I’m very moved in the Lord of the Rings by the way Galadriel gives gifts to the different members of the fellowship. When they leave Lothlorien they are embarking on the same path. But their inner journeys and needs will be absolutely unique, and she knows it. Some gifts she gives to everyone. But others she chooses particularly for the individuals.
She knows that Frodo has a heavier burden to carry than the others, and so, to meet his heavier and deeper burden she gives a more substantial and deeper gift: the light of the elves’ most beloved star. “For you I have prepared this,” she tells him.
He has to go into the most sinister places, and he has to live with the effects of the evil of the ring working on his heart. An unimaginable burden. So for him she has prepared the most profound gift.
It moves me because that’s how the Lord has blessed me in my life. He gives gifts to me for my needs while he gives other gifts to my loved ones for their needs. But also, my outer walk may look the same in different seasons, but what I’m carrying is different. And in the most trying times, Jesus gives himself and his gifts in more profound ways, essentially saying, “For you I have prepared this. A light when all other lights go out.”
