LIGHTHOUSE PRINCIPLES
Lighting the Way in Challenging Relationships
By Kathy Truman

Built with a singular purpose across the world, the lighthouse has one job…to remain standing in its place and light the way. Its very design is not only to be firm and steadfast but to endure the hottest of still summer days and the torrent of the most violent winter storms.
In a most unexpected way, the lighthouse has taken on another tremendously important role. It has become a symbol of the human journey. As the sailor seeks out the lighthouse to guide his or her ship safely in the storm, so do we seek out those whose light and character are bright and immovable when our lives face change? The lighthouse has become a symbol of safety, a beacon warning of danger in the face of adversity.
Navigating a true and steady course in relationships is the stuff of maritime legend. We, along with our loved ones, get to actually exercise our agency to choose our paths. In that choosing, what if those whom we care for lose their course, their direction, their will to continue? What if some of them have actually become shipwrecked? Do we resign ourselves to thinking that all is lost? What do we do now?
Come with me as we discover together what a humble lighthouse can teach us about ‘lighting the way’ in our relationships.
LESSONS FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE
- To withstand the storms, stand on the ‘Rock.’
- You are of no help if you are also drowning in the sea.
- Sailors cannot be forced to row and you are not their oar.
- A bright light within is needed to guide them.
- Warn of danger, but do not control.
- Light their way home…