  "Sin and the One Ring" It hit me today that Tolkien's description of the One Ring's effect on everyone is exactly the effect that sin has upon people.
If people wonder how others can get so hooked on things or romantic objects to the point of lost control, they should understand the mentality of Gollum. It starts with a tiny desire in the back of mind that whispers its usefulness to the victim. Many times it's so subtle that the desire is instantly accepted and unchallenged, and so it goes and grows unchecked. The mind slowly warps its inclinations and energies into depending upon that internal desire for escape from the droll feelings that life induces. Soon, the pretty little ring, the cute girl, the fancy car, the allure of money, and the hot stereo cross from the realm of neutral to "my precious. " How do we fight it from happening, and how do we defeat it when it has happened already? Christ alone has the ability to set us free from these things, and the Holy Spirit alone can assuage those droll feelings of life with a deep and satisfaction in knowing Christ.
It is quite a difficult point to reach, but if you trust and firmly believe God loves you, He will bring you there. I'm trying to come and know these things in my heart, but those old obsessive tendencies don't want to leave. This journey will be long and arduous, but it must be taken. I want to live, you know? 
