Lighthouse

At some point in my foggy past I came across a poster of an interesting photo. I was probably mindlessly drilling through a display at a store like Hobby Lobby, my thoughts miles away from whatever strip mall I stood in. And there it was: a stony lighthouse with a tiny human figure standing in a doorway. The entire backside of the lighthouse was engulfed in a massive wave that curled itself around the structure. The image was arresting to me because it reminded me of how God holds us, unwaveringly, in the midst of life's storms. Even the storms we stir up ourselves with our ingrained sins and self-destructive missions powered by obsessions even we do not understand. I enjoyed an object lesson in this grace-fueled love and care only yesterday. A few weeks ago I snapped up a plaque at a neighbor's yard sale with this very photo on it. Underneath the photo, Psalm 94:22 is inscribed. "But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge." The owner had passed away, the plaque a gift given by friends upon the owner's cancer diagnosis, a disease which claimed his life. I took the slightly banged-up prize home and hung it on my bedroom wall. This year has been particularly hard for me. Yesterday I found myself simply begging God as I wound my way down the blistering hot pavement of a sweltering Franklin, Tennessee en route back home from an auspicious errand to Wal-Mart. "Please, please help me," I implored through my tears. I just needed peace, a break from unrelenting fears for my children, my husband, everything that I hold dear. I had been home for mere minutes when I found myself pulling out a bookmark that my youngest, Jonathan, had given me after church. The bookmark had all of the names of the kids, including himself, who are participating in a home missions project this week. The idea was for church members to see the bookmark and pray for each one this week. There was a small photo at the very top of the bookmark. You guessed it. It was the photo of the lighthouse with the massive wave assaulting it. I felt loved and reassured to my core!