So I decided to re-read the mark of the lion trilogy by Francine Rivers again while I am in Italy. Ironically enough, I read most of the first one while in Ireland, but thats beside the point. Anyway, in case you have never read them, they are about a Christian slave named Hadassah who serves this Roman family and about a Germanian gladiator. The books are set in Rome for the most part just a few years after the death of Christ.

For starters, the book was just as good or better than I remembered. The characters are so well developed, and the historical context is incredible. Every time I read them, I feel so convicted by Hadassah's character. I long for the qualities that she possesses: devotion, motivation, humility, patience, LOVE, and self-sacrifice.

Towards the end of the first one, she tells the gladiator that "...unless you have something worth dying for, then you really dont have anything worth living for." I love that quote! But it convicts me deeply.....What am I living for? Does my life reflect that? Is that what other people would say about my life? Is my life encouraging others, or is it hindering them?