Lord of the Rings - Attachment vs Trust

What is true rest? How to find it? With these two question in mind, I want to look at the first 2 chapters of the Lord of the Rings.

Bilbo, at 111, after many adventures, wants to retire. Bilbo tells Gandalf, "I want to go to the mountains; then find somewhere where I can rest." But there is a problem. To rest in the mountains, Bilbo needs to let go of the ring. Bilbo calls the ring "my precious," is unable to let go of the ring of power.

The Ring of power has become an obsession for Bilbo. Gandalf gently encourages him, "Let go! And you can go and be yourself." This makes Bilbo even more obstinate, "I'll do as I please." Bilbo accuses Gandalf of trying to steal the ring from him, preventing him from having fun with the ring.

Bilbo Obsession over the Ring (Picture from the Lord of the Rings movie)

From a theological stand points the Ring of power is like an idol, it is like attachments. An attachment is something which we need we need to feel ok. It is a part of our identity. We may think we want a certain type of a job or spouse or child to be happy. If we are not be able to think of a possible happy future for us if we don't get what we want the way we want it, then we have an attachment with the thing we want. Prolonged attachment becomes an obsession.

When one is in this state of obsession over wanting to get something, one cannot rest. 

When we are obsessed with something, we think if only we get this thing we want then we will find rest and become happy. But we don't realize that it is this obsession  is preventing us from being able to find any form rest. This is a deeply human predicament which Freud talks about in the book Civilization and its Discontents - we build Civilization in order to find happiness and rest, but the obsessive and neurotic way in which we build them prevents us from find happiness and rest.  

What is the way out of this impasse of our obsession for happiness and rest preventing us from finding happiness and rest? 

Seeing that Bilbo is stuck in his obsession and has tunnel vision, Gandalf tells him, "Bilbo, trust me like you used to."

Again from a theological perspective, trust is the antidote to unhealthy obsessions that keep us stuck. When we can trust that our highest happiness is in our journey with God, not a job or spouse or house, then we will not stay stuck in our obsessions. Our deepest fulfillment is in our journey with God, this is the way to rest. When we are holding on too tightly to our obsession we will be unable to find our deepest joy in our journey with God.

Ed Diner is a psychologist who has done a lot of research on happiness he says, "happiness is a process not a place." In fact, the Lord of the Rings is about journey towards freedom. But the journey is perilous, risky and filled with danger. Lord of the Rings has people who are afraid of the journey. Example, Gaffer, the father of Samwise Gamgee, "Elves and Dragons! Cabbages and potatoes are better for you and me. Don't get mixed up in the business of your betters or you will land in trouble too big for you." Gaffer lets his fear prevent him from going on an adventure.

Yes, adventures are filled with danger. But trusting means we don't let the fear of danger in the future hold us back. 

What is this trust based on?

In the Lord of the Rings, this trust. Gandalf in describing the history of the Ring to Frodo says, "there was something else at work behind the design of the Ring maker." This is a call back to the Sillmarillion creation mythology. In the Sillmarillion God, Illuvatar (like All-Father), is conducting a heavenly choir which is sing creation into being. Melkor one of the Angelic beings (the Lucifer Figure) starts singing discordant tones. Some rebellious angelic beings join him. Other angelic beings are confused, wondering if Illuvathar will stop him or not. Illuvatar stops the whole choir, then tells Melkor that he is free to sing all kinds of discordant tunes to his hearts content, but he will only find out that Illuvatar is brilliant enough to bring deeper harmonies out of all the discordant tunes. Souron is the apprentice of Melkor. Souron's Ring is a ring of evil, created to coerce people. When Gandalf is telling Frodo, there is something beyond the Ringer maker's design, he is alluding to Illuvathar's absolute control over the grand designs over creation.

When Gandalf tells Bilbo to trust him, that is trust that is buttressed on Illuvathar's brilliance in bringing goodness and beauty out of evil intentions. Likewise when we trust God and push through our fear of dangers in the journey ahead. Our trust is based on God's work in history that God will work all things for the good as Paul talks about in Romans 8:28. 

We see this sense of trusting in our journey with God motif at multiple points in the Bible. A clear example is the life of Abraham. God called Abraham to go on a journey of adventure trusting that God will give him a son. Abraham is obsessed with wanting a son, so decides to take in a slave girl, Hagar to have a son through her, landing him in complex problems. But God takes it all, even his mistakes, and works it to bring blessings to many nations. This is why we can trust in our journey with God.

When we are stuck in obsessions, much like Bilbo, trying to find our happiness in some thing we want, the way to let go of our obsessions is to to trust that our rest and highest happiness is in our journey with God. Life is a journey with God. It is a journey filled with wonder and at times dangers. Our trust in God takes away our fears and fuels our journey of wonder towards our rest.

True rest is place where one is freed from ones attachments, the way to this place of rest is trusting that our deepest joy comes from our journey with God who works all things for the good of those who love Him.