Gollum: the Natural Man

Gollum is one of the most misunderstood character's in the books or the movies. Maybe because of his annoyingly scratchy voice. But the tragedy that is the story of Gollum is one of what happens when we let the natural man take over in our lives.

Gollum's story starts in the village of the Shire, but down among the Riverfolk. His real name is Smeagol. The story begins that he was a simple hobbit who enjoyed going down to the river. One day while fishing with his friend Deagol, Deagol had a fish bite his line which pulled him into the water. While in the water, Deagol found the ring. When he got out, Smeagol saw the ring and lusted after it. He desired it more than anything he had wanted before. It was Smeagol's birthday after all. He deserved it. Deagol wouldn't give it to him. So his coveting of the ring caused Smeagol to murder Deagol. He then took the ring. He caressed it calling it his "precious". It came to the point where he desired the ring more than food and more than companionship. For the next 500 years, Smeagol made the transition from carefree hobbit to disgusting creature living on the ring's power. He was addicted. The Ring became his master and created the Split personality of Gollum. it just goes to show what happens when we let the natural man take over and stop caring about what matters most.

We learn from the Book of Mormon that "the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." From this scripture, we can learn something that Smeagol never does learn: how to put off the natural man. We must apply the Atonement in our lives and become a saint. We must recognize that the things that matter most are not things but our loved ones. We must be submissive to the will of the Father in all things.

If we do these things, we will be able "to receive all that the Father has!" I know that these things are true. So let us be not like Gollum, sucking life from a lifeless object, but let us seek life from Him who brings us Everlasting life!