With all that is going wrong in the world around us, I find myself in a funk this morning. With that in mind, I’m reminding myself of this quote from the fictional character Gandalf the Grey in the movie version of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:
“[Some believe] that it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I’ve found. I’ve found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.” — Gandalf the Grey
If it was only against the evil powers of this world that we struggled, then we might conclude that only the efforts and deeds of the great and powerful matter and that the small everyday deeds of us ordinary folk amount to naught. But that is not so. In the words of Ephesians 6:12, we struggle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil.” In that struggle, the kindness and love we show in everyday deeds weigh just as heavily on the scales as the actions of the powerful and mighty.