“Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.”
Laura Esquivel
“The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.”
Ferdinand Foch
Much that I’ve struggled to articulate and steal back about God’s view of women and raising daughters is captured in an intriguing scene involving a character created by J.R.R. Tolkien that is brought to life by Peter Jackson. In the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Sauron’s dark forces begin to overcome peaceful Middle Earth and its fate rests in the hands of two hobbits, a dwarf, an elf, and a man named Aragorn. Knowing that a militia of ruthless soldiers is heading for the country of Rohan, Aragorn comes to help its people. As he walks about the palace, he finds the King of Rohan’s daughter, Eowyn, practicing with a large sword. She doesn’t know Aragorn is watching. In a gothic parlor lit only by a few flames, she wields the large silver sword like an experienced soldier. Though petite, she is formidable. As Aragorn suddenly steps out of the darkness, she reacts with agility, and their swords clash. Aragorn comments on her skill.
She replies, “The women of Rohan have had to learn that just because you do not carry a sword does not mean you cannot die upon one. I fear neither death nor pain.”
Curious, Aragorn asks, “What do you fear?”
“A cage,” she says. “To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.”
Prayer: Lord, help us to love our daughters and granddaughters well. May we as men and women—equally and together— seek you, share in your adventure, and work to see your beauty unveiled. May we raise sons and daughters like Eowyn who, with love as their weapon, effectively battle for truth in a way that 1) helps people leave their caged existences of fear, shame, anger, and resentment, choosing instead hope and possibility; and 2) strengthens others enough to not only carry their own load, but also bear the burdens of others.[1]
In doing this, please help us care for ourselves so that we can love our neighbors well.[2] May you give us wisdom and discernment so that we might have proper boundaries, yet never forget what Annie Dillard said so poignantly:
“When the candle is burning, who looks at the wick? When the candle is out, who needs it? But the world without light is wasteland and chaos, and a life without sacrifice is an abomination.”[3]
[1] Galatians 6:1-5.
[2] Mark 12:31.
[3] From Holy the Firm.