"Come, Mr. Frodo!" he exclaimed. "I may not be able to bear the burden of the ring, but I can bear you."
Along with Stand By Me and Good Will Hunting, Lord of the Rings is among my most cherished stories, portraying the epic battles, unwavering loyalty, and profound love that friends can have for one another.
It's an awe-inspiring tale of men devoted to vanquishing evil and fiercely committed to their comrades, willing to risk everything, forgo their own aspirations for power, step up to their responsibilities, and pursue their individual and collective destinies for a greater cause.
The enduring, profound, unbreakable bond between Frodo and Sam is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable tales of friendship ever told. Their intimate and unwavering loyalty to each other throughout their lives is a testament to the power of true companionship.
This moment marks the beginning of one of the most meaningful friendships in history. Frodo, a small hobbit who embarks on the perilous quest of destroying the Ring of Power in Mordor, is joined by his loyal gardener Samwise Gamgee. Samwise vows to Gandalf to remain by Frodo's side no matter what. His devotion to Frodo is so unwavering that even the mighty Sauron cannot come between them.
As the story progresses, we witness Frodo, and Sam confront solitude, despair, and anguish on their arduous six-month mission to destroy the ring. Along the way, they shed tears together, sacrifice themselves for each other, resist the lure of the ring, and withstand the turbulence created by Gollum, a newcomer who tries to drive a wedge between them. Their remarkable friendship endures the gravest of perils, and ultimately, their unshakeable bond shatters Mordor's dominion and destroys the ring.
The heavy burden of the ring's great, strong, beautiful, evil power lay on the chest of Frodo. The heavy-duty of great, strong, courageous, good friendship lay in the heart of Samwise Gamgee.
At a low point in Frodo's personal journey, a great discussion occurs between the two in The Two Towers.
Frodo: "I can't do this, Sam."
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 of the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.
Frodo: "What are we holding onto, Sam?
Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo…and it's worth fighting for."
Frodo and Sam are relatable to everyone's life.
Especially Christians that struggle with homosexuality.
Frodo is like a Christian who struggles with homosexuality. The Ring of Power, which is evil, is like the very complex sin of wanting to have sex with the same sex. Wanting a sexual relationship inside the beauty and holiness of friendship. The Ring of Power is like sin. But the ring of power is not the identity of Frodo. Struggling with homosexuality is not our identity either.
But the Ring of Power burdens Middle Earth, especially for Frodo. Our sins are also a burden.
Frodo needed a loyal, lifelong, sacrificial, stubborn fighter to carry this burden to its end. And for those of us that struggle with homosexuality, we need a trustworthy, lifelong, sacrificial, stubborn fighter too! We need someone willing to dedicate their time, life, and hearts to the bigger purpose of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work, as he is making us more like Christ.
And the Church and Christians can do that!
If you decide to walk alongside a Christian who struggles with homosexuality....
You will find yourself in darkness as Samwise did.
You will find yourself crying as Samwise did
You will find yourself sacrificing your time as Samwise did (Sam dedicated six months and beyond to Mr. Frodo).
You will find yourself walking in loneliness as Samwise did.
You must bring hope and courage to this friendship as Samwise did.
And when all hope is gone in someone struggling with this sin (which can happen a lot), you will find yourself saying to your fellow brother who struggles with homosexuality…
"Come on," he cried. "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you."
For Christians who find parallels in Frodo's journey, it's important to acknowledge that the wounds incurred on such a difficult path can be profound and long-lasting. The scars may remain even when the darkness has lifted and life is again good. However, like Frodo, who faced unimaginable challenges and succumbed to the ring's power at times, there is still hope for redemption and restoration. At the end of his journey, Frodo was granted the privilege of traveling to the immortal realm of the elves for his noble sacrifice in bearing such a heavy burden. In the same way, as Christians, we can trust in the power of Christ to heal our wounds and bring us to an eternal place of peace and rest.
We struggle because we know it is good on this side of the Kingdom of Christ.
Our struggle with homosexuality will one day pass. It is just one of our many stories.
The difference between our story and Lord of the Rings is that eternity has already come to us. Our wounds are like the wounds of Christ, our King who reigns now.
And our story ends and begins with this statement,
"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with this burden, now I will bless you. Come and share your master's happiness!"
We hope you found this blog post informative and helpful. Our team is committed to creating more content like this in the future, but we need your support to keep going. By becoming a patron on Patreon, you'll be directly contributing to our efforts to produce high-quality, well-researched blog posts accessible to everyone. Your support will help us cover the costs of research, writing, and website maintenance, allowing us to focus on creating the best content possible. So if you enjoyed this post and want to see more like it, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Thank you!