Journal of a Lighthouse Keeper, during the 1920's -
off the west coast of Australia
~~~~~
He cleans the stairs and re-paints constantly the wooden framework. He polishes the brass daily and cleans the lens.
It's a hard job, and a busy one.The days can leave him exhausted and sore, worried about the look of a storm front coming in at a gallop, or frustrated by the way hailstones crush the vegetable patch, or helpless as he sees ships headed into stormy seas.
But if he doesn't think about it too hard, he knows who he is and what he's there for.
He just has to keep the light burning. And the lens clean.
Nothing more.
"People imagine the light must be huge, but it's not-- the actual luminescence comes from a flame of vaporized oil that burns in an incandescent mantle. It gets magnified and directed through a giant set of glass prisms twelve feet high, called a first order Fresnel lens, which bends the light into a beam so intense you can see it more than thirty miles away. Amazing to think a little thing can become so strong that you can see it miles off.
"My job -- my job...it's to keep the lens clean."
A light must be seen.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
-- Matthew 5:14-16
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