Every Christmas I try to complete a Lord of the Rings marathon; there is something about this story that I begin to miss after an entire year has passed. This year I finally figured out what it was.

I am impacted by its truth. The truth that “what should be remembered is being forgotten, as history becomes legend and legend becomes myth.”  The truth that, as old alliances and safeguards are forgotten, individuals drift apart and become islands unto themselves; and as they separate, evil slips in unannonced. Most ignore the growing darkness or dismiss it as imaginations gone wild. The few that see it for what it is must fight alone because many think that if it’s not affecting them, then it’s not their war.  And the evil grows. The comforting thing is that no matter how dire the situation or dominating the evil might be, we will have a camaraderie with our fellow soldiers. There may only be a few of us standing up and defending what we hold dear, but if a dwarf and an elf can have each other’s back, then anyone can stand and fight.

The truth is that in the age of darkness good can win, only if it leads; it does not win by mere merit alone. The evil will test all, strong man and weak, and it will reveal the truth in each of us. Will we have the strength of character to withstand, or will we succumb? The truth is that in the age of darkness the light will only shine brighter. We can be the Gimlis, Gandalfs, and Frodos this world needs. And a few of us will discover that there is a Samwise Gamgee hidden deep inside of our hearts.

We are entering a brand new year and, as every new year should be, it is a time of hope and anticipation for the good that awaits us with every turn of the calendar.  Perhaps, though, we should have a slightly different perspective with 2012.  Perhaps, instead of looking for the good that is coming to us, we should look for the good that we can deliver or defend.  Are there lives we can rescue? Relationships to restore? Values to honor? Wrongs to be made right? Evils to confront?   If so, there is no time to waste. 

 Dwarves, elves, hobbits, ents, eagles, and men…..CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!