I love Aragorn.
He’s one of the finest examples of a man in all of fiction. Strong, wise, brave, decisive, born with blessed blood, royal privilege and long life, yet still incredibly humble.
If I could be more like him, even a little, I’d be thrilled.
But no man’s virtue is pure – not even Aragorn’s.
His weakness – his vice – was shame.
Gondor needed a king. If he had sat on the throne at the start of the adventure, things would have gone more smoothly. A strong and benevolent king of Gondor could have helped Rohan in The Two Towers. It could have then been part of a unified bulwark of Men against the armies of Mordor.
But Aragorn refused the throne. He was ashamed of his own bloodline. His ancestor, Isildur, plunged the world into darkness by not being strong enough to resist the One Ring.
Aragorn carries that shame.
I understand. That humility is a big part of his strength. But humility is a vice when the world needed a charismatic, wise and benevolent king.
Or maybe that’s just the Christian in me talking.
King David could have saved the world. He could have fulfilled God’s promises to Abraham. Instead, he succumbed to weakness and temptation, ensuring the ancient Kingdom of Israel would fall from its peak into a broken kingdom in two generations.
Jesus was born from that bloodline. He didn’t resent his flawed ancestor. Instead, He became the king the world needed.
I suppose that’s the difference between the greatest imaginable human and the Son of God.
Besides, shame isn’t always bad. Looking around the world, I see plenty of folks who need a lot more of it.
And that’s why, as much as I adore Aragorn, Jesus makes the better role model.
Personal growth is all about becoming a better version of yourself.
Being better makes you more like Christ.
That’s why I’ll never apologise for sending links like this so often. If you find yourself clicking it, you might soon become more like our Saviour too.
So click away: