Smeagol and the Christian

Many of you are familiar with the Lord of the Ring Trilogy - either in book form or the one put on the screen by Peter Jackson. (I highly recommend the books of the two, but I love the movies too!) Well, I cannot remember when the thought actually first occured to me, but I seem to feel an affinity for the charecter Smeagol - also known as Gollum. Stay with me here. I am not talking about crawling all around on all fours, or eating raw fish. But within each of us, I believe, there is a Smeagol. One who wrestles with temptations. Maybe a ghastly deed that is now buried deep and hidden. A sin that we struggle and fight with, or a past sin we feel that could never fully be forgiven. When the movies were released on DVD I just had to have the collectors sets. The ones with the statues in them. The Fellowship of the Ring set had the two statues that the charecters float between. They make very nice bookends. The Return of the King set included a small replica of the city and was sort of a small jewlry box. But the Two Towers set had a statue of this despicable creature. My wife hates that statue. I confess the charecter has very little to offer in the way of appeal. And although he is instrumental in the completion of the quest to destroy the ring of power, it is only by his own downfall that this is really accomplished. I keep that statue in a place where I can place my eyes on it from time to time. I want to remind myself that unless God had called me I am that creature. I am willing to do almost anything to get my hands, my heart, and my mind wrapped around whatever 'precious' that strikes my fancy. My 'ring of power' if you will. I'd like to think that I would never murder anyone, but without the grace of God can I really say that? How many times do you hear friends and family of some murderer say, "he was such a nice man...."? I do know that I have coveted. I would lie to keep it. I would strike out to protect my 'precious'. If not for God, and what Christ has accomplished for me, I am that creature. Bent on the reclamation of my 'precious'. And in the end that which I would so desire would have dragged me down into the pit of fire. Instead, I get to live akin to the elves that were leaving the shores of Middle Earth. And that - not of my own hands. Verse for today: Isiah 61:1-4, 10-11 esv The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.