Grace in The Lord of The Rings

For the past several years in general, and the past few months in particular, I have tried to live a grace-filled life.  This is wonderful but difficult.  As a woman in my small group said, she loved living with loads of rules.  She always knew whether or not she was pleasing God and man, and there were very concrete ways she could control her standing with both.  Living in grace wipes all that away.

You might not think that has anything to do with Lord of the Rings, but that's because you don't think about it as much as I do.

My favorite character is, hands down, Frodo.  So much so that when people claim Aragorn or Gandalf or Sam as the "true hero," I get downright maternal.  Frodo is the hero, don't touch my baby!  And while I understand that other people find different narratives appealing, I love Frodo because his story is all about grace.

In a world of heroic men and elves, where wizards control destinies and armies of orcs massacre cities, there are simple, short hobbits.  Frodo is just a normal guy with no extraordinary skills.  Yet he is given the burdensome blessing of saving the world.  That alone is grace.  But the reason I really love him is one I've heard used against him.

In the end, Frodo fails.  He carries the Ring to Mount Doom, and just when he could destroy it, he puts it on his finger instead.  By the grace of Iluvatar, Gollum bites off his finger and takes the Ring into the lava.  The goal is accomplished, but not by Frodo's will.

AND YET.  Frodo is heralded as a hero.  He is exalted and praised and given the huge gift of sailing with the elves to the Grey Havens.  He failed, but he is a hero.  THAT is grace.

Because let's be honest.  I'm not a hero.  I have middling writing skills, and I can occasionally make people laugh or give a good peace of advice.  But I'm a hobbit.  I like food and lazy days.  The times when God gifts me with responsibilities or works in my heart toward transformation, SO OFTEN I fail.  I ignore Him, or work half-heartedly, or flee in the opposite direction.  Sometimes I get all the way to the end, only to say, "LOOK AT ME!  I'M SO GREAT!" sliding the Ring of Power and Pride onto my finger.

And yet.  My God is a God of grace.  Despite my failings, he sees me as a warrior princess, someone clean and holy and His.  He loves me.  THAT is grace.