I'm a bit of a Tolkien fanatic, to a point some would call obsessive. I've spent hours reading and learning the books. My head is full of useless but fascinating (to me at least) trivia, like the meaning of Galadriel and that Legolas isn't actually blond. I love Middle-Earth, but I've never really know why. I do now.
J.R.R. Tolkien was a Christian. While he didn't write his books as allegories, Christian themes are clearly woven throughout them. Because of that I love them. I believe that's why they've not only survived but thrived over the years.
The goodness draws us. How it conquers evil thrills us. Even unbelievers love them. In a world full to overflowing with wickedness,we long to see right defeat wrong. Tolkien's books fill that craving for a moment, leaving us hungry for more.
So what do we do?
Some may dive deeper into the books, thinking that will satisfy them. I'll admit I've done that, but it doesn't work.The satisfaction never last. The craving comes back every time. The books don't fill the longing.
So what does?
God.
God is the only One who can seal the hole and end the craving. That's how humans are made. It's part of who we are.Nothing else can satisfy us. No books, movies, or author. Only the Author who wrote the Book of Life and knows our part in the the Movie of Time can.
Now when I long for a brave king who serves those around him, I don't read about Aragorn. I talk to the Real King who served all with His all, Jesus. I will always enjoy Tolkien's books, perhaps more than any other fiction, but I find satisfaction and fulfillment in God, as it was meant to be.
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