“You don’t really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? You are a very fine person, Mr. Baggins, and I am very fond of you; but you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!” (The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien). So said Gandalf to Bilbo at the end of The Hobbit. All of us at least some of the time like to think that we are the heroes of our own stories, the main characters, the most important people in the room, but we are all of us only quite little fellows in a wide world after all. If we are feeling particularly narcissistic or self-important, realizing that it is not, in fact, all about us might be quite a blow to the ego, but it ought to bring with it a sense of relief. We are all characters in a much bigger and more complex story than we can possibly imagine. If good things happen to us, it is not solely for our benefit. That seems like it might quickly lead to nihilism and an abdication of all responsibility, but that's not it at all. If our Heavenly Father blesses us, and if those blessings are not solely for our benefit, then we have a sacred responsibility to be wise stewards of those blessings. We have to find ways to share the bounty that we have received with those in most need of our blessings. If we are vessels of the Lord, then we are to be pitchers and not cups. The Lord never intended for us to be the final recipient of the blessings that He gives us. We are supposed to pour them out to others, not hold onto them. If we are in dire need of rescue and the Lord saves us, He does not do so merely to put us up on a pedestal for others to admire. He saves us for a wise purpose and He expects us to recognize that He has not saved us solely for our own benefit but so that we can find others that need to be saved. When we are going through Hell, “Why me?” is the wrong question. It's not about us. We're just a small part of the overall Plan. It is not an unimportant or inconsequential part, but we ought not to overburden ourselves with more significance than if warranted. Our Heavenly Father loves us and He values us and the part we play to help bring about His work and His glory, but He doesn't need us freaking out because He calls us to serve faithfully in the background instead of thrusting us into the spotlight as the main character. If we receive with gratitude our part to play, and play it to the very best of our ability, our performance will not go unnoticed nor unrewarded in the end.
