On a rocky outcrop,
lonely and bare,
stands a beacon to warn
all those who pass there.
A solitary light
in a surging sea;
shining out in the darkness
so that all can see.
There’s danger ahead –
wild rugged cliffs,
upon which fierce waves
would dash one to bits.
The surf pounds with fury,
relentless and strong;
a deafening roar
of an endless song.
In the midst of the storms
and in weather that’s fair,
the lighthouse stands guard –
always there.
Giving direction
for all those who pass by;
warning wayfarers
to turn aside.
The Light of the World
dwells in vessels of clay.
We are His lighthouses,
pointing the way.
Standing where He’s placed us,
the job that we do
is to allow His Light
in our lives to shine through.
We might be Admiralty Head –
at the end of the Strait;
or Point Wilson Light –
guarding the Puget Sound gate.
We may be Mukilteo –
where the ferries come and go,
mingling every day
with humanity’s ebb and flow.
As we stand where He’s placed us,
letting His Light shine out,
we encounter many people
who are filled with doubt.
They think that this coastline
is like all the rest.
“Why should they heed the warning?
After all, they know best.”
We also come across
the reckless and ‘free’,
who say, “Wherever there’s danger,
that’s where I want to be.”
“I’m the captain of my soul;
the master of my end.”
“If there are rocks ahead,
then fill my sails with more wind.”
The Light shines out
at Deception Pass.
Yet so many heedlessly
sail right past.
Discernment and wisdom
they sadly lack.
Swift currents pull them in
til’ there’s no turning back.
Roiling eddies and whirlpools
spin them around.
Turbulent standing waves
flip them upside down.
Confused, disillusioned,
and filled with despair,
they wind up drifting aimlessly,
going nowhere.
Cape Disappointment
is where many find their end.
They chose to leave the Light
and to follow after friends.
Ever-shifting sandbars
at this hazardous confluence,
ship-wreck many lives
because of the wrong influence.
From the cliffs of the Pacific Northwest,
so rugged and wild,
to the shoals of the Chesapeake,
in waters much more mild.
Here lighthouses also warn
in a slightly different way;
built on screwpile bases,
or floating in the Bay.
The water isn’t deep here,
but who would ever know.
On the surface all looks fine,
as travelers come and go.
The presence of the Light
warns observers to take heed.
They need to leave the shallows,
and get out into the deep.
“But” … ones would argue,
“It’s always been this way!”
“Everyone else is in the shoals.
Why should I get out in the Bay?”
“We’re all following the Light right here;
it’s quite the trendy game.”
“If everyone else is in the shallows,
might as well do the same.”
And so the Light of the World,
shines out from houses of clay;
each one is made specifically,
unique in every way.
Some are graceful and slender,
standing tall and straight.
Some are short and squatty,
with octagonal sides of eight.
Some have striking paint jobs;
they’re admired for their good looks.
These have lots of photos taken;
they’re in all the travel books.
Some have stood there for ages;
their looks are all but gone.
Yet they faithfully shine the beacon
from a sturdy base that’s strong.
Some have been placed on rocky cliffs;
some on sandy bars.
Some stand tall to shine the Light
in darkened countries far.
For there, many other beams
counterfeit the One True Light;
so faithful lighthouses stand,
shining in the night.
To always shine the Light
is what lighthouses do,
sending out a beam,
that is clear and true.
Keep the lenses focused!
Keep the glass panes clean!
So that the Light that shines,
clearly can be seen.
Though your light may be ignored,
as ones sail by with the wind,
just know there’s another lighthouse
that’s been placed around the bend.
From many houses the Light shines,
to those carried with the tide.
And one day your light might be the one
where someone turns aside.
By: Amy Hayes
March 2012
