Lightning Without Thunder in a week of Turbulent Change

Coffee cups dried in the dishwasher as I collapsed in bed. Tired from another day of vacation, I almost forgot to take out my contacts, use my inhaler, brush my teeth, and insert my dental night guard. If I'd ignored part of my nightly ritual, I would have stayed in bed. But I'd forgotten the whole thing.

So I walked to the bathroom and glimpsed lightning through the window.

Intrigued, I finished my routine and opened the sliding glass door in our room that led to the porch balcony. As ocean waves beckoned me to savor the night sky, a storm raged near the horizon.

Clouds lit up like giant marshmallows. Lightning bolts streaked through the darkness and straight into the water, connecting the heavens to earth.

The display went on for quite a while and in time I realized I hadn't heard one thunderous response. Not. One. My intrigue grew since I couldn't remember ever enjoying a God sponsored fireworks display without a ground shaking soundtrack.

Rationale knew I was simply too far from the storm to hear nature's sound effects. But it just didn't seem that far away. So I leaned on the metal porch rails a little longer and relished the lightning show, lulled by ocean waves.

While I ignored national news more than normal this week, I saw images of people like you and me stretched across the Ravenal Bridge outside Charleston, SC. Their display of holy unity defied logic. Even Rudy Giuliani couldn't explain it.

After months of national riots in response to lost lives, offers of forgiveness took the thunder out of a sick young man's murderous lightning strike that was intended to spiral a community into dissent. Hate bred love. The unforgivable was forgiven. And believe me, it took far more courage for the grieving to speak that forgiveness than for the broken, depraved man to take nine lives.

Love. Forgiveness. Courage. Together, they quieted any thought of a violent response and spoke volumes across the world about what true faith in Jesus Christ is all about.

So I have to ask: Do you need to forgive someone today? Is it time? Can you write a note? Speak it out loud? Ask God to help you take a step towards letting go of a long held offense? Can you stop an internal thunderous response from reverberating one more second?

There's a lot of change going on in our world right now. And I don't agree with it all. Not even close. Which is why living the gospel in the most challenging of circumstances is more imperative now than ever.

So go make a difference for Jesus today. Sow redemptive love in the confines of your home, your work place, and your circle of influence. If you want to honor the nine who died, and make the Gospel look alive, purpose to reach one person every day with the love Jesus died for us to know.

Reverberate with that love; reach out with forgiveness; and live with the courage to speak up for what you believe.

None of that easy. In fact, it's much harder than replacing flags and rewriting the constitution. But the impact of living out the Gospel will make the changes the government continues to try to regulate but that can only come from a divine touch of Jesus in our souls.

It matters now more than ever. Look someone you disagree with in the eye and smile. Stand for what you believe with the love that set you free.