Let me be a Lighthouse

When I moved into my new house, my brother-in-law was gracious enough to bring all of my brother’s possessions to my new house. The stuff was being stored in his basement for the past year. I knew that there were a few treasures in there that I was expecting. For example, the picture below is of my brother standing next to an amazing painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It now hangs in my library:

However, there were some that I uncovered that I did not know my brother had. One of the treasures was a large framed print of a lighthouse. The lighthouse is sitting on a small island that is near a coastline. The best way I can describe it is to picture the high cliffs like the ones at Dover but think southern France or Italy. Everything is really green and plush. The waves are crashing up against the island on which the lighthouse rests. The picture is about five feet wide and I placed it above my bed. I was really happy with the picture for several reasons. First, the picture is mostly a light green and it goes well with the green color I painted my walls. Secondly, it is just a beautiful picture and I wish I had taken it myself.

The first few days of waking up and seeing the picture, I could not understand why my brother purchased this picture. Most of his pictures or paintings were of Jesus, the Vatican, or something to do with Texas A&M. Other than this being a beautiful landscape picture, I was not sure why he had it.

I will never know for sure why my brother had that picture or what it meant to him, but the picture has taken on a new meaning to me. I look at that picture now and realize that the lighthouse in that picture is an excellent metaphor for how we are called to live our lives. Bear with me a little bit, I don’t think this is too far of a stretch.

The purpose of a lighthouse is to guide ship captains along the coastline. The lighthouse emits a bright light that can be seen from miles away. It alerts a ship’s captain to the dangerous terrain of the coastline. It also allows the ship’s captain to navigate from one checkpoint to another. The lighthouse provides the ship’s captain with a sense of comfort that someone else is out there helping them along their journey. The lighthouse is most appreciated on a dark, stormy, or foggy night when it is especially difficult for the captain to find his way.

The lighthouse itself stands tall over the horizon. It is constructed in a manner that is resilient to the elements and is meant to sustain strong winds. The windows of the lighthouse must be kept free from dirt, both on the inside and the outside. When the windows become dirty, the bright light contained within is diffracted and may not reach the captain’s eye. The light must be kept burning. There must be adequate fuel on hand to keep the light burning bright, especially when the elements take their toll.

What about the keeper of the lighthouse? Here is a person, be it a man or a woman (I will use the masculine gender for the sake of ease), who makes a great sacrifice to provide a life saving service. The keeper of the light chooses to live in an area that is often isolated from the rest of the world. The keeper chooses to be in the world and not of the world. The keeper will choose to forego some of the everyday luxuries and comforts that you and I enjoy everyday. The keeper of the light, other than a modest stipend, provides this service for the good of others. I am sure there is a certain type of person who chooses to live in this isolation, but that goes beyond this discussion. The keeper must be dependable and always present. Without his care and efforts, the light may be extinguished. If the light goes out, it does not mean that the captain will not find his way. It simply means that there is a greater likelihood that the ship will crash or will be lost.

When I think about the picture in these terms, I have found a new love for it. I still do not know what it meant to my brother, but I know what it means to me and why I will not part with it. My prayer is that God allow me to be a lighthouse for others. Allow me to stand strong in the midst of storms and foggy times. Allow me to keep my windows clean and emit the light of Christ for others. Allow me to make sacrifices of the keeper so that others may see the light and find their way in life. Lord, let me be a lighthouse.

Pax Tecum,

Tom