We Are the Lighthouse Keepers

Lighthouse Photos:
1)St. Augustine, Florida
2)Same - close up of light
3)Lighthouse at Cape Cod

We Are the Lighthouse Keepers
©2004, Janet K. Poludniak

I was asked to write ‘bout a lighthouse.
We're the lighthouse keepers, my friend.
The task to maintain our purpose
Is both God's and ours to tend.

The purpose of a great lighthouse
Is to warn those who are lost at sea,
Just as the glorious Light that shines
Once warned you and me.

Great lighthouses have no value
If they fail to let their light shine;
And all the ones that I've ever seen—
Require tending like yours and mine.

A lighthouse has many windows,
And mirrors that stand by the light.
They're there to reflect the burning flame
And they make the smallest light bright.

The keeper must tend the windows,
Keeping them, and the mirrors clean,
Or the smoke that collects from the burning
Will hinder the brightness, the sheen.

The wick must also be tended,
And the useless part cut away,
Then before the darkness can settle in,
The keeper lights it again each day.

The cost to build a lighthouse
Is never a price that is cheap,
So one doesn't build it out of sight
In a valley that's low or deep.

Each house must have a foundation;
It must never be built upon sand.
Such a lighthouse, in stormy weather,
Would never be able to stand.

The wind and the waves that surround it
Would cause it to tumble and fall.
And the rubble that's left on the shore
Could warn no travelers at all.

The builder determines the need,
"My lighthouse can serve me best here!"
He builds it high, on the strongest rock,
To warn all those who come near.

Once the house is constructed,
The builder puts in the light.
He trains the keeper to serve the house,
To shine through the darkest night.

The travelers who search for the way,
If the lighthouse is serving well,
Can be protected from the rocks below,
And from a fate that's worse called, Hell.

Jesus often spoke in parables,
To those who were closest, He'd say,
"You didn't catch the true meaning,
Yet you've been with me every day!"

Well, the Builder of the Lighthouse
Is our Heavenly Father for sure.
The Light that reflects in the mirrors,
Is the Christ who the cross did endure.

The Keepers of the mirror are saints of God
Who work to reflect God's Light.
The smoke that hinders His purpose,
Is our sin that clutters, and strife.

The Travelers are those who've yet to come,
In dangerous places, they search;
Longing for hope, for safety, for truth,
In perilous places they perch.

The Rock that becomes our Foundation,
Is God's Word, His Truth without end.
Naught can shake it, ‘twill not falter;
It will last forever, my friend.

Lastly, the wick the Keepers must trim,
Is the pain that passes our way.
It must be cut off, we can't go back
If we'd shine our brightest each day.

Story ID:	3797
Written by:	JANET KESSLER POLUDNIAK (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Organization:	JUST ME
Location:	Cayuga NY USA
Year:	2004
Person:	Lighthouse lovers.