Exmouth has a lighthouse. It sits up on a hill, providing a warning for ships that stray near the Ningaloo reef that runs for hundreds of miles along the western Australia coast. With bright sun and a quiet sky, it was hard to imagine what it would be like when it was needed. The view on a clear day was endless. The gentle seas, landscape, and soothing breeze hid the dangers that are always present. As we arrived at the peak, there were two steel skeletons to remind one that life is always as calm as it was today.
The two structures were what remained of a radio tower. The first was a short steel structure. There were no signs warning you not to climb on it. To me, the plaque said enough. In 1943 the Japanese bombed this site. It seems that the tower survived that attack. However, a cyclone that came along in 1945 to do what the bombs failed to do.
As I looked out across the horizon, I realized that certain truths were evident of you were looking for them. Life in the moment seemed to be hiding them, yet the signs and messages were there. Even the fence that protected the innocent from the cliff was lying partially flat. It was part of the truths that one might not notice unless one was aware.
The world is not always what it seems. Today’s calm can step aside to the onslaught of cyclones. What appears idyllic can turn ugly.
The gentleness of a people found in an isolated part of a remote land does not automatically extend to everyone one might meet. Individuals and communities can be as destructive as cyclones.
There are beginnings and histories to all people and lands. They may appear endless, yet they do have a beginning. Some had said, “there is only one Master—Jesus the Messiah—and that everything is for his sake, including us. Yes. It’s true.” (1 Corinthians 8.6) One may not see them today, yet the quest to know is a worthwhile one.
