Block Island Southeast Light, Rhode Island
“What is it, Mr. Hart?”
“Captain, sir, there’s a white light ahead.”
“Let me see that telescope.” The captain of the steamship Destiny took the instrument from his first mate and peered through. Although difficult to see, occasional shifts in the dense fog revealed a glimpse of a light in the distance.
“What do you think it is, sir? Another ship?”
“More than likely. Can you see which direction it’s going?”
“No sir. It appears to be straight ahead, but it’s hard to get a good sighting in this fog.”
“Well, keep an eye on it.”
“But sir, what if it’s not a ship, but a lighthouse?”
The captain shook his head. “Based on my calculations, we shouldn’t be anywhere near shore. We’ve been heading north to Boston since we left Virginia.”
“Sir, I don’t mean to argue, but what if we’re off course?”
“Listen, young man. I’ve captained many ships in my day and haven’t lost a one. I know what I’m doing. Go ahead and send a signal to that other ship.”
Mr. Hart nodded and complied with the captain’s wishes by swinging the ship’s lantern in a wide arc. There was no response from the distant light.
“Sir, I cannot see a reply.”
“Fools! They must not know who they’re dealing with. We’ll continue on course. No doubt we’re the larger ship, so that ship will just have to change its course.”
“But Captain, what if it’s really a lighthouse?”
“Nonsense. I know every lighthouse along the Eastern Seaboard, and I’m sure we’re not heading towards one!”
When the fog lifted the next morning, the Destiny lay crushed among the rocks beneath the Block Island Lighthouse. There were no survivors.
Many people think about God the same way the captain thought. He was certain he was right and denied the possibility that he was wrong, that the other light could indeed be a lighthouse. He chose to continue going the direction he was and ignored the warnings he was given. So you say there is no God?
What if you’re wrong?
“There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end, it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12
photo courtesy Jeremy D'Entremont @ http://lighthouse.cc/
Wow. That’s powerful. Was this a historical event?
Thanks. No, it’s not an actual event, but there were two large shipwrecks relatively close together, one in fog, at that spot, and one was going from Virginia to Boston. Since no one knows exactly why the ships ran aground with the lighthouse there, I just imagined the perspective of one of the captains. I do know that that particular light was changed from a fixed white light to a flashing green light some years later to distinguish it from other lights in the area. Some there’s some historical facts mixed together, which is why I write fiction:)