When I decided I wanted a lighthouse in our yard, I had no idea it would turn into a major project for Donn. I thought finding a solar lighthouse would be the most difficult task, after which we would buy it and set it up in our front yard… period!

Then we remembered that the “Plum Street Pig” our neighbors had placed in front of their house had disappeared one night during a neighborhood barbeque. We knew we needed to take measures to protect our new lawn ornament so it wouldn’t meet with the same fate.

A wide stump in our front yard sat in what I believed to be the perfect spot for the lighthouse. I was sure the stump could be hollowed out and the lighthouse somehow secured there. However, I was a little foggy on the details of how it could be done! The hollowing out process was a little trickier than I had imagined, but Donn found a way.

After that, I thought we could pour cement into the stump and then set the lighthouse into the cement while it was still wet. Donn wasn’t impressed by my idea. So he tried pouring cement into the stump and then screwing the lighthouse base into it after the cement had dried. It didn’t work. The cement crumbled and wouldn’t have deterred anyone from taking our light.

Before his next attempt, Donn looked for instructions online. This time, he allowed the cement to cure for two weeks before attempting to secure the base. It worked, and we finally had peace that our light would not be stolen.

Since our lighthouse is symbolic of our being a light in our neighborhood, I wondered if there wasn’t also something symbolic about our need to protect our light. Most Christians acknowledge that we have an enemy, and I Peter 5:8 tells us that Satan goes around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He loves to ‘steal our light’ by ruining our witness, whether in our community or on a broader scale.

Just as lighthouse keepers are given the monumental task of tending and caring for the light, so we too must be responsible for tending and caring for our lights. A lighthouse without a light is of little use to anyone, just as a Christian whose light has been extinguished is of little use to a world lost in darkness. We must be alert and on guard to keep our lights burning brightly by remaining filled with God’s Spirit, avoiding compromising situations, and asking God to protect us from the enemy of our souls.