Walking with the Gods.

Today, we traveled to Delphi to visit the ruins of the ancient stadiums, amphitheaters, and temples. On the way there, we stopped at a monestary where we saw incredible views and artwork as we learned that the Virgin Mary is seen as the connection to Jesus in the Greek Orthodox church. Because Mary brought Jesus into this world by giving birth to him, she is the connection between humans and Jesus. I thought this idea was very interesting, especially because I was brought up in a fairly liberal christian environment. So this idea stuck in my mind as we kept traveling on to Delphi.

Once we got there, we walked up a mountainside to just reach the start of the ruins and temples. We saw the Temple of Apollo, an broken piece of an aqueduct, and an amazing amphitheater. The amphitheater could have easily held thousands of people in it and the Temple of Apollo was at least 3 times my height.

From there, we kept climbing to find the stadium where the Pythion Games (like Olympics) were held and then walked all the way down to the Temple of Athena. The temple of Athena was beautiful, and I could really imagine what it must have looked like when it was up and running. Plus, it is just on the edge of a mountainside and so it has breathtaking views.

As we walked back to the bus to travel on home, I thought about the ruins we saw and their purpose and history. As I tried to picture what these places must have been like when they were not ruins but real temples, when they were built, when they were alive with people, I was in awe. First of all, when thinking about how these things were built, how high up, and how long it must have took, it is easy to see that these people were devoted to their gods. They had no doubt about climbing up mountains with tools and rocks to build their gods somewhere to live, to be worshiped. I thought it was beautiful. To begin to feel the faith of these people was magnificent.

And I began to wonder what it would have been like for me to be there. Could I have helped build these things? Would I have wanted to? Would I even believe in these gods or would I have put my trust in another? It is really hard to say but I had a wonderful time imagining.

I can't help but think that I would have been just as dedicated to these gods as the people that built these temples were. I would climb a mountain for them, I would sacrifice to them, I would pray to them, etc. I think that I would do all these things because I do similar things now with my faith in God. I try to do what He says, I give sacrifices of time and money, and I pray.

Putting my life side by side with these ancient people, I started to see the many similarities. They walked with their gods and I walk with mine. And today, not only was I walking with the God I trust, but I got a glimpse of what it might be like to walk with these gods of the past.

I walked with Mary when I lit a candle in the monastery. I walked with Apollo when I stood at the foot of his temple and remembered who he was and the dedication his followers had. I walked with Athena when I explored the ruins of her many temple buildings. I walked with my God today too, as He humbled me in my small size but empowered me with authority.

It was one of the greatest experiences to spend a day walking with the Gods.

-Jess