Every year I read through the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. Most of the time when I read I will read straight through a book before I start another. When I read through those three I do so at a leisurely pace and space it out with other books. I enjoy Tolkien’s world and the depths and detail he goes into to make it come alive. My favorite part though are the characters he created to fill Middle Earth and the lessons he teaches through them.
The biggest lesson is in the title of the first book-Fellowship. Your average person isn’t going to consider themselves a part of a fellowship. You might have a friend group but calling it a fellowship is taking it too far. It is a title that I think we can reclaim as our own as we understand the meaning behind it. After all, it sounds cooler than saying I’ve got a friend group.
Frodo’s fellowship was made up of multiple people from different walks of life and races. These were united in a shared goal-get the ring to Mordor. While our own fellowships look a little different because I unfortunately do not know any Hobbits,Dwarves, or Elves, at their core they are the same. We have a group of people that surround us that share a goal-being there for each other.
We live in a world that is fallen and as such are people that are selfish and self centered. It isn’t uncommon to have people that exist in your life solely to get things from you. The rise of reality television strategy shows like Big Brother and Survivor are a testament to that. It would be nice if it weren’t this way and everyone in our lives genuinely wanted things for our better, but that is not the case.
Samwise Gamgee is one of the best literary characters in existence. As a writer his character arc is fantastic. As a human he is exactly the kind of friend I want to surround myself with and to be. It is Samwise that models what it truly means to be in a fellowship and to be a friend. This hobbit sticks with Frodo from beginning to end no matter the problem. He is also the only character in the trilogy that isn’t tempted by the One Ring which is a testament to who Sam is as a person.
15 years of telling students that the people they choose to call friends matters and they are probably tired of hearing me repeat myself. Unfortunately for the students it is my favorite piece of advice to give. For Frodo the wrong people would mean the ring didn’t make it to Mordor and Sauron would rule Middle Earth. For us, while our circumstances are less dramatic, the end goal is no less important. We should seek to be and surround ourselves with those that build us up and spur us onward in our faith and in our lives.
Our friendships matter. Who we choose to surround ourselves with matters. The people we are closest to will shape who we become as much as we shape them. Beyond that we want people in our life who don’t run when things get hard. We need people who are there to help with the burdens because life isn’t all sunny days. There will be hard times without question. But, surrounded by the right people those days are more bearable. Choose people who will be there when things are messy and you fail, but it is as important to choose those who will celebrate your triumphs.
Your fellowship will make a difference. You might not be headed to Mordor but you are on a journey. Build your fellowship with people who want to journey with you through thick and thin. Fellowship at its core isn’t always easy but that is why it is important to have the right people. When you have the right people surrounding you life is easier and you are better off because of it.
In a world full of Gollum’s be a Sam.
