A Conversation with Mr. al'Thor (Spoilers!)

Spoiler Alert: The following blog contains glimpses into the events of The Gathering Storm.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the difference between strength and hardness as displayed in Rand al'Thor, the main character of The Wheel of Time. Everyone (readers and characters) agrees that this path will destroy him, but he doesn't seem to realize it.

Well, in the chapter I read last night, Rand acknowledged that his emotional/spiritual path would destroy him, but that he simply doesn't care. In fact, he sees it as inevitable, since he believes he's destined to die at the Last Battle, which is swiftly approaching. His words are chilling:

You all claim that I have grown too hard, that I will inevitably shatter and break if I continue on. But you assume that there needs to be something left of me to continue on. That I need to climb back down the mountain once I've reached the top. That's the key... I see it now. I will not live through this, and so I don't need to worry about what might happen to me after the Last Battle. I don't need to hold back, don't need to salvage anything of this beaten soul of mine. I know that I must die. Those who wish for me to be softer, willing to bend, are those who cannot accept what will happen to me.

A few thoughts:

1. This is a chilling reminder of the key importance the resurrection plays in the Christian faith. Paul said that without it, our faith and everything we do is in vain.
2. I quoted earlier another passage from The Wheel of Time: "Men become hard when they should become strong." We, as Christians, believe that the joy of the Lord is our strength, and that the alternative is hardness of heart. Rand's Creator, however, is (in my interpretation, and Lews Therin's) a deistic god, setting the universe in motion and watching it flourish and wither time and again. (I'm hoping I'm wrong, and that the Creator does something dramatic at the Last Battle, but we'll just have to "read on and find out," as Mr. Jordan always said.)
3. Thus, Rand's attitude above is not the Bible's picture of self-sacrifice (displayed by Jesus and His followers), but what becomes of biblical self-sacrifice when we divorce it from hope and joy.

I'm really looking forward to the end of this book, and the next two to come! But I'm also looking forward to seeing what this hope and joy does in my life this year to motivate me to self-sacrifice.