Mom Heart Moments #231

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

J. R. R. TOLKIEN’S LORD OF THE RINGS series is a favorite of our family. We all want to be part of a greater story, to feel that our lives are meaningful, that we are not invisible, but that our personality, our faith, and our work will produce something of eternal value in our lifetime.

The fellowship of the men who went in force together to return the ring to the fires of Mordor is a picture of the strength, valor, and encouragement necessary for all of us to complete the journey of our own great callings. The church, too, was called to be that: a community of like-minded believers who would be there for one another in all seasons of life. We were to have the voice of God coming to us through friends, family, and those who surrounded us, our own “fellowship of the ring.”

Yet Satan has crafted and promoted the ideal of fierce independence and a lone ranger mentality. We have come to admire those who strike out on their own, handle their own problems, and seemingly rely on no one. We go to large churches where we are not held accountable and do not know our neighbors. This has never been God’s plan.

We need people to rally us to our best, to hold us accountable, to talk us out of compromise, to pray with us for miracles.

Today, make it a point to call your friends, write or call your children, send a card to a friend, make a memorable meal, plan a coffee date with your husband. Develop your own fellowship of the ring, that you might have foundations of strength, support, and love in all the seasons of your life.