each and every Hobbit, evil wins.

They were not particularly wise or cleaver. They often stumbled into the good they played, but their innocence, and playfulness, and loyalty did what I have such a tough time doing− it allowed them to be themselves.

These little hobbits were not the main characters, but by trusting in their friends and being themselves, they did great things. They carried their friends to the end, they awoke in others the power to defeat a sorcerer, they saved friends lives, and helped to slay the chief.

I would love to be one of the brave warriors, but until I recognize that I am only a hobbit, I am not being who I was meant to be. And if I am not who I was meant to be, I cannot do what I was meant to do.