“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1John 1:6-7, NIV2)

There is something wrong when a light turns dark. In a typical light bulb, this indicates that a wire has become loose, and when this happens, the light bulb becomes completely useless.

When the light of our soul turns dark, we can be assured that something is extremely wrong as well. We have somehow ruptured our relationship with the source of real Light.

The same is true when a lighthouse keeper stops tending the beacon atop his light station. Imagine how many shipwrecks this would cause! The lighthouse keeper would have become completely unreliable.

Does this ever happen?

Absolutely. On June 8, 1908, someone discovered a body in a lighthouse boat that had washed ashore. Edward Morrison was the victim, the assistant lighthouse keeper of the Grand Island Old North Light on Lake Superior. It took days to identify him, for he was completely disfigured.

When the investigation was under its way, it was discovered that the lighthouse keeper, George Henry, had also disappeared. There was no one manning the lighthouse any longer!

A second boat was also found to be missing from the lighthouse station, and this same boat was later discovered moored to a pier near Muniseng, Michigan. Unfortunately, George Henry was never seen again. It was assumed he killed his assistant for whatever reason and ran away to avoid imprisonment. The lighthouse keeper had turned dark, never to shine again. This is what happens when light turns dark. It becomes completely useless.

Still, I wonder why anyone would want to turn dark, when we have a Heavenly Father who is so eager to forgive us?

We were destined to shine forth God’s Light amidst those who don’t even know what light is. Shining is way more fulfilling that turning dark!

“Where am I? I can’t see anything!” Is truly unpleasant!

Rob Chaffart

(To access the entire “Little Light of Mine” devotional series, please click here.)