1. A squared-off log or a large, oblong piece of timber, metal, or stone used especially as a horizontal support in construction. A nautical term – A transverse structural member of a ship’s frame, used to support a deck and to brace the sides against stress.
2. A ray or shaft of light; To radiate light; shine.
3. To smile expansively.
This little word – beam – represents Safe Harbor so well. First tadalafil online of all, it’s a nautical term (see what we did there?). Notice that the nautical/construction version of the word is especially associated with horizontal support – something that we can easily use as a metaphor for the way we support one another and heal in the context of community and family. One-another-ing each other back together again.
Then, for heaven’s sake, the word beam is also defined as “a ray or shaft of light; to radiate light; shine.” So, there’s THAT. What a wonderful description of our Safe Harbor mission – empowering women toward wholeness and equipping them for quality living. We cannot accomplish this mission without the light of the Kingdom, the love of Christ beaming, radiating, shining through us and destroying darkness. On behalf of our Safe
Harbor residents, we essentially glow in the dark! This beaming is our privilege and our mandate.
In the book of Isaiah, chapter 58, God challenges His people to pursue true worship, informing them (and us) to break the chains of injustice, free the oppressed, get rid of exploitation, express generosity, feed the hungry, cloth the poor, invite the homeless and poor into our homes, and simply be available to those who are in need.
Along with these commands, there are precious promises:
Do this and the lights will turn on, Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.
(adapted from Isaiah 58, The Message)
And then there’s the smiling. The third definition of the word “beam” is to smile expansively. Many people may wonder how in the world we could be such a happy crew. We are fighting some of the biggest “Goliaths” in our culture – substance abuse and trauma, sex-trafficking, homelessness, domestic violence, childhood sexual abuse, to name a few. However, many people will testify to this truth – the joy of the Lord is our strength. And like many others, we have found that joy in the midst of suffering and in the midst of darkness. Because this is the good news. This is the poem, the masterpiece, the grand story that God is telling – that He makes all things new. Because nothing is impossible. Because hope springs eternal, and smells and tastes so great when it’s unexpected. So, we find ourselves smiling. A lot. Beaming.
Amy Willmann
Executive Director
Safe Harbor House