Many in society have become so comfortable with darkness they have no clue that light is an option. The enemy has confused so many, causing them to believe they can’t function in the light of God. That lie is so far from the truth. You can walk and reside in light.

Though the lure of darkness is ever-present, so is the opportunity to choose light. The enemy makes darkness look fun, exciting and enticing but it is quite the contrary. It’s all smoke and mirrors. The reality of the matter is this, the further you travel down the road of darkness, the harder it’ll be to return to the light.

There is a gravitational pull drawing us towards what tickles our fancy. We are drawn by our lusts. When we desire the things of the world we are drawn in that direction. When we set our affections on the things of God, we are drawn in that direction. It’s a light versus dark thing. Darkness leads to death. Light leads to life eternal. It’s a choice. Choose wisely.

Unfortunately, many are trapped in a demonic forcefield due to their affinity for the dark. Secrecy, lies and the lusts of the dark have ensnared them. Many are so lost they have no idea how to get out. Or if getting out is even possible. To those I say, try Yahweh. He’s never lost a case. If you confess Jesus with your mouth, believing in your heart that He is the risen Savior who died for your sins, repent of your sins and turn from your wicked ways, you can be free. You can turn on the light in your life. Will you come? I pray you will.

In my book Damaged Goods: Damaged But Valuable, I talk a lot about darkness and the perils and pitfalls of it. I also talk about the light of God and how it was able to pull me out of my dark places. If He can do it for me, He definitely can do it for you. If you would like to add my book to your library, you can get it on Amazon. It’s both in paperback and ebook formating. God bless.

When I googled the significance of a lighthouse, this is what I found:

“Lighthouses symbolize the way forward and help in navigating our way through rough waters whether those waters be financial, personal, business or spiritual in nature. Nothing else speaks of safety and security in the face of adversity and challenge quite the way a lighthouse does.”

I found that definition to be profound as it lined up with what I had been thinking when I saw the above picture for the first time. A lighthouse illuminates dark areas. It aids in bringing weary travelers to safety. It ushers sojourners home. According to the bible, lights are to be put on a stand atop a hill. Sounds like a lighthouse right?

Each of us that have been adopted in the family of faith through accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior have also been commissioned to be a lighthouse for those that have not yet found their way to Christ. We are to allow God’s love and light to shine through us so that others may find shelter and safety in God.

In order to be effective we must not allow our personal storms to dim our lighthouse. It is imperative that our lights shine bright continually. Just as the waves are crashing against the lighthouse in the above picture, we like that lighthouse must suffer through the storms of life while yet shining our glorious light from within.

When in doubt I remind myself that I’m a lighthouse. I help usher weary travelers home. Sojourners spot my light as they weather stormy seas. It shows them the way home. I’m a lighthouse but I am not the Source of the light. No I’m not THEE LIGHT. God is THEE LIGHT. I’m a carrier of the light. I’m a lighthouse. The Spiritual Light shines through me. It makes me a radiant light able to be seen by all who are drawn to THEE LIGHT. I am a daughter of Light. I carry the Light EVERYWHERE I go. There’s no dullness in me. My worship shines bright. My praise shines bright. My love, honor and reverence for God is not hidden. I’m a Light carrying disciple of Christ. I guide others through rough terrain. I navigate tumultuous storms then show others how to do the same. I’m a lighthouse. I bring glory to God by doing His bidding in the earth. Through my life and light I work diligently at my assignments. The Light of God in me draws others to me that I may draw them to Him. I am a lamp that holds and carries Light. My light travels distances. It meets people in their dark places. It exposes. It calls out to the deep. It brings with it the promise of shelter in the arms of God. I’m a lighthouse. And so are you.

We can view the unpleasant events of our lives as what they are, hurtful, disparaging and disppointing or we can change our perspective. Try looking at the events as moments of God maturing and growing you instead of you being punished for some deed. God is simply moving you away from self-centeredness into a place of Christ-centeredness.

Sometimes in our trials we lose sight of our Center which is Christ. Our focus is usually set on the issue(s) at hand. We put most, if not all, of our energy into our present state. Oftentimes, it leaves us fighting battles that we cannot win. The reason we’re losing is because we’re fighting in our own strength. And we’re fighting battles that are God’s to fight. We overexert ourselves, get beat up by life, only to come to God as a last resort. God is not the last resort. He is the priority. What He thinks, feels and desires takes precedence. We are to seek God above all things. If we handle God’s business, He’ll handle ours. We must change our perspective.

I know I’m not the only one who has repeatedly done a thing expecting a different result. My perspective was all jacked up. There were instances where I was mad at God for allowing me to walk through certain seasons in my life. I accused God of not loving me and not looking out for me. Nevermind the fact I had brought most of the calamity on myself. I was still disappointed in God. I tell you of a truth my perspective was so off kilter.

If I was going to change the trajectory of my life, it was imperative that I changed my perspective. I had to train myself to look at things through different lenses. Case in point, my granddaughter who’s 2 years old, broke my glasses. Until I could have them fixed, I had to train my eyes to see differently. My sight and perspective changed. Things were blurry for a while but I was forced to see clearly through the blurryness.

It’s the same with changing one’s perspective. You have to train yourself to clearly see what you cannot see. When you do that, you’ll find there is value in every valley. Every mess has a message. No one can clean up a mess like God.

I encourage you to change the way you look at your issues. Put God above all you do or think and allow Him to do what you cannot do. You are His masterpiece. You are the workmanship of His hands. Turn your life over to Him and watch Him work.

We live in a world where the majority wants to live an easy breezy life. Not many, if any, desire to experience discomfort of any kind. We want the world to be lollipops, gumdrops and sweet all the time, but don’t want to have the dental visits or bill for that lifestyle. In a perfect world things would flow smoothly, leaving no room for suffering of any kind, but alas that is not the world in which we live.

Suffering is inevitable. Death is inevitable. Pain is inevitable.There’s no way to get around it. We will all experience our own personal sufferings at one time or another. Some of the suffering will be self-inflicted, brought on by our own missteps. Other events of suffering will come at the hands of strangers and people we know.

I have survived many seasons of suffering in my life. I can say with all honesty that I played a major part in a lot of it. It’s said that “a hard head makes a soft butt” and that is absolutely true. I’ve had my share of spankings at the hands of the Father for my blatant disobedience on many occasions. I’ve gone left when He’s said go right more times than I care to admit.

I’ve also experienced suffering that was perpetrated against me at no fault of my own. This world is inherently evil. Thus, evil will find you, attack you and cause you pain. It may come through a family member being murdered, leaving your family devastated for years to come. Someone’s innocence may be stolen through molestation, rape or incest at the hands of strangers or through friendly or familial fire.

However it comes, or whenever it comes, it’s imperative that we not allow it to break us. We have to stand through the pain and devastation of it all. There are going to be days when you want to throw in the towel. Don’t! Cry if you must. Scream if you must. Throw an all out tantrum if you must. But, don’t give in. Live to fight another day. You will survive. You were created to survive. You are an answer to a question someone has. Live for you. Live for those connected to you. Live for your earthly assignment. You got this! We got this! Let’s take it one day at a time.

Praying for you continually,

T. Ra’Shane Simon