Fight the Good Fight!

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  1Timothy 6:12


What is a good fight?  What's good about fighting?  Winning!  Besides that - what makes a fight good?  This past Wednesday at church,  I played a scene from The Lord of the Rings:  The Two Towers.  One of my favorite quotes from this movie is Theoden saying to Aragorn:  "Let this be the hour when we draw swords together!"  They were fighting for something good.


Something Worth Fighting For
From the very beginning of The Lord of the Rings a shocking contrast explodes on to the screen.  The movie is about the dark lord Sauron, who has created an evil ring of power.  The wicked tale is told replete with all sorts of demonic creatures trying to help destroy the earth.  And the fate of the world is soon to be decided by the actions of a few Hobbits.  The opening scene is shot in a color-faded tone, creating a sinister effect.

The very next scene opens on a small rural town full of these little cuddly Hobbits.  They're planting their gardens and playing in fields of green, planning a birthday party, and looking forward to fireworks.  Seeing that scene after you've just witnessed such evil forces at work is a major shift.  It's like going from Dungeons and Dragons, to... Little House of the Prairie!  Even Frodo, one of the main characters, seems to be sporting Michael Landon's hair from said tv show!

Why are the film makers showing this?  It contrasts with evil, demonstrating that this is what the evil seeks to destroy.  This  group of people, this kind of garden-growing, food-enjoying, happy, simple, peace-loving people - this is what we're fighting for!!!  Freedom, family, culture:  This is worth fighting for!



What in your life is worth fighting for?  Look at the blessings all around you and allow a grateful attitude to permeate your daily thoughts.  In a world where twisted reality and dismal outlooks threaten to overshadow every promise that God has given you, realize this:  Faith, family, freedom, and many other of those Little House virtues are worth fighting for!  Fight the good fight!


(By the way, I'm not kidding about the hair - check it out!)

[Top photo by John Whittington ©2007; Bottom photo screen shot from The Fellowship of the Ring and Little House on the Prairie]