They mark the night with their white-yellow glow. Some beckon. Some warn. Some burn to protect those on the inside from the shadows that lurk on the edges of the darkness.
For some their porch lights shine like the star of hope against a cobalt sky. They bathe the night with their light and wash the sleeping home with quiet. All is well. All is bright.
Here are a handful of porch lights that will never go out. They can’t. They went on the one evening when that son or daughter stormed out into the thickness and blackness of the cold. The door slammed. The feet pounded across the wooden planks of the porch and then disappeared beyond the light’s half circle.
It’s been a long time. For some, months. Others, years. There are a few who have put a decade of running between them and that porch light. The prayers on the inside haven’t stopped. The hope might have fainted and faltered a few times, but it’ still there.
That’s why the light still burns… and will keep burning. It’s a God thing. It’s a Redeemer thing. Grace-based homes are not hoes without sin or regrets. They are just homes where, no matter what, you can’t be written off. They are homes where young and restless hearts are free to be different, vulnerable, and candid. They’re allowed to make mistakes. Huge ones sometimes. But because grace is inside, the front porch light will always glow outside.
Regardless of why they left, they can always come back Regardless of where they went, they can always come home. And regardless of what they did, they can always come in. Tim Kimmel
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