A couple weeks ago, I sat down to watch the ending of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with one of my brothers. I have watched the movie several times, loving how I see different views and details each time.. so picking it up in the last 20 minutes was no problem.
This time was no exception.
As I sat there, this dialogue between the main character, Frodo Baggins, and his best friend, Samwise Gamgee began after Frodo almost gave up his mission. He was done...ready to throw in the towel...Yet Sam refused to allow him to quit. (The actual movie clip is below it for dramatic effect and awesome soundtrack)
This time was no exception.
As I sat there, this dialogue between the main character, Frodo Baggins, and his best friend, Samwise Gamgee began after Frodo almost gave up his mission. He was done...ready to throw in the towel...Yet Sam refused to allow him to quit. (The actual movie clip is below it for dramatic effect and awesome soundtrack)
"I can't do this, Sam."
"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 are 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 lots of chances to turn back only they didn't. They kept going..because they were holding onto something."
"What are we holding onto, Sam?"
"That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."
While Sam's words to Frodo are extremely inspiring...my focus is not quite on what he said. Rather, I am looking at WHY Sam said these words to Frodo.
I have been doing a lot of thinking about authenticity and true friendship recently. (Sam's speech made me think even harder.) And when I say "a lot" and "recently" I really mean that I have lost a lot of sleep wrestling with the lack of authenticity with true friends that I see in my own life. This topic of authenticity is something I will dive into soon, just not yet. It does, however, go hand in hand with this topic that has been on my heart for a while now.
You see, friendship is an incredible gift. It is a wonderful binding of hearts and souls together, while you find a sense of belonging in someone else's life. You sharpen each other and push each other to be greater. A true friend, in every sense of my own definition, relentlessly pushes me to be more like Christ. Whether it is when I'm complaining about being cold or if I am choking out words of deep distress through the sobs that escape my lips... that true friend will point me back to the gospel and the reality of living a gospel-saturated life. That friend will take me back to the truth.
This type of friendship is the most beautiful form of relationship I have experienced thus far in my life. This type of friendship is a choice. You must choose to invest in each other, choose to experience life together, and choose to form all realities of your lives around the Word of God. This type of friendship requires the action of authenticity.
I have been learning that true authenticity is actually REALLY hard. You have to completely open yourself up to another person. You literally show them all of the most precious things in your heart: hopes, dreams, fears, hurts, and struggles as you hand them a key to the storage of all of those things. They now have the greatest ability to either protect or expose those things.
It is a huge risk.
It is a risk worth taking.
When you choose this depth of friendship, you gain so much more than you would ever expect. You gain someone who will be with you until the very end, no matter what.
Sam offered this form of friendship when he decided to join Frodo on this important journey. Sam did not have to hold out this hand of friendship and support...but he did. Frodo did not have to accept...but he did. Life's circumstances brought them together, but their choice to offer authenticity and vulnerability to each other bound them together for the rest of their lives.
Theirs is one of the greatest literary friendships I have seen. Frodo volunteered to venture on an extremely difficult journey for the sake of what is right. Sam volunteered to walk beside him the entire way.
When I watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I see Frodo as a hero...just A hero..because he is not the only one. Samwise is every bit of the hero of the story as Frodo is, even if he didn't throw the ring to its ultimate destruction.
The character of Frodo understood this, also. At the end of this particular movie, there is one more dialogue between the two Hobbits: the one where Sam wonders about how he will tell his children and his children's children all about his awesome friend, Frodo, who heroically saved Middle Earth from great darkness.
I have been doing a lot of thinking about authenticity and true friendship recently. (Sam's speech made me think even harder.) And when I say "a lot" and "recently" I really mean that I have lost a lot of sleep wrestling with the lack of authenticity with true friends that I see in my own life. This topic of authenticity is something I will dive into soon, just not yet. It does, however, go hand in hand with this topic that has been on my heart for a while now.
You see, friendship is an incredible gift. It is a wonderful binding of hearts and souls together, while you find a sense of belonging in someone else's life. You sharpen each other and push each other to be greater. A true friend, in every sense of my own definition, relentlessly pushes me to be more like Christ. Whether it is when I'm complaining about being cold or if I am choking out words of deep distress through the sobs that escape my lips... that true friend will point me back to the gospel and the reality of living a gospel-saturated life. That friend will take me back to the truth.
This type of friendship is the most beautiful form of relationship I have experienced thus far in my life. This type of friendship is a choice. You must choose to invest in each other, choose to experience life together, and choose to form all realities of your lives around the Word of God. This type of friendship requires the action of authenticity.
I have been learning that true authenticity is actually REALLY hard. You have to completely open yourself up to another person. You literally show them all of the most precious things in your heart: hopes, dreams, fears, hurts, and struggles as you hand them a key to the storage of all of those things. They now have the greatest ability to either protect or expose those things.
It is a huge risk.
It is a risk worth taking.
When you choose this depth of friendship, you gain so much more than you would ever expect. You gain someone who will be with you until the very end, no matter what.
Sam offered this form of friendship when he decided to join Frodo on this important journey. Sam did not have to hold out this hand of friendship and support...but he did. Frodo did not have to accept...but he did. Life's circumstances brought them together, but their choice to offer authenticity and vulnerability to each other bound them together for the rest of their lives.
Theirs is one of the greatest literary friendships I have seen. Frodo volunteered to venture on an extremely difficult journey for the sake of what is right. Sam volunteered to walk beside him the entire way.
When I watch the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, I see Frodo as a hero...just A hero..because he is not the only one. Samwise is every bit of the hero of the story as Frodo is, even if he didn't throw the ring to its ultimate destruction.
The character of Frodo understood this, also. At the end of this particular movie, there is one more dialogue between the two Hobbits: the one where Sam wonders about how he will tell his children and his children's children all about his awesome friend, Frodo, who heroically saved Middle Earth from great darkness.
"I wonder if we'll ever be put into songs or tales?"
"What?"
"I wonder if people will ever say, 'Let's hear about Frodo and the ring!' and they'll say, 'Yes! That's one of my favorite stories.' 'Frodo was really courageous, wasn't he, dad?' 'Yes, my boy..the most famousest of the Hobbits..and that's saying a lot!'"
"You left out one of the chief characters! Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam. Frodo wouldn't have got far without Sam."
"Mr. Frodo, you shouldn't make fun. I was being serious."
"So was I."
"Samwise the Brave..."
Sam did not fully understand the great value he held in the eyes of Frodo..and he did not fully understand how valuable he was to the journey. Without Sam, Frodo would have turned back numerous times. But Sam was beside him the entire way. Sam supported him when he couldn't go any further. Sam carried him when he had no strength left. Sam reminded him of the mission that was far greater than either of them. Sam walked beside him each step, protecting, encouraging, and pushing.
Frodo knew Sam was the true hero, even though the rest of the world would probably forever see him as the side-kick...the supporting-character...the background. Frodo recognized the incredible beauty of the friendship Sam had given him. Frodo knew that Sam was the truest of friends.
I count myself incredibly blessed to have two people in my life that I call the truest of friends. They are the heroes in my life. They are the most beautiful people I know that I do not deserve in any way.
Sam did not know just how much Frodo valued his friendship unit Frodo told him... So I want to tell the world that these two women are the true heroes.
You see, these two women both walked into my life completely unexpectedly. One in junior high and one in college. Both extremely life changing. They have seen me through tears, sleepless nights, joyous moments, great victories, small challenges, deep heartache, big choices, new journeys, uncertain hopes, and everything else life has thrown my way.
They have walked beside me every step of my current journey bathing me in laughter, support, and prayers. They speak truth when I cannot hear it. They point me back to the gospel when I have looked away. They make me better. They make me want to keep going. They won't let me give up.
They never let me get away with bottling up frustrating and hurts. They never judge me for my self-proclaimed-stupid-girl-emotions. They have held out their hand to offer me the truest authentic friendship. And I have accepted.
They are kind, gracious, loving, honest, supportive, encouraging, hilarious, goofy, fun, gentle, and loyal. I know that they will forever be in my life helping me along each journey. I could not do this life successfully (or sanely) without them. They are the reason I keep going...they are the true heroes.
They make me hold out my had to offer that same authentic friendship that they have shown me.
This life will bring the three of us through so many different journeys. They are my Sam's. I want to be theirs. Each of them will be Frodo many times...and I cannot wait to be their Sam.
Goofing off in our dorm room together made me realize just how incredibly blessed I am to have you both in my life. Digging deeper into what God is doing in our hearts made me realize that you both are a once-in-a-lifetime gift.
So, my dearest friends, I thank you. Thank you for being there for me from the beginning until the very end. Thank you for being my true heroes.
Frodo knew Sam was the true hero, even though the rest of the world would probably forever see him as the side-kick...the supporting-character...the background. Frodo recognized the incredible beauty of the friendship Sam had given him. Frodo knew that Sam was the truest of friends.
I count myself incredibly blessed to have two people in my life that I call the truest of friends. They are the heroes in my life. They are the most beautiful people I know that I do not deserve in any way.
Sam did not know just how much Frodo valued his friendship unit Frodo told him... So I want to tell the world that these two women are the true heroes.
You see, these two women both walked into my life completely unexpectedly. One in junior high and one in college. Both extremely life changing. They have seen me through tears, sleepless nights, joyous moments, great victories, small challenges, deep heartache, big choices, new journeys, uncertain hopes, and everything else life has thrown my way.
They have walked beside me every step of my current journey bathing me in laughter, support, and prayers. They speak truth when I cannot hear it. They point me back to the gospel when I have looked away. They make me better. They make me want to keep going. They won't let me give up.
They never let me get away with bottling up frustrating and hurts. They never judge me for my self-proclaimed-stupid-girl-emotions. They have held out their hand to offer me the truest authentic friendship. And I have accepted.
They are kind, gracious, loving, honest, supportive, encouraging, hilarious, goofy, fun, gentle, and loyal. I know that they will forever be in my life helping me along each journey. I could not do this life successfully (or sanely) without them. They are the reason I keep going...they are the true heroes.
They make me hold out my had to offer that same authentic friendship that they have shown me.
This life will bring the three of us through so many different journeys. They are my Sam's. I want to be theirs. Each of them will be Frodo many times...and I cannot wait to be their Sam.
Goofing off in our dorm room together made me realize just how incredibly blessed I am to have you both in my life. Digging deeper into what God is doing in our hearts made me realize that you both are a once-in-a-lifetime gift.
So, my dearest friends, I thank you. Thank you for being there for me from the beginning until the very end. Thank you for being my true heroes.
Readers, please don't let your true heroes go unnoticed!
Life's too short to not tell them how important they are.
Life's too short to not tell them how important they are.