Thought for the Month - January 2017

"Blinking near water" by Barry Adair
(Lighthouse tea)

The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south". Promptly a return message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north".

The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south - I am the captain!" Soon another message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north - I am seaman third class Jones".

Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: "Alter your course 10 degrees south - I am a battleship". Then the reply came: "Alter your course 10 degrees north - I am a lighthouse".

You guessed it, I was thinking about lighthouses this month, oh, and a little about pride and arrogance too.

Aren't lighthouses great? Maybe it's a bloke thing or an engineer thing but I have always been interested in them and in the stories surrounding them. The picture I've used this month is of Blackhead Lighthouse in Whitehead, Northern Ireland. I know "Blackhead" in "Whitehead", all very Irish! But as for the lighthouse, it was once the guardian of Belfast's shipping traffic and indeed guided many great ships on their journey up Belfast Lough, including the Titanic. Today you can stay in the houses behind the lighthouse and the path below the lighthouse is a favourite walk of mine.

Lighthouses also remind me of the time I referred to my mother-in-law's (weak) cup of tea as "Lighthouse Tea". When she asked why, I replied that it was blinking near water! Moving swiftly on…

We all know why we need lighthouses and about their main purposes. For ships of all size and in all kinds of weather they guide and they warn. They are a beacon of light to warn of imminent danger and they provide a stable (immoveable!) reference point for pilots of all kinds of ship. Most lighthouses are fitted with fog horns too. Their use continues even in today's age of GPS and other maritime navigation aids. I remember the Shorts aircraft test pilots making use of the lighthouses on the approaches to Belfast Harbour Airport too.

As I pondered the two main purposes of a lighthouse I also thought about our own journey through life. Life can be exhilarating especially when you are young and/or healthy. Everything is great when there is blue sky ahead and calm waters all around. But when the storms of life hit or dense fog of illness sweeps in around us, our journey can become darker, stormier, scarier and more confusing. A Light to guide and warn is so much needed. Not the lights which God provided for us in His heavens but His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Light in a dark world.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: (Gen 1:14)

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." (John 8:12)

I love this quote from Paul Aiello Jr…

"In the midst of our dark and foggy times, all sorts of voices are shouting orders into the night, telling us what to do, how to adjust our lives. Out of the darkness, one voice signals something quite opposite to the rest - something almost absurd. But the voice happens to be the Light of the World, and we ignore it at our peril."

Of course, many do ignore the words of Jesus. He is the Light for our fallen world but just like the battleship captain at the beginning of this Thought, pride and arrogance can intervene. And for all of us, the words of Jesus are ignored at our peril!

For those of us who know Jesus as Lord, all will agree that He is our Light, our Guide, our Protector and our Saviour. His words provide daily advice and admonition. His presence is a comfort in an unsettling world. And if you don't as yet know His forgiveness and His presence, please click on the link at the bottom of this Thought.

I will leave you this month with the words of Jesus Culture - "I Love Your Presence"…

In the glory of Your presence
I find rest for my soul
In the depths of Your love
I find peace makes me whole

And I love, I love, I love You Jesus
I love, I love, I love Your presence

Watch and listen on YouTube here.

Until next month (DV)…

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!