I have always been fascinated by lighthouses. The first lighthouse was built by Egypt’s Pharos of Alexandria in the third century BC. The Boston Lighthouse was the first one built in America and has the distinction of being the only lighthouse in the US with a keeper who turns it on and off every day. And speaking of keepers, lighthouse keeping was one of the first US government jobs available for women, going back to the 19th century.
I like to think of the ministry we do at Faith Mission and Faith Refuge as lighthouse work. We aren’t the keepers of a large structure jutting out from a rocky shoreline, but rather we are the keepers of another source of light. Jesus, the light of the world. He has entrusted us with His light that represents the truth of the gospel in a dark world.
We have to ask ourselves daily, “What are we doing with this light.” Are we hiding it under a bushel as Jesus warned us not to do or, are we letting it shine in our good works so that men and women will glorify our Heavenly Father?
Lighthouses have two purposes:
1.To help with navigation and
2.To warn of impending danger.
They guide ships toward safe harbor and away from rocky shores. I can’t think of a better mission statement for us as Christians. To guide and to warn. To speak the truth in love. To love everyone as they are, but love them too much to leave them there.
To be, as Jesus taught His disciples, salt in an ever-decaying world and light in the darkness. I believe that is what we were called to do, especially for the homeless and lost of our community.
My prayer for Wichita Falls Faith Mission is that we can be a safe harbor for them to come home to and to appropriately warn them of the dangers of living apart from God. Would you join me in that prayer?
