August contribution by Larry Whiston Sr.
The night was exceptionally dark, and I was alone on the forward lookout. It was my maiden voyage as a Seaman in the United States Navy. Our ship (USS Fanning - Destroyer Escort 1076) was rather small compared to other ships. Still, to me it was rather huge and intimidating.
Our entire crew was already on edge due to the tremendous battle we fought with a recent typhoon. We had been running from a tremendous downpour for many hundreds of miles before the typhoon came within twenty-five miles of our ship. At such close range, the waves were higher than our eyes had the capacity to see, although it looked like one could reach out and touch the water with their hand. Our ship was as a tinker-toy caught out in the ocean, unquestionably at the mercy of God. It stood to reason that we were all exceptionally vigilant that night, watching for any form of debris which could damage our ship. I was surprised that after a storm of such magnitude the water was calm, resembling much like a sheet of glass, and the sky was extremely dark; so dark in fact, I was unable to see my hand which was a mere six inches away from my face!
As I looked out into the darkness, a strange phenomenon occurred that was to prepare me for the difficulties of the numerous paths I would have to follow for many years to come. The entire sky was unexpectedly illuminated, and I could see the silhouette of another ship out on the horizon. As Forward Lookout, it was my job to report any such sightings to the Bridge; having done so, the Officer of the Deck on the bridge sent a runner to wake up our Captain, who then made his way to the bridge, and eventually made contact with the Captain of the other ship. What happened next was to the amazement, and sheer delight of everyone present.
Our entire crew was already on edge due to the tremendous battle we fought with a recent typhoon. We had been running from a tremendous downpour for many hundreds of miles before the typhoon came within twenty-five miles of our ship. At such close range, the waves were higher than our eyes had the capacity to see, although it looked like one could reach out and touch the water with their hand. Our ship was as a tinker-toy caught out in the ocean, unquestionably at the mercy of God. It stood to reason that we were all exceptionally vigilant that night, watching for any form of debris which could damage our ship. I was surprised that after a storm of such magnitude the water was calm, resembling much like a sheet of glass, and the sky was extremely dark; so dark in fact, I was unable to see my hand which was a mere six inches away from my face!
As I looked out into the darkness, a strange phenomenon occurred that was to prepare me for the difficulties of the numerous paths I would have to follow for many years to come. The entire sky was unexpectedly illuminated, and I could see the silhouette of another ship out on the horizon. As Forward Lookout, it was my job to report any such sightings to the Bridge; having done so, the Officer of the Deck on the bridge sent a runner to wake up our Captain, who then made his way to the bridge, and eventually made contact with the Captain of the other ship. What happened next was to the amazement, and sheer delight of everyone present.
When our Captain made contact with the other ship’s Captain, we discovered that the other ship was over fifty miles away. The light, which had illuminated the entire sky for over fifty miles in such commanding darkness, was none other than a match from a sailor on board the other ship, who had stopped to light a cigarette!
As I have walked, and sometimes staggered through the twists and turns along my journeys through life, I have faced many perilous and confusing times. There have been obstacles surrounding me that could have caused me, and others all around me severe wounding; at times my eyes have seemed blinded by the fog, and by the darkness all around me; just like that night back in the Navy, when the darkness was so fiercely threatening and imposing. I often consider how small I feel in the vantage of how large the opposition appears to be, and how inadequate I know I am in the spectrum of the challenges which lay before me. In such times, I could easily fade away into the darkness, avoiding the battle, hiding from the conflict, surrendering in utter disgrace and ultimate defeat.
I could; but I don’t, Because God has given me a very special lesson from one of the darkest nights of my life. A lesson I needed to carry me through my toughest battles today and tomorrow. A lesson I have shared with others, and they too have found comfort and strength from its riches. It is the lesson of one little light, which dared to shine in the midst of a dark and dreary night at sea.
Today when others ask me if I truly believe that a little good will make a real difference in this world, I smile. I smile because deep within the core of who I am, I remember the power of that one little light piercing right through the darkness. I smile because I know beyond all doubt how a little light, in the form of good, can pierce through the darkness that steps into our lives from time to time. How valuable is an unexpected smile? How precious is a caring, encouraging word? How significant is an act of kindness, not only to the one receiving it, but to others who witness it? I believe in our world today, it is as priceless as that one little light shining so brightly on the darkest night of my life!
"He will give light to those who live in the dark and in death's shadow. He will guide us into the way of peace." Luke 1:79 (GW)
"The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it." John 1:5 (GW)
"I am the light that has come into the world so that everyone who believes in me will not live in the dark." John 12:46 (GW)
"Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light." Ephesians 5:8 (GW)
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