As I was preparing for this talk, an old poem came to mind and I thought that I needed to share it with you as it captured some of the thoughts that had been circulating around my mind. It goes like this:
In the midst of World War II with tensions running high,
Off the eastern seaboard, one dark and foggy night
A captain sighted out ahead, just off the starboard side,
The beacon of another ship; the two would soon collide.
"Adjust your course 10 degrees to the north," he radioed ahead.
And much to his amazement, the ship replied instead,
"Adjust your course 10 degrees to the south." The captain felt a chill.
His eyes grew cold and narrow and the two drew closer still.
"I'm the captain of this vessel and this is a command.
Adjust your course 10 degrees to the north or receive a reprimand!"
Again, the voice replying was calm and smooth as glass,
"Adjust your course 10 degrees to the south. I'm a seaman second class."
"I'm a U.S. naval destroyer," snapped the captain with a shout,
"Now, adjust your course 10 degrees! No discussion, over and out!"
They drew unnervingly closer; his eyes fixed on the light.
This time the voice ripped through the air like lightning tears the night:
"I AM THE LIGHTHOUSE. I am the lighthouse.
The path you choose is perilous. Destruction lies ahead if you delay.
But, if you trust me I will lead you through safely.
Adjust your course, and you'll be on your way.
I am the Lighthouse."
Life can sometimes be like that. We engage with the things around us that offer us the most stability and yet, we don't see it. We think they are around us as troubling circumstances. We think that they are ones that are adding to the confusion in our lives and we take them on as obstacles to overcome rather than circumstances and situations that are there to help us navigate through difficult times in our lives. I thought to myself: Every once in a while, we need to look at situations around us. If you've looked at my book, I have 3 sections in it: Look In, Look Out, Look Up.
I think this is about looking around and recognizing that there are situations, circumstances, people who can help us in the place that we are in when it seems like the storms of life are just beginning to overwhelm. In my introduction to my book I mention a friend of mine, David Ray, who was working with Apple Computers in Canada. He was faced with a complex problem that seemed to have no answers. He came home one evening still mulling over the issue. As he sat down for dinner, his wife noticed his preoccupation and asked him about it. He brushed it aside with a comment: "It's an office issue." Later that evening, she pressed him to tell her what was troubling him. And he did. She thought for a minute and then offered a solution. Dave Ray says he was astounded because what his knowledgeable colleagues had not been able to fix, his wife had the perfect solution.
That's what looking out involves – understanding that there is wise counsel that exists outside of ourselves, be it from colleagues, friends, family, or our own mentors.
Proverbs 11:14 says, "Without good direction, people lose their way. The more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances."
I wonder whether today, as we head towards the end of this year, that you feel that you need clarity. There are so many situations all around you buzzing for your attention and you don't seem to see that one single thread that's going to take you through into the next year with some degree of confidence or some degree of clarity that tells you that this is the way you need to go or walk.
I wonder whether today you just need to look around and look for that one voice that has been clamoring, trying to get your attention, and offering stability and a solution that says, "In the midst of all that is going on in your life, I am the lighthouse. I can help you navigate through what's going on." Maybe it's a voice that you've been brushing aside all the time. Maybe today is a time to look around and say, "Maybe I need to give this person a listen." And maybe today will be the day for you to find that it is a voice that has been giving you wise counsel all along but you haven't been listening.
As we get to the end of the year, sometimes these are the issues that come into our lives. We look especially into a new year and wonder whether it will bring any change into our lives. Will the things that have been muddling around in our minds find clarity? I think it's a good place to be. New Years are good times for us to try and brush away the cobwebs and look for clarity.
But where do you find that clarity? The end of the poem 'The Lighthouse' offers even a 'look up' situation. The poem ends like this:
How many years will a man stay blind before he learns to see?
And how many doors will a man knock down while I offer him the key?
And as I begin to light the way will he fail to recognize
That I am here to light his path and not to blind his eyes?
And that is God speaking to us and saying, "I'm with you. I'll show you the path. I'll give you a key." That's our constant, my friends. In the midst of all these mitigating situations and circumstances that could be in a state of flux, God is that absolute constant.
Reactions to change come in our lives and it's always accompanied with stress and shock and disbelief, things we don't want to get into – denial, feelings of guilt, physical reactions, fear, mistrust. And yet, maybe today God is saying to you, "You can trust Me. I'm that unshakeable point in your life, that you can look to Me and say: What is my next course of action?" maybe God is speaking through somebody around you who is also bringing you wise counsel. Maybe the words you need to hear around you today are: I AM THE LIGHTHOUSE. I'M THE ONE WHO CAN BRING LIGHT INTO YOUR SITUATION TODAY. If that's where you are today, my prayer for you is that you would see the light of the lighthouse and hear the voice of God in your life today.
May I pray with you? Almighty God, we often come to times in our lives where we get to look back, where we get to look forward, and we get to look at our lives and say: Is there a change? Are there situations that will change in my life? Can I have some degree of comfort going forward? Will things be better? Through the mist of all of these situations, can I see Your light? Can I sense Your touch? Will You lead me through, Lord? I pray that for each one of these dear friends who will read this post. I pray that You would bring clarity in these situations and it will be a brand-new year that will open up for each of us because You have brought a clear sense of direction into our lives. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
· The Lighthouse, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqKMWQu9YaQ
· Cecil Clements, "Corporate Capsules: Three Simple Steps for Corporate Success."
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