Life and Lighthouses

A day that went largely unnoticed last week was National Lighthouse Day. It was a day set aside to think about the importance of lighthouses in maritime history. I’ve always been fascinated by these structures; who wouldn’t be?

You won’t find lighthouses in calm waters or tucked securely away from the danger of storms. Lighthouses stand in precarious, treacherous places. Their foundations grip firmly and they are battered by the worst storms. Winds hammer them, the stormy seas tear at them, but they don’t crumble. They have a job to do and they do it proudly–they warn ships of dangerous rocks, treacherous shorelines, and they are saying, “Stay away.”

I’m sure there have been times that, for some reason, the light has gone out of the lighthouse. Sailors on a stormy sea would search for the beacon that cautioned them to keep away from deadly rocks and the light was not there. Ships and lives were lost when the warning light went out.

As I watch the news and read newspapers, I can’t help but think that our world is being buffeted and threatened by many, many storms. Fierce, angry winds and torrential, blinding rains. Threats come at us from every direction; freedoms are in peril, lives are being lost, and sometimes it’s hard to find a safe harbor, or even know where the treacherous rocks lie. I think that many people are looking for a guiding light, something to show them where danger lies because sometimes in the roar and thunder of the storm, it’s hard to know. That’s where we Christians come in. It’s up to us to keep the light of truth burning, to not let our lights go out, and to point the way to safety and away from danger. We must not  be intimidated or pacified; our mission is too important. In times of storms, we must grasp the immovable Rock and keep our lights shining.