Marta and I went to Italy for 10 days for an early celebration of our 39th wedding anniversary.  It was an awesome experience being in the large, grand, beautiful churches which have been built in Rome and throughout Italy. Below are some of my notes from our visit to the Vatican City.

“Today I want to show you some beautiful and great things. I have your ticket. To enter, you must follow me.” Those were the words of our tour guide as we prepared to visit the Vatican Museum, Saint Peter’s Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel. He continued, “You have your passports, your money, and many things, but I am your ticket! Stay close, do not wander off with the crowd, or lose sight of me. Without me you cannot enter in.”

Our guide led us through each of these beautiful, historic places. Following our guide was not always easy with all the hustle and bustle around us. There were times when I became distracted, fell behind and had to try and catch up. But our guide kept an eye out for us, waived his banner in the air regularly making us aware of his presence. As he led us through the crowd, he shared information and insight on the various paintings, tapestries, sculptures, and mosaics. The closer I stayed to our guide, the more I learned. The back stories only served to enhance the beauty of all that we saw. It was a beautiful and blessed day.

At the end of the day, I rested my feet and reflected on the overwhelming amount of beauty we witnessed that day. The scenes from the Bible that were retold and brought to life by the hands of great artists who lived long ago flooded my mind. But what stuck with me the most were the words of our guide. “Today I want to show you some beautiful and great things. I have your ticket. To enter, you must follow me.” His words reminded of the words of Christ.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” Jesus lived a sinless life and willingly laid down His life on the cross. He paid the penalty for our sin. He died in our place and rose again. He is the Savior. He desires to forgive us of our sins and reconcile us to God the Father. When we pass from this life into the next, He desires to lead us into heaven. But we can only enter, if we follow Him. And if we follow Him, although the journey may not always be easy, we will see some truly beautiful and great things.