Light for the Journey: Tolkien’s Call to Courage: Tend the Soil You Stand In

You weren’t born to control the storms—just to plant goodness where you are and leave the earth a little more whole for those who come next.

It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule. ~ J. R. R. Tolkien

🌱 Inspiring Reflection:

Tolkien’s words remind us that greatness isn’t found in mastering the world, but in humbly tending the corner of it we inhabit. We aren’t called to predict the weather of tomorrow—but to sow hope and courage today. There is evil we can confront, injustice we can uproot, love we can offer, and seeds of kindness we can plant. The harvest may not be ours, and the seasons may shift beyond our view, but our labor—honest, brave, and rooted in compassion—makes the soil richer for those who come after. Let others worry about the tides; our task is to wade in, boots muddy, hearts steady, and make the ground beneath us cleaner, kinder, and more livable.