Another view of Tolkien

My former boss shared this from Tolkien, which my wise sister has shared on occasion, as well, and it is a hearty reminder of the providence of God for the times in which we live:

I’m fairly certain, however, that my former boss–whom I admire greatly and count as the best boss I’ve ever worked for–might disagree with the premise I see in Tolkien’s words here. It is likely common knowledge to Tolkien was very dismissive of his friend C.S. Lewis’s penchant for allegorical writing, and is known for saying that his Christian faith was not on display in his own books. However, as numerous scholars have suggested, and as I have seen for myself in careful readings of his books (as well as knowing what it means to be a Christian) I think Tolkien protested a bit too much about that.

While Tolkien’s Christian worldview was not overtly on display in the way Lewis’s was in the Chronicles of Narnia, the quote above and one from my previous post on “A Sister’s Wisdom” demonstrate elements of God’s providences for His people to recognize their roles in life as their Sovereign carries forward His plan of redemption in the lives of humankind. We frequently don’t feel up to the task as Frodo expressed, nor do we believe we are strong enough to hold back the evil that is upon us, but we are called to everyday obedience, everyday submission to God, everyday kindness and prayer, everyday forgiveness and grace. When we rest in the confidence that our God will bring the results that He desires, then we will walk day by day in greater peace than we’ve known before.