You've Got to Start From Somewhere: Introduction to the New Fire of the Lighthouse

 

Warning: this entire blog post is worth the read.

"Katai, create it and send a link by tomorrow. Or else."

As soon as I read her text, I shuddered. Oh, man! That means I have to do it.

It was late Friday morning; I had just finished typing out one of my "WhatsApp essays" when I received that text.
Why an essay? Because I had to share my most amazing discovery—the Bible is actually colorful!

My church group had started sharing daily devotionals on a particular passage elected by the group. A person was picked at random, given passage of Scripture, and was expected to share a short devotional that day. Two days later, I was selected.

That afternoon, I sat in front of Hebrews chapter four, shaking my head in disbelief.

Who am I to share a passage? I'm no preacher! I have no experience! What if I interpret the passage wrong?

As these thoughts reeled through my head, I shrunk in despair. But I could not back down—there was no option to. At that moment, only God could help me.


God. Oh. I forgot about Him. He's the one who wrote the Bible, anyways. 

"Let me ask Him, and see what happens," I resolved.

So, I sat up and took a deep breath.

"God, please, God!" I began, which ended up as a sob (this was the first time I struck direct, intimate communication with God, and I thought I had to literally cry for Him to hear me). "Help me with this passage. Please! Please!"

I would have loved to say that God answered immediately by parting clouds and speaking in a loud, booming voice. But, no—He didn't. It actually took a while.


I read and reread the passage, cried some more, and sat quietly. Just when I thought He would not answer, I heard a whisper.


"Come to me. all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28, NIV)


It didn't come as a whisper; it came as a revelation. A sudden idea that opened the entire canvas of wisdom embedded in Hebrews 4 (if you are still unsure of how, I invite you to study the passage for yourself).

At that moment, the black-and-white Bible turned into pages of living, colorful revelation. I grabbed my phone and hastily typed out an essay of revelation that could easily pass a college-level research paper word count to my waiting audience.


After I clicked send and embraced their affirmations, I sat down happily.
But I didn't know what I had just unlocked.


Over the next couple of days, every time I read the Bible, I saw something new and somehow had a practical application of its teachings. I had an unquenchable desire to share this bucket-load of revelation with people, resulting in the famous essays.


One day, I just finished sending one to my mentorship group, when my mentor, Gloria, texted me back.

"Katai, maybe you should start a blog."

A blog? Isn't it complicated? I thought.

But, before I could object, she said, "In fact, make one today. And send us the link tomorrow. Or else."

Gloria is a very down-to-earth person, but when she says something, she means it. Her gentle threat led me to sit down and brainstorm a blog. And this is the blog you are reading today.

You may be wondering why I told this long story. Well, the primary reason is in the title: you've got to start from somewhere.

I was pushed off the cliff into unknown terrain. I was pushed to study Scripture, listen to the intimate whisper of God, and practically teach the application of Scripture through writing. I had no idea what I was doing but I had the faith to believe that I was doing something meaningful.

Four years later, I study Scripture, I am known for being able to hear the intimate whispers of God and I teach the simple, yet practical application of Scripture through writing, speaking and visual arts. I still have no idea where God is yet to take me, but I still have the faith to believe that my little can do something meaningful.

I don't know where you feel "little" today, but I want to encourage you: start where you are with your full trust in God. If you have been delighting in God, and you feel Him gently propelling you somewhere that is beyond your current capabilities, do not be afraid: go with Him! You will look back and see that they were gentle tugs leading you to your purpose.

This ideally was meant to be a rewrite of my first blog post, but I thought it best to share my original post (feel free to read the first one—Fire of the...What?— though it has been edited) to give a practical testimony of what I have just shared.

Below is the slightly edited inaugural blog post—one of my first attempts at serious writing. I invite you to intently read through it. And, I pray that it helps you embrace this simple truth found in Job 8:7 (NRSV):

"Though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great."


Snail image by Johannes Plenio from Pexels

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Welcome to my first blog post and I am really excited to share it with you!

You must be wondering what is  "Fire of the Lighthouse"? Why such a name?
Well, that is the question I will answer in this post.

The purpose of a lighthouse is to notify ships that land is nearby because, in most storms, the land is not easily seen. In most stories I have read, fictional and non-fictional, a lighthouse is a good sign.

In the olden days, lighthouses had a fire inside of them as a source of illumination. The amazing part about these lighthouses is that they were a sign of hope, a sign that sailors won't wreck in the storm they're facing because they can rest where the lighthouse is.

I aspire to be like a lighthouse. A structure that shines a light of hope, standing tall in the midst of a storm with God's light within me to tell the brave sailors that there is hope, that there is land.

When thinking about what the first post would be about, I thought, why not delve deeper into what my blog really is about, practically?

That is what will be discussed further.

Welcome to "Ignite the Fire Within your Lighthouse"

What makes a lighthouse a lighthouse is that it contains a flame or some form of strong illumination inside it to make it visible, otherwise it is merely a dark tower.

Metaphorically speaking, I would say that human beings are meant to be lighthouses, shining a light of good deeds to help others. The sad thing is that they are too many dark towers than lighthouses.

In the book of Matthew chapter 5, Jesus tells the multitudes that we are "the light of the world."
He continues to describe what exactly that light is: good deeds.
"...let your light shine, so that they may see your good deeds and praise your  Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16)

But what are these good deeds look like in everyday life? 

It isn't just giving the largest sum of money to a charity. That is good, but even the simplest of things we can do daily add up to these good deeds.

Going to visit your neighbor, for example, is one of them. 
Giving that grieving person some support or even smiling at the stressed store clerk at the till asking how their day was.

The reason why Jesus said that is because we are meant to not only shine our light in the darkness but cause others to ignite their fire within their dark tower. 

For example, smiling and asking how the grumpy store clerk how his/her day was, and if he/she is feeling alright is shining a light. Maybe you have been the nicest person to her the whole day and she is encouraged to smile and be happy i.e. she lights up the fire in her dark tower.

We have so many dark towers. Why not be a lighthouse for a change? 

One who shows those in trouble that there is hope is evidence of that hope lives and burns in them as well.

To end, here is a powerful quote that speaks to the purpose of good deeds:

 "If there are not many good people in this world, be one."