A Small Hobbit with a Big Heart
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into a man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
I first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in High School. In adulthood, I recognized the wisdom in the character Bilbo Baggins’ poem, “All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter.” Baggins’ poem, “All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the Ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king.”
“All that is gold does not glitter.” My wife, daughter, her husband, and my grandchildren do not glitter like gold. My family is more essential than glittery gold. Fool’s gold also glitters and isn’t worth its weight. “Not all those who wander are lost.” The Bible is filled with wandering. The Israelites wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus regularly wanders off to pray and be with his God. Our wandering brings thoughtful wisdom through quiet listening to the Holy Spirit.
“Deep roots are not reached by the frost.” Tolkien loved blending sacred nature with simple wisdom. Rural agricultural folk keep track of the frost level and understand its destructive power. Yet, they also knew the power of deep roots. Faith, integrity, and sacred justice are deep roots guiding our conscious and unconscious lives. “Ashes a fire shall be woken” refers to the phoenix born again from the ashes. We know it is through Christ that our ashes are woken. Next, “A light from the shadows shall spring.” Rural people know what darkness looks like, and only those who have been in total darkness can fully appreciate the light.
In Christ, we know what it means to be renewed. Finally, “The crownless again shall be king.” In Christ’s cross, where he appeared crownless, he became the greatest king. Read Tolkien’s poem a few times throughout the day. Reflect on what gold and glitter, wandering, withering, deep roots, shadows, and crownless kings say about your heart. Many writers throughout the centuries, from Dante to Shakespeare to Tolkien, intentionally or unintentionally, use their words to guide our interpretation of God’s wisdom in our lives. The Holy Spirit will speak through many sources, even Bilbo Baggins.