Lighthouse

2 Timothy 1:5 “I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.”

God is that reference point that is immovable. We have to reference our faith through Him and by Him. There is a story of a warship that was approaching something that appeared to be another ship. 

The warship sent out a message to the other ship telling it to change course. The response they got was, ‘No, I do not change course. You have to change your course’. Then it was said that the general in charge of the warship took the receiver and introduced himself as the general in charge. Then he commanded, ‘You have ‘X’ number of minutes to change course’.

And the following response came through, ‘I am not even a ship. I am a lighthouse. I do not change course. Your call’. So, the ship had to change course immediately because they were heading straight for the lighthouse. Lighthouses are fixed reference points. Faith in God is the anchor of your life. God is the reference point of all our existence. He does not shift. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” So, the harmony of the seven F’s—Family, Faith, Friendships, Fitness, Finance, Farm, and Fun releases us into a limitless future. The Family is central to all the F’s, but Faith is the glue that holds all the F’s together. 

For instance, every parent wants their children to be respectful. But you do not demand respect, you command respect. How do you command respect? The foundation of commanding respect is for it to come from a different source other than you. If you are Christian for instance, the fifth commandment in the Bible already says honour your father and mother (Exodus 20:12). In Sunday school, your children are taught to honour their father and mother. So, when they get home, they do not see you as a tyrant demanding respect and honour. They also have a reference point of honour as they are growing in faith. That is where faith comes in. 

Also, as part of a community of faith (church), your children see how you honour God. You model to them how you honour God in your faith. They see how when it is time to pray, you kneel to God. So, it becomes a no-brainer for them. Children will do what is modelled. The woman in 2 Kings 4 could send her children to bring vessels to her because they respected her. It is not so in some homes. The children simply will not honour their parents or their requests. Something is definitely wrong with that. When faith and family are in harmony, parenting becomes effortless because your children see you and they model their lives after you. 

Prayer: Father, help me to be a lighthouse for Christ to my children. Help me model a heart for God and devotion to Jesus to my sphere of influence, in Jesus Name. Amen!