He had taken his small ship out to fish earlier that morning. He had been having good luck too, and by noon, his barrels and nets were full. While his attention was on his work however, he failed to notice the gathering black clouds, and how far he had drifted from the shore.
Now the black clouds had become a raging Storm. Its fierce winds and crashing waves rock the ship to and fro, threatening to sink it. At first the Captain assumed he could withstand, that he could weather the Storm. But after a few hours, his strength is failing him, his ship is taking a beating, and the Storm is only growing stronger.
At last he decides to head for the Harbor. He looks and looks, but in every direction there is just darkness. The low hanging clouds block any light from above, and the crashing waves obscure the view of the horizon.
But then, between two rolling waves, he thinks he sees something on the horizon. A pair of gleaming lights. They appears for just a second, then they're gone. The Captain hesitates, then turns the ship toward the direction of the lights. Had he really seen it? How could he know he was going in the right direction?
During the next grueling hour of navigating the wind-tossed sea, he sees that gleaming light again. His confidence begins to grow. It must be the Lower Lights that mark the Harbor. As he gets closer and closer, the low hanging clouds clear out for him to see, at last, the shining beam of the Lighthouse. Of course it's light had been shining throughout the storm, but because of the great distance The captain had but between himself and the Lighthouse, he simply couldn't see it.
He makes it through into the Harbor at last, and ties his battered ship to the dock. As he steps onto solid ground, he falls to his knees in gratitude for both the Lighthouse and the Lower Lights which guided him to safety.
Many of us have been in the same situation as the Captain. We leave the safety of the Harbor of the gospel in order to seek after worldly treasures. We often don't intend to go afar off, but as we get wrapped up in our quest we may not notice the distance we put between ourselves and God. God's love toward us is ever shining, just like the Lighthouse, but because of the Storms of life and the situation we put ourselves in, we often fail to see it.
Often times it takes another to show us the way back. Our friends, family, or others that desire our safety can direct us home. Like the Lower Lights that mark the entrance to the Harbor, their love for us may not shine as bright as God's, but as we seek after their love and their example, it can bring us back in view of God's love.
