"Rome"-ing about at Christmastime

I must admit, I have always had a small case of wanderlust. I love to see new places, meet new people, and experience new things. Recently, I was blessed to travel with two of my adult kids to Italy. If you know me, I am certain you have grown weary of hearing about our trip. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. We were in Rome, Italy for ten days. We did a tremendous amount of touring the city and the churches in those ten days. We didn't even come close to exhausting all that Rome had to offer.

No matter one's religious affiliation, it would be difficult not to be impressed, even awestruck, with the seemingly countless, beautiful churches that date further back than any boasted this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

We even left the country. We went all the way to Vatican City. Vatican City is its own country snuggled into Rome. The Vatican Museum had a mind staggering collection of antiquities to tour and see. My mind is still trying to process the plethora of frescos, paintings, statues, and architecture that we saw first-hand. St. Peter's Basilica was one of the most impressive. It almost felt unreal due to its great beauty and structure.

One of the churches we had the privilege of touring was San Clemente al Laterano, a three-tiered building. The current structure, the basilica, was well below street grade and we toured two stories below ground. We entered the current basilica which was built between 1099 AD and 1120 AD. The further we toured downward, the older the levels were dated (as early as 1 AD). We could hear the water moving through the ancient aqueduct, parts of which are still being used to provide Rome with its water.

The flight home from Rome gave me plenty of time to reflect upon all the things I had seen over the previous week and a half. The big take away that caused me to slightly gasp was that as great as it all was, it was all turning to dust. Some of it was preserved in such a way to slow down the effects of time, but ultimately, it was turning back to dust. Things are not permanent. Only God and our souls are eternal.

The value in historical things and beautiful buildings is for our education and our enjoyment. Those are important things, but it is our relationship, the Lordship of Jesus Christ, in our life. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit-all existing individually and yet, as one, is truly something to marvel at and consider.

As this Christmas season draws to its pinnacle, take some time to reflect on your relationship with God, as Lord of your life. A savior is an appealing concept to virtually anyone. Submission is another story. It is easy to submit when there is true, sold-out love for God. It is my prayer that someone reading this article will have their heart touched in such a way that they will understand that our relationship with God isn't for us, or our comfort, or our glory. Our relationship, our adoration, of the one true God of the universe is because He, alone is worthy.