Shine Like a Lighthouse

      Two months ago, a group of friends and I visited a lighthouse in Malacca, Malaysia. One of the workers who was on shift at that time took us on a tour around the historical, and still operating, building, telling us various interesting facts about it and the surroundings. At one point, he led us to a small replica of the lighthouse’s lighting system. He showed us how the structure has many light bulbs that rotate, each taking its turn to shine for a moment, which is what gives the lighthouse its blinking characteristic. We later learned that, at night, the light could be seen about 42.6 kilometres away!

Photo by Eliza Tan; used with permission

      That fact reminded us how brightly we can shine in this dark world with the light of Christ, and how we are called to be such a light of the world. In the stormy seas of life, with the terrible waves of the oppression of evil, with the opaque night that renders us lost, how comforting is the light on the shore, the steady beam amongst the shifting waves, the beacon that radiates and reaches out.

      Also remember that the light is at its best when it does not conform to the darkness at all. Light and darkness stands in stark contrast to each other, and the light does not give way. We have to be careful that the Christian faith is not diluted with the influences of the world. The beams from the lighthouse does not give in to peer pressure. Will we be able to exhibit such strength? By God’s grace, we can—and we will.

      Let’s keep this challenge ever before us, and as a Christian community, let us continue to encourage one another and push one another on in the Christian walk.

Blessings,

Nathanael Chong