A friend of mine is currently experiencing what they are calling:
“The worst month of my life.”
Big storms have been moving through our area, and my friend is living a parallel life. Not everyone loves a good thunderstorm because too often we forget:
Light comes before sound.
Lightning strikes first. Then comes the noise.
For my friend, lightning has already struck. The changes are done, and I am super proud of them. Sadly, my friend is surrounded by people who have somehow confused the order of light and sound. Instead of supporting and celebrating the changes, they are gossiping and commenting.
When someone is struggling, we create far too much thunderous noise. We explain, advise, and talk, talk, talk. There is no shortage of opinions in this world. Well-meaning friends offer well-meaning commentary. People love to talk about what someone else should think, feel, and do. It’s just noise.
Struggle isn’t a problem to solve. It’s a storm to move through.
Storms can be powerful catalysts for change. People who are struggling don’t need more advice. They need more light.
Yes, the thunder is loud and grabs everyone’s attention. But the light does the work. Lightning helps transform nitrogen in the atmosphere into forms that rain can carry back to earth to fertilize the land.
It fertilizes the soil so life can grow.
Struggle and change can work the same way. What feels destructive can sometimes create the conditions for something new to grow.
There is a reason light moves faster than sound. A flash of lightning brings cleansing, inspiration, growth, and clarity.
The lightning is the change. Gossip is the thunderous ripple effect of change.
My brave friend is a shining example of light and sound. Within the worst month of their life, they made major (and probably overdue) changes. As a ripple effect, they are now the talk of the town. Their life has been transformed, and people can’t stop talking.
The fertilizer has hit the fan, and the mess is exactly what was needed.
My friend has been changed. They no longer have time for anything that isn’t light. Decisions have been made. Boundaries have been set. Their life has been cleansed. The change inside of them is done. All that remains is the thunderous talk.
Just like thunder, the rumblings are meaningless to the change itself. Thunder doesn’t cause the lightning. It simply announces what has already happened.
Gossip is the same. It’s the ripple effect of positive changes often arriving in the packaging of destruction.
The sound carries the message. The light carries the meaning.
The most powerful change happens quietly. Lightning strikes first. Change happens long before anyone becomes the talk of the town.
Struggle is the storm.
Thunder is the announcement.
Lightning triggers transformation.
Storms move through everyone’s life. Change is much easier when we remember:
Light comes before sound.
