How many lighthouses do you see?
You’ve probably heard the saying, “We plan and God laughs.” Proverbs 16 says it’s human nature to want to plan our future, and I talk a lot about planning because planning is important. But even the most thoughtful, well-considered plans go awry—sometimes that’s good, and sometimes it isn’t.
How do we plan for what we can’t plan for?
How do we plan for the untimely death of a spouse? How do we plan for a divorce we didn’t see coming? How do we plan for blending two families when we thought one would be all we had? How do we plan for an unexpected pregnancy?
The reality is that we can’t plan for every contingency. So how do we make wise decisions that will help us deal with those life events—good and bad—that we didn’t anticipate?
My friend Ron Warren, founder of Torah Life Ministry, explains that in the story of the three lighthouses. I have used these lighthouses in my own life many times and I believe they can help you too.
There is a narrow cove on the Italian seashore where ships come in. In a straight line on the land side are three lighthouses; in the water are three buoys.
The reason for this precision placement is this: For a ship to safely enter the cove during the day, the captain must see only one buoy. For a ship to safely enter the cove at night, the captain must see only one lighthouse. If he sees two or three buoys or two or three lighthouses, he’s going to hit the rocks.
Our three lighthouses are:
- The spirit of God
- The Word of God
- The circumstances
To avoid hitting the rocks, we must line up the lighthouse of our feelings (spirit) with peace; the lighthouse of the Word of God with its context; and the lighthouse of our circumstances with godly counsel.
When our three lighthouses are lined up so perfectly that we can only see one, we can safely navigate the most dangerous and unexpected waters.
Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6, ESV)
The questions I posed at the beginning of this article are part of the lighthouse of circumstances. They can be managed with practical steps that include estate planning, asset protection, and other wealth management strategies.
But that won’t be enough to keep you off the rocks when something you couldn’t or didn’t plan for happens. That’s why we take a holistic approach to wealth management—your material assets are important, but there’s so much more to life than that. If I can help you line up your lighthouses, you’ll have a plan for everything, from the small to the monumental, from the predicted to the unforeseen.
Are you at peace with your plan? Do you know the Word of God? Do you have a sacred circle of godly counsel to help you with whatever circumstances may arise?
If not, let’s talk and see if we are a good fit to help get your lighthouses in order.
