The Road Goes Ever On

"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."

This has always been one of my favourite little tid-bits from literature. For those of you who are not familiar, this is the song Bilbo Baggins is heard singing as he makes his way from the doorsteps of Bag End, having given up the burden of the One Ring to Frodo, on his way to Rivendell and unknown adventure.

It has always gripped me with a longing for the unknown, and up until this point, has always seemed like pleasant fantasy and honestly just plain good reading. This time however, as I read it I am enamoured by the unexpected similarities of context that I find it has with my life now.

As I have been preparing for the adventure that is to come I have had to be persuaded to leave 'the precious'. To forfeit the people and things that I love in exchange for experiences and stories that I get to live when I move away. Or in another sense I have had to stretch out my hand and let go of a couple things I have held tightly to for so long. Allowing God to take them from me and allow him to deal with the consequences.

So here I stand, on the steps that lead out my door, looking down this great road that has been set before me. I must strive for it with as much effort as I can muster. It is a road that will join with many other people's paths as it goes on to join to some larger way. Where it will lead, I cannot say, but I'm about to find out...

"Be strong and courageous. Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you should wander." Joshua 1 v. 9