STAYING THE COURSE 71 all is forlorn.” The Great War changed the entire world and traumatized generations, leading to the formalized study of PTSD which had been known up to that point only as “shell-shock.” Tolkien’s friend, C. S. Lewis, along with others in their literary group known as the Inklings, were also veterans of the War, and the desperation of that event heavily influenced their stories about danger, despair, adventure, and hope. When Frodo and Sam are successful in their quest and the Ring is destroyed, the relief the reader feels is an example of Tolkien’s concept of “eucatastrophe,” the great and overwhelming joy in an averted catastrophe. Christians have a similar experience of eucatastrophe in the weight lifted from our shoulders when we realize the fate from which we’ve been saved by Christ’s sacrifice. And while we can embrace this eucatastrophe by keeping an eternal mindset, it does not eliminate the trials we face every day in life. Sometimes, we can hardly put one step in front of the other— we are traveling across our own Plains of Gorgoroth, with or without a companion to help us, left only with voices of self-doubt and “what ifs.” It is in these moments that we can search for the truth and beauty that still exists despite our pain. We can remember that the “Shadow is only a passing thing” next to the “light and beauty for ever beyond its reach.” The disciple James reminds Christians that “blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12). And the writer of Hebrews encourages believers that “since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Hebrews 12:1). Frodo and Sam, as well as the others fighting the War in Gondor and beyond, remember that they are not the only ones struggling and that they are not alone; they persevere because of the hope that that their suffering will have meaning in the end. Through this, we too can be encouraged. Paul writes that “we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3-5). Even though our trials are hard, we can be courageous and choose to persevere in hope even while we walk through the pain.
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