Lighthouses line the shores of the coast and are strategically constructed in places where rocks would pose a danger to incoming vessels if left hidden in the dark. Ships are therefore able to safely navigate the harbor thanks to the bright lights cast across the waters. The lighthouse towers are intentionally placed high enough for their light to illuminate the widest possible area, and lighthouses are also intentionally placed in locations that would be hopeless swamped in darkness and littered with unseen dangers if not for their presence. According to the gospel of Matthew, we are the light of the world. We are meant to shine from the hilltops to illuminate the dark valleys of despair in which our sojourners travel. Our lights are not to be hidden behind masks of pretense or walls of self-protection. The love, goodness, kindness, and peace we have obtained from surviving our own trek through dark valleys is bursting with compassion and desperate to help light the way for others. We know the pain of despair, and we know the joy of victory. We shine our light as a blessing to ensure the safety of others, in part, because we realize more dark valleys are in our own future, and then it will be another’s turn to shine the light of love for us.