How To Live Like A Hobbit
At the end of The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, we finally see the dragon and his hoard of treasure. The dragon never uses or enjoys his treasure, but he is good at counting it. He notices when only one piece goes missing.
Once the dragon dies and the dwarves take control of the treasure, Thorin falls under the dragon spell. He seems to want to sit on the treasure and hoard it just like the dragon did.
But Bilbo the hobbit is immune to the spell. Not because he likes the treasure less than Thorin, but because he likes it more. Bilbo knows what treasure is for. It’s to be enjoyed. It’s so one can afford feasting with friends. Treasure is just a vehicle for enjoying this life.
When I talk to my kids about riches, I often ask, “Should you sit on your riches like a dragon or enjoy them like a hobbit?”
Christians can be afraid of the stuff in this world. The same stuff that God made and called good. As if they need to make a choice between enjoying God or enjoying His gifts.
But enjoying God’s gifts too much isn’t the problem. It’s when you stop enjoying them. When you decide you just want to hoard them. When you start using them to isolate yourself from God and your neighbor.
Enjoy God’s gifts more. So much more that you can’t help wondering what God is like for making such wonderful things for you to enjoy. And contemplate how much more wonderful the Giver Himself must be.
Thorin has a change of heart at the end of The Hobbit. He says this to Bilbo on his deathbed:
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world."
If you haven’t been enjoying God’s gifts, confess that sin to God. He forgives faster than you can repent. Start enjoying His gifts. And enjoy how those gifts help you enjoy Him and the people around you.
What do you think?
Joseph