‘I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint’ – Jeremiah 31:25
‘Is there no end to this accursed forest?’ – Bilbo Baggins, in The Hobbit
Bilbo and the Dwarves were spent. Passing through Mirkwood had proven to be even more of a challenge than expected. During the opening days of their passage, they experienced occasional beams of sunlight that slipped through the canopy above, but as they moved deeper into the forest, light became a memory. Tolkien writes:
‘The nights were the worst. It then became pitch-dark – not what you call pitch dark, but really pitch; so black that you really could see nothing. Bilbo tried flapping his hand in front of his nose, but he could not see it at all. Well, perhaps that is not true to say that they could see nothing; they could see eyes. They slept all closely huddled together, and took it in turns to watch; and when it was Bilbo’s turn he would see gleams in the darkness round them, and sometimes pairs of yellow or red or green eyes would stare at him from a little distance, and then slowly fade and disappear and slowly shine out again in another place. And sometimes they would gleam down from the branches above him; and that was most terrifying.’
Before many days passed, they ran low on supplies, and then, following a most unfortunate attempt to cross a stream, lost what little remained. They were out of food and water, and nearly out of hope. It seemed the journey through the darkness would never end.
Finally, Thorin Oakenshield, the dwarves’ leader, suggested that ‘someone’ climb a tree to see if the edge of the forest could be seen. ‘Someone,’ of course, meant Bilbo Baggins.
And so up Bilbo went. He didn’t have much experience climbing trees, but he made the best effort he could. This too was hard going. He had to push his way through branches, catching many a ‘slap in the eye’ as he did, and nearly fell several times. But at long last he made his way to the top.
Where he was amply rewarded for his trouble. At first, he was nearly blinded by the light after having lived in darkness so many days. But as his eyes adjusted, he took in a brilliant view. The sun shone in all its glory. He felt its warmth upon his face. Beneath and all around he beheld a sea of dark green, rippling with every breeze, and thousands of butterflies. Bilbo looked at the butterflies a long time, basking in the sunlight and breeze. After so many days in a dark forest, it was a taste of heaven.
Sadly, he didn’t see the end of the forest, and so, when he went back down, didn’t have any definitive answers for the dwarves as to how much longer their dark journey might last. But the beauty he glimpsed atop the boughs of Mirkwood were lifegiving and sustaining, which may explain why, for those who know the story, while the dwarves would lose their heads in coming days, Bilbo would be able to keep his.
Walking through this weird COVID-19 experience, my mind has returned over and again to this episode in The Hobbit. I find myself yearning for, and thankfully finding, moments ‘above Mirkwood.’ At times it feels as if we are traveling through a darkness that seems to have no end, or at least no end in sight. And once in a while, we look out and see ‘eyes:’ nasty tidbits in the news; reports from hospitals; stories of friends, neighbors and even family who are infected; bills we may not be able to pay; pantries running low on supplies and grocery stores with bare shelves; outrageous remarks from leaders who should be leading but are instead grandstanding and acting like fools (yeah, I’m talking about him); and other nonsense that only serves to heighten our anxiety. The eyes disappear for a time, but then reappear, and it is eerie beyond belief. Indeed, it is at times most terrifying.
Which is why it is so important to find time above Mirkwood. How do we do that? Well, climbing trees might help, but I think the idea is that we need to rise above the darkness and stand in the presence of the One who makes all things bright and beautiful. Perhaps you don’t have much experience in doing that, but that’s OK, just be like Bilbo and do your best. Perhaps you are so overwhelmed with things to do that it seems you cannot find time for God. That’s OK too. Just push your way through the branches. If you slip a few times and fall short, just try again. Eventually you’ll make it.
When you do, I promise you will be rewarded for your effort. You will feel the warmth of God in the core of your being. You will sense signs of beauty and new life around you. You will sample a taste of heaven. And even if, when you come back down, you are still unable to know when things will ‘get back to normal,’ you will at least have found strength for the journey, and be better positioned to keep your head in the days to come. The lifegiving and sustaining experience of God works wonders for the soul.
Folks, these are dark and scary times, and we won’t make it if all we do is stare into the darkness. We need to spend time in the presence of the God who refreshes the weary and satisfies the faint.
We need to spend time above Mirkwood.
Under Christ’s Mercy,
Brent