Lighthouses may seem like relics from times past. Nowadays, most lighthouses appear to be more for tourists to visit and explore and always seem to end in a gift shop. But it wasn’t always so!
Lighthouses were vital maritime safety tools that guided ships away from dangerous coastlines, identified safe harbor entrances, and provided critical visual orientation. By preventing shipwrecks, they protected human lives! Many now have electricity, wifi, LED lights and great technology.
These days in many places around the world, there are tons of lights and markers on coast lines. Most boats and ships have state of the art navigational aids. It could seem like the use of lighthouses are all but obsolete. But you’d be wrong.
Even with all the modern marvels of technology, lighthouses remain vital low-tech backups during technology failures, bad weather, or signal jamming.
The image for consideration is the lighthouse at Diamondhead, and when a powerful fleet of the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Coast Guard Petty Officer Melvin Kealoha Bell was on duty at this exact lighthouse. After the air raid began, the 14thNaval District Headquarters ordered him to transmit the first radio messages warning commercial vessels and military installations of the attack. What amazing history!
The Bible doesn’t mention lighthouses, as such, but there is a great passage in Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”.
We are encouraged to let our light shine so that we can give glory to God and serve our neighbor! It may even safe their life! I thank God that the light of Christ shines in this world through so many amazing people.
