An open letter to my people by Ronda Shrock
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Recently, my family and I watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In it, Bilbo and the dwarves must travel through Mirkwood Forest over which there lies an enchantment. As they are preparing to enter, Gandalf warns them that they must adhere strictly to the path. If they wander from it, they will fall into the enchantment and lose their way, never to leave the forest. Never to be seen again.
Every step, he says, must be taken with care. There in the forest lie many slight alterations to the path. Many alternate routes that appear, at first glance, to be harmless, even reasonable, or good. The spell that lies over the woods will cloud their perceptions. In Mirkwood, things are not as they appear. There is one path (and that only) which is safe.
That scene returned to my mind as I sat out on my swing in morning’s light, thinking. Coffee in hand, I closed my eyes, feeling the sun’s rays. Around me, the cheerful notes of the birds trilled through the country air as they dipped and fell and swooped from tree to tree. I could feel His presence near, and in my heart, a somber knowing.
My brothers and sisters, we have entered Mirkwood Forest.
Over this country–and, indeed, the world–there lies a growing enchantment. For just as the Bible foretold, evil is called good and good, evil.
In an age where hate is called love; where love is called hate; where tolerance isn’t and intolerance isn’t always, either.
In a time when life is called death, and death is called life, and there are many ways to God, and you had better say so, too, or you’re hateful and unloving.
In a world where fear and confusion rule the day, I rise to my feet and cry out! Christians, we must stay grounded in truth. In Truth, for Truth is a Person, and we know Him.
I’ve heard that it is the handling of real bills that alerts a teller instantly when a fake bill comes through. It is not an immersion in the false; it is constant contact with the real. This is exactly how it works for us.
We must keep our eyes upon Jesus. He is our True North. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no other way to God but through Him, and He is the pathway to Heaven.
If we take our eyes from Him, we’re in danger. If we open our ears to other voices but His, we’re in peril. If we compromise and leave the path for the most reasonable alteration, we will fall to the enchantment and lose our way. My friends, all is not as it appears.
It requires tremendous wisdom and discernment to navigate these days. I am seeing more and ever more why the Bible stressed the pursuit of wisdom so much. Wisdom keeps us from the rocks, and wisdom keeps us from being devoured.
This is the uniform we must wear if we want to make it safely through Mirkwood and come out, whole and safe, on the other side: “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people (Ephesians 6:14-18).”
Perhaps this would be a good day to fast. To cry out to God on behalf of each other. To ask God to strengthen our faith and to keep us firmly planted in Truth. For Truth, sweet truth, sets us free.
Prayerfully,
Rhonda