Keeper of The Light

This article was originally published June 1st, 2014. With our recent trip to Maine, this is a perfect time to send it out to those who have recently discovered our devotion series. Keeper Of The Light continues to speak to my heart and I trust that it will to yours.

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name…

Hebrews 6:10

For those of you who are not familiar with Maine, this state is known for the two L’s.  Lobsters and Lighthouses.
While in Portland [in 2014], we visited a lighthouse known as the Portland Headlight.  It is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world.  While touring the grounds, I noticed a bronze plaque with several names engraved.  At the top of the list was the name: Joseph K. Greenleaf.  If you’re like myself, you have never read about this man in a history book.   But in 1791, President George Washington appointed Mr. Greenleaf to be the first keeper of this lighthouse.   As I scanned down all the list of names, I realized, with all their diverse backgrounds, one solitary thing defined these men.  It was of course, the light.  Keeping the light burning was their life and it would forever serve as their identity.  Shortly afterwards, I began researching into the life of a lighthouse keeper.  I quickly discovered that these men have lot in common with those serving in ministry.

Faithfulness

These men were depended on for their faithfulness to the task.  It wasn’t about making a name for themselves or climbing the social ladder.  No, but from the time these men awoke until the time they went to bed, their one mission was to keep the light burning.

Before electricity, many of the lighthouses also had fog bells. When fog would roll in, the keeper had to ring the bell in a designated pattern. Ships used this pattern to determine where they were. So a keeper may have to ring the bell two gongs, every 15 seconds, until the fog lifted!  This tiring faithful keeper never saw who had been saved by his warning and most likely never received a thank you. 

We must keep sounding the warning even if we never see the full results.  Heaven’s reward is not measured on how big the task, but rather how faithful you are to the task.

Loneliness

The keeper of the light most often lived in seclusion.  This led to periods of intense loneliness.  Some would write in their diary that the loneliness was like a slow death.  I can’t count how many times that preachers and pastors have expressed feelings of loneliness in the ministry.

Did it ever occur to you that a preacher’s lowest moments can be right after he has delivered his sermon?  Preachers, being a central figure, become easy targets for church criticism.  Pastors also being the common figure, can easily become targets for church boredom.  “Oh, that’s just the pastor talking again.”

Danger

A lighthouse exists because of danger and that location puts the keeper in danger.  These brave individuals must endure violent storms, ice flows and floods. During a hurricane, one keeper reported waves crashing into the side of his house and seeping through the windows. 

Careless ships have even been recorded as running into lighthouses sitting offshore. Lighthouse keepers have risked their lives trying to rescue crew and passengers from sinking ships.  Can you think of a minister who has put their reputation in jeopardy by trying to rescue a shipwrecked soul?  To all the nay sayers, just remember that rescuing a soul is the appointed duty of the ministry!  There are souls who have made shipwreck because of their own carelessness.  But as the keeper of the light attempts a rescue, it is not for us to stand on the shoreline, debating on the value of that sinking soul.

Let me leave you with one light keeper’s story that I found on the US Coast Guard’s website:  (condensed)

“It was a lifetime of service,” remarked Vice Admiral Brice-O’Hara of Lighthouse Keeper, Kathleen Moore.  Though not named the official Keeper until her late seventies, Kathleen had been assisting her injured father with lighthouse duties since the age of 12.  As her father’s health worsened, she took on most of the duties herself, serving until she was 84 years old.  Kathleen slept in her work-clothes, facing the window to make sure the light stayed burning. 

On one particular night, she heard cries of distress coming from the harbor. She went out in her rowboat, searching with her brother and her cousin. After an hour’s search they found two men clinging to a capsized boat, and promptly brought them to shore.   Kathleen is officially credited with saving 21 lives.   At the age of 84, when asked about this impressive record, Kathleen said, “I wish it had been double that number.”

Lord, in times when our faithfulness is put to the test, where loneliness is all around, and when danger threatens, give us the courage and resolve to be a true Keeper of The Light!