… you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all.

From The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, from a passage on the very last page of the book:

“Then the prophecies of the old songs have turned out to be true, after a fashion!” said Bilbo.

“Of course!” said Gandalf. “And why should not they prove true? Surely you don’t disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? 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!”

“Thank goodness!” said Bilbo laughing, and handed him the tobacco-jar.

I am so thankful to read words such as the above. It would be such an awful burden to be a hero responsible for the success of the Church. The reality is that we are really only quite little fellows in a wide world. That is to say, as Christians we need to recognize over and over that our place is to be faithful servants. As Jesus says in Luke 17:

So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.”

I so often need to realize that I am not the be all and end all. Some people advise that we should take on the attitude of a servant. Frankly, I think that they are missing something. We do not need to simply and only take on the attitude of a servant. The reality is that we need to realize that we already are servants, bought with a price. It is true that Our Lord Jesus Christ has chosen to call us friends.

From now on I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

Nevertheless, we need to realize that we are not in any way as important as we often think ourselves to be. It is a hard battle, for our self, our fallen flesh, wants to convince us that we are indeed the center of all that happens. Ahem, we are not. We are part of what God is doing, but we, “are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!” You should feel relieved that such is all you are.