Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.

I’ve been watching the Lord of the Rings movies during workouts and down time over the last few weeks and this moment stood out.

I couldn’t help but think of Tolkien’s service in WWI and how he must have wished to have never been in that horrible fight.

Lucky for us we don’t have to face such dire and heartbreaking circumstances.

But we do have to face our own challenges we would like to wish away.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. To do our best to face the challenges presented. To maintain faith, hope and love in spite of success or failure. To do the difficult thing with the honesty and integrity of character we would wish to see from those around us.

Life is not easy. Challenges continue to plague us. We won’t make it to the end of our lives without them.

Let them spur growth. Let courage and positivity reign in your spirit.

Make it a great day.

Jake