AWAKENINGS
(DEVOTIONS FOR A SPIRITUAL RENAISSANCE)
inspired by italy
(Excerpts from the Manuscript)
Project Summary: The multilayered history of Rome, the tranquil mysticism of Assis and the artistic wonders of Florence. Spending time amongst these various Italian marvels roused me to a sense of spiritual awakening, and that is what I hope these devotions—inspired by my travels—will do for you as well.
Treasures in Heaven
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Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Where is your heart? Where are your thoughts focused most often? Are you concerned mostly with the trophies, triumphs, and tears of this world, or are you able to transcend these things with a spiritual vision that rises above the daily madness.
One of the things that makes Rome unique is how seamlessly modern life is able to exist alongside history. Taxidrivers, shopkeepers and café owners go about their daily business in the living shadows of the great Empire, serving customers quick rides and quick coffees beside triumphal columns and city ruins. As you walk from one major site to the next, you are always able to spot lesser known or lesser advertised pieces of history over your shoulder as well—a tucked-away basilica here, a statue of a once celebrated leader there.
As my wife and I were walking down a main street in the midst of a thousand people one Saturday afternoon, one site stood out to me: a statue of what I assumed to be an ancient emperor, perhaps Julius Ceasar, or another fabled leader of some sort, a seagull perched atop his head, perhaps getting ready to do lunch or to just “do his business” after having already had a lunch. The statue had certainly seen better days, and no one really seemed to notice it at as they rushed to make their tour times at the Colosseum or check into their airbnbs.
How apt a visual, I thought, to illustrate the fleeting nature of human power and glory. One day you are a venerated leader of the masses, your image cast in marble or bronze to be glorified for all time, and the next moment your time has passed, and the world is indeed passing you and your “immortal” statue by as a pigeon uses your head as his resting perch or bathroom.
The ruins of Rome are indeed glorious, and they do seem to live and breathe as a part of a city that is still magnificent, but nevertheless they are just ruins. And ruin is what eventually comes to all things that are of and for humans, except our souls.
Our souls connect us to God, and to eternity, and they are not defined by the frustrations and passions of human nature; neither are they confined by the physical limitations that so often weigh down the other parts of our existence. But it is often the physical only—the limited and imperfect—that we are focused on. We try to make the physical perfect through exercise, sartorial trickery or even surgery, and we try to then display that semblance of perfection on social media for others to praise with likes and hearts. We focus on raking in dollars and cents so that we can build little castles to ourselves—castles that rise an inch or foot above our neighbors’ castles—and when the pile of dollars and cents dwindles for a season, we panic.
Physical and financial health are certainly desirable, but Jesus tells us that there is an even better place to focus our attention, and that is on our spiritual health—a wellness which age can’t diminish and which poverty can’t destroy. Jesus says to focus on building up treasures not on earth, but in heaven.
So what could this mean, practically?
My understanding is not comprehensive or even very scholarly, but I like to think of it this way: anything that contributes to improving your spiritual health or the spiritual health of those around you is a treasure in heaven.
Any act of kindness or charity that eases the suffering of another soul on earth and serves as a modern and earthly representation of Jesus’ kindness is a treasure in heaven. Any concentrated time spent with God and in the pursuit of getting closer to Him is a treasure in Heaven.
Any work of art you might create that steers the focus away from the temporal and profane and toward the Eternal and Divine is a treasure in heaven. Any uplifting conversation that helps to encourage a person and keep them from despair is a treasure in Heaven.
Anytime you consider the needs of a loved one or go out of your way to put their needs above your own is a treasure in Heaven. Any time you seek God’s forgiveness, and any time you accept His forgiveness, is a treasure in Heaven. Anytime you forgive someone else or show grace to them is a treasure in Heaven.
Any daily attempt to live your life in a way that honors God and serves to nourish and flourish the higher parts of your nature rather than the basest parts of your nature is a treasure in heaven.
Anytime you seek God in the midst of painful circumstances, anytime you transcend those circumstances by allowing God to comfort you and show you strength and something meaningful in your pain, that is a treasure in Heaven.
No matter how many times you might fail to live your highest calling—and we all do, most every day—if you can bring yourself back to a focus on God and on trying to do better because of His love for you and ever-presence in your life, then that rerouting of attention and intention is a treasure in heaven.
As you plan for your week and for your future beyond that, try to focus on building up treasures in Heaven. The focus of your heart will certainly be pulled in a thousand different directions by the confusing stresses and messaging of this world, but seek to reroute your heart’s attention back to the peace of Jesus and to a higher calling on your life. Think of how you can grow in spiritual wisdom as you move forward. Think of how you can grow closer to God rather than being pulled away from Him.
And if you are ever tempted to get frustrated or depressed because you don’t have “enough” dollars, friends, power, esteem, fame, or social media likes, just remember the visual of the deteriorating Roman emperor with a bird atop his head. Remember what lasts and what doesn’t.
The accolades and accoutrements of this world don’t truly satisfy your deepest longings, and they fade rather quickly; however, the eternal treasures you build can actually give you deep inner peace and will stand the test of all time.
Prayer: Dear God, please show me, each day, a reality that is greater than what most are focused on. Please draw close to me and accept each offering I give you in the course of my daily life as a treasure to be stored in your eternity. My time, my thoughts, my charity, my struggles, my talents, my creativity: please help me to use these things toward eternal ends. Grant me comfort, wisdom and strength as I walk this earthly path, and even as I walk it allow me to transcend it to realize your eternal love, power and peace.
The Courage of a Gladiator
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
One of the most iconic and breathtaking sights in Rome has to be the Colosseum. This 5-story arena, originally known as the Flavian Amphitheater, was built, dedicated and added to between 70-82 AD by the Roman emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. The massive structure, which is the inspiration for our modern day football arenas, could hold up to 80,000 spectators and regularly housed dramatic gladiatorial fights, gory animal hunts, carefully orchestrated re-enactments of famous battles and even shocking public executions.
Many of us might be most familiar with the colosseum from the original Gladiator movie starring Russell Crowe and Joquin Pheonix. This movie tells the tale of Crowe’s character, Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is a Roman general betrayed by Commodus, the ambitious and amoral son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The son Commodus has his father murdered, and Maximus, once a hero, is then arrested and forced into slavery. Eventually he is coerced into gladiatorial combat, through which he becomes a popular folk hero and even has the chance to win his freedom.
The Gladiator movie is gripping in its dramatic plot twists and action sequences, but at its heart I believe it touches audiences because it is an inspiring tale of a person—Maximus—who faces problems he didn’t ask for or deserve, yet still find a flame deep within him that seeks to overcome circumstances and perhaps find personal redemption, perseverance, and justice.
I know my wife and I have seen the movie a dozen times, and as such the Colosseum was on our short list of attractions we actually bought pre-booked tickets for while in Rome. The morning of our tour we were excited as we left our Airbnb and then walked through parks and narrow streets on our way to the event.
When we finally spotted the unmistakable ruins of the great arena on the horizon and then got closer, to the point where the famed walls of the Colosseum were just across the street from us, it was difficult to believe that we were actually sharing the same storied air with such history.
Our first glances at the Colosseum were indeed awe-inspiring, but even that paled in comparison to actually walking through the Gladiator’s gate of the amphitheater (also known as The Gate of Life, or the one through which living persons entered; as a side note, in contrast dead bodies were carried out of the arena through an opposite gate, aptly named The Gate of Death).
When stepping onto the arena floor, I tried to imagine what it would have been like when the seats of the arena were actually filled to capacity with tens of thousands of frenzied Romans. What would it have been like to have taken part in a gladiatorial battle, or stranger yet to have been a persecuted Christian about to meet his or her death in front of Roman royalty and crazed spectators?
Some participants in amphitheater “games” were willing, but not all.
What would it have been like to have been forced into a fight or mad struggle that you couldn’t have imagined, and hadn’t willingly signed up for? From where could the courage be summoned?
None of us have likely fought actual battles in arenas with swords, but we all know a thing or two about being forced into struggles which we couldn’t have imagined and that we didn’t willingly sign-up for. Such is life.
We don’t willingly enroll ourselves into many of the most difficult situations in our lives, but instead we are forced into them by a convergence of circumstances or by the ill-will or intentions of others. Greedy landlords or banks manipulate our monthly costs of living until housing becomes a stressful and precarious situation; domineering or passive-aggressive bosses, coworkers, or even family members might lock us into confrontations that wear our bodies down with stress; surprise illness, job loss, property loss, or estrangement from loved ones might leave us feeling as if we are under attack from all sides and beaten into the dust.
How can we find the heart to continue moving forward in such situations? From where can we find the courage?
Obviously our support systems can be invaluable during the most stressful and frightening times of our lives, but there will still be many times of the day (and night) when we find ourselves alone and in need of reassurance, protection, and inner renewal. This is where the presence of a loving and all-powerful God become especially important.
When we find ourselves locked into a draining and stressful struggle in life, the words of Joshua 1:9 might be some of the most comforting in all of Scripture. This verse says to us: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Remember, the Lord is with you wherever you go. The Lord is with you in all situations. No land is too faraway or foreign for Him to find you. No financial, interpersonal, health or inner struggle is too complex for His guidance and healing.
Take heart and be renewed by His strength and comfort, because He is walking your current journey right alongside of you. Even during those most frightful and stressful of times—the ones that have you feeling as if you have just crossed through the Gladiator’s gate of the Roman Colosseum and the animals and enemies are about to be released upon you—know that He is beside you with all of His power and love. Know that He offers you protection.
Find your courage and reassurance in the Lord as you navigate the stresses, decisions, and unforeseen battles of your life. Do not be dismayed. He is with you at every turn.
Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes in the heat of life’s battles I feel weak and confused. The roar of the stress and the magnitude of the challenge can leave me feeling worn down. But I look to you for reassurance, and for strength. Please give me the courage to navigate my battles, knowing that ultimately you are my protection and will grant me victory.
