Lighthouse Keeper

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2 NIV

On my Dad’s 70th birthday, I think that was about six years ago, we went around to a man named Paul’s house to check out his amazing, green and lush, lawn.

Paul was a retired gent and famous in our small town for his lawn care. He proudly showed me bags and bags of fertilisers and mulches and various potions he used to grow his outstanding lawn.

I loved Paul’s house. It backed on to a reserve that went down to a small creek. It was wooden and modest and tended with love and his gardens, as well as the carpet-like lawns, were the life’s work of his wife who had developed dementia and was no longer able to tend them.

Fast forward six years and I’m now sitting in Paul’s house. Yes, I bought the house off him. The financial provision miracles that sit behind this fact I could write 65 posts on but we’ll get to that. His wife eventually passed and he downsized and put the house on the market. There were five offers on the house when it was listed and, by the grace of God, I was able to secure it and make it my forever home.

My own Dad would sadly too develop Parkinson’s and dementia and we were able to care for him here at home for the last few years before he went into fulltime care- where he is today.

So back to the lighthouse.

Dad’s bedroom had a painting left behind on the wall that we just sort of left there. The blue colours went with the curtains and it was a calm scene of a boat and a lighthouse in a safe harbour. In my prayer life, I started seeing pictures of a white lighthouse. Easy, Jesus is the light, Jesus is the lighthouse.

One evening when I was putting Dad into his bed I looked up at the blue painting on the wall- it’s the lighthouse. For the first time I noticed in the picture that there was only a light on in the keeper’s house at the back of the tower. The Lord spoke to me in my heart “keep the lights on, you’re the lighthouse keeper, you stay here.”

I have wrestled with God on this one.

“But surely He is the light and I can’t keep the lights on so you must be the lighthouse keeper not me.” I have toyed with selling the house and moving to a bigger town. I have dated and perhaps thought I would move in with my future spouse -God ordered my steps and that never eventuated (I’m happily single –please don’t @ me).

At that place of surrender I have agreed with God that I can make my own small attempt to reflect the light of Him who calls us out of darkness :

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 NIV

So here I am–in the lighthouse. Let’s begin.