Lighthouse

I set sail, tenatively but confident, from the beach. The day was beautiful, my small craft well-supplied with food, water, sunscreen, even extra clothes. The mast was strong, the boat high quality and outfitted for all sorts of weather and situations, an extra battery for emergencies. It was the best of scenarios, the most lovely of settings. I was prepared, life sprawling before me like a song. The weather man said that conditions were perfect for venturing forth.

The sweet swell of the ocean, the crystal water, the play of dolphins close by...I was mesmerized as I drew further and further from the shore. The day raced by as I explored surrounding tiny islands, following the cues of what was before me. The bliss of freedom and the gorgeous scenery was my new world. Before long, I noticed that the sun was dipping low in the horizon and I had lost sight of land. Dolphins had been with me most of the day, but I suspected the dark body slipping below my boat now was no friend. Black, ominous clouds began amassing in the northern sky, growing mushroom-like with the increasing, cold-blowing wind. 

For the first time, I realized I could be in danger. I had been cavalier in my assumption that everything would stay static. At the same time, I don't recommend living life in a bubble. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Storms, sharks, waves...they're part and parcel of life. It's the calm seasons that are the irregular parts. If our goal is to only live in the placid sea, we could die a slow death of complacency. The tides around us will simply wash us where they will. Better to brave the unknown and the difficult, to muster forward (even feebly) than to go along with the whims of the waves around us. 

I'm not talking about the ocean, really. I'm talking about us and our peers, our society. We have one life, one shot, despite what some say. It behooves us to live, to really live, and to seek the truth. Lap up all the beauty of creation and the moments before us, while paying attention to all our surroundings with an eye to question the ever-changing opinions of our culture. With that one life is one eternity. There is a lighthouse and an anchor who holds it all in His hands. See the light -- it's beaming from the shore.