Page 114 was a very good day, but also a very long day — thus my writing of it taking place the next afternoon. 🙂  We had spent the night at a hotel on the Lake Michigan waterfront so I was up before sunrise to capture some photos of the moon and lighthouse reflecting off the water.  The peaceful beauty was present both inside and out as the sun began to rise and slowly illuminate the day.  Susan’s recurring seizures have served to remind me that I need to enjoy whatever time God gives us as a family and trips like this 33 hour lighthouse adventure are a part of that enjoyment.  On page 114 we saw and photographed 6 lighthouses that we hadn’t been to before.  With the one we visited Friday night and a stop in South Haven on the way home, we were able to photograph 8 different lighthouses on this trip.  I’ve always loved lighthouses as far back as I can remember — which is somewhat strange considering I grew up with a fear of heights.  As a boy, I remember climbing the stairs to the top inside the Key Biscayne lighthouse in southern Florida.  There is something special about not only their purpose, but the perspective they give when you reach the top.

Most of these old lighthouses have small openings, windows, in the brick structure as you climb your way to the top so that the interior has at least some natural lighting.  Each level of windows also gives an increasing glimpse of the view that awaits those who make it to the top.  Once to the top, a view opens up that you could only imagine existed before seeing it with your own eyes.  It made me wonder about this walk through life each of us is on.  As we travel that narrow path that leads to life eternal with God, could it possibly be viewed a a spiral staircase where each successive step not only gets us closer to our destination but also offers us an increasingly clear glimpse of God’s perspective?  Is our walk with God giving us glimpses of His glory so that it increases our anticipation of what we will experience when we reach the top?  Does our daily walk not only increase our perspective, but more importantly help us to see things from His perspective?  When I visit a lighthouse, I always think of Jesus stating that we are the light of the world.  On the surface, that sounds like a huge task and responsibility.  But then I think of Paul’s teaching about each of us being a jar of clay that contains a precious treasure which is Christ.  This jar of clay is meant to be a lighthouse — not something designed so that those in trouble say, “Look!  A brick tower, jar of clay, Christian person, etc.”.  No, the design is such that when lived correctly people should say, “Look!  The light of Jesus!”  Or as Jesus put it, “Let your light so shine that people may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

I pray that you and I would live life each day to the full.  I pray that we would value the families God has given us, whether they be biological families or not.  I pray that we would recognize that since we’ve not yet reached our heavenly home at the top, we do not yet have a full and accurate perspective on the things of life around us.  I pray that we would continually seek to know God’s perspective in all things.  I pray that we would serve well as structures which show the light of Jesus to people living in darkness.

Our final stop on the way home on page 114 was in South Haven, Michigan to photograph the lighthouse there with the setting sun backdrop.