After the Storm

What a relief. The storm has passed, and we are safe.

Isn't it amazing how much more you appreciate the simplest things after you've been through a storm? The sun glistening over the yard, the gentle breeze blowing through the trees, the birds singing as though nothing ever happened. Even the quiet feels different. There's just something about that first peaceful morning when you realize the worst is behind you.

And I thank God.

Of course, not everyone comes through a storm untouched. Some people are facing tremendous loss, and while we're enjoying the return of sunshine and calm, others are just beginning the exhausting process of cleaning up and rebuilding.

But even in the aftermath, there is hope.

We salvage what we can. We pick up the broken pieces. We repair what can be repaired, and sometimes we have to start completely over. If the foundation held, we rebuild on it. If it didn't, we have to dig a little deeper and create something stronger than what was there before.

And isn't life just like that?

We go through seasons when everything seems to be going beautifully, and then something happens that knocks us completely off course. A relationship falls apart. We lose someone we love. Our health changes. Financial troubles appear. Or life simply doesn't turn out the way we had planned.

Sometimes we can repair the damage and move forward. Other times, we're left staring at what used to be, wondering how in the world we're supposed to begin again. I am weary. Sometimes this is daunting.

But here's something I've come to appreciate more and more as I've gotten older.

Every new day is another opportunity.

Not necessarily to get back what we lost, because some things can never be replaced. But to grow, to learn, to change direction, and maybe even to become better people because of what we've experienced.

And thank goodness God is so generous with second chances, because I don't know about you, but I've needed more than anyone's fair share. 😊

Actually, the more I think about it, the more amazed I am at how much grace we're given.

We make mistakes. We get distracted. We become impatient, selfish, judgmental, or just plain hardheaded. We know better, and yet we do it anyway. We have history books filled with lessons from people who came before us, and we have the Bible offering wisdom about how to live, love, forgive, and treat one another.

And somehow, we still manage to make some of the same mistakes over and over again.

You'd think we'd have figured a few more things out by now.

But God keeps giving us opportunities to get it right.

He offers forgiveness. He extends mercy. He gives us grace we could never earn on our own.

Which brings me to something I've been thinking about.

If God gives us so much grace, why are we so stingy about giving it to each other?

Why does it sometimes take a hurricane, a tragedy, or some other terrible event to remind us that we're all human beings who need one another? And most of all, we all need the grace of one another.

Think about what happens after a natural disaster. Neighbors who may have barely spoken before are suddenly helping each other clear debris. People share generators, food, water, and whatever else they have. Strangers show up with chainsaws and helping hands. Churches and communities come together to feed people, provide shelter, and help families who have lost everything. Even my company offers KW Cares to provide resources that we may otherwise not have access to, in times of trouble, to help our own families recover from situations like these. We should all be grateful to serve others in their times of need.

Nobody stops to ask who somebody voted for before helping them move a fallen tree.

Nobody cares whether the family down the street has the same opinions they do when they're standing in knee-deep water trying to salvage their belongings.

At least, that's how it ought to be.

For a little while, we seem to remember what matters.

People. Service. Love.

Not winning arguments. Not proving we're better than somebody else. Not keeping score of every wrong we've ever experienced.

Just people helping people.

And I can't help but wonder why we don't live that way all the time. I mean, don't you feel better when you have helped someone that could not do something for themself? Like, what a blessing that I was able to be of service to another. It gives you a sense that you really do matter. Don't you get a peace when giving that you don't feel when you only receive?

Jesus didn't tell us to love one another only when things were going well, or when somebody agreed with us, or when they had earned our approval.

He told us to love one another.

Period.

And when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone, Jesus answered with seventy times seven. I don't believe He was suggesting we keep a little notebook and stop forgiving when we reach number 491. 😊 Goodness knows, God has a longer list than that by 700x700 times on me!

He was teaching us something about the extraordinary grace we are called to extend.

Now, don't misunderstand me. Grace doesn't mean allowing someone to continually hurt you. Forgiveness doesn't mean pretending that wrongs don't matter or that people shouldn't be held accountable.

But it does mean remembering that none of us is perfect.

Not one of us.

We all need mercy. We all need forgiveness. And we all need someone willing to help us pick up the pieces when life knocks us down.

Sometimes I wonder whether the storms we experience are those reminders of just how much we need God and one another. I don't pretend to understand why every tragedy happens, and I certainly don't believe every terrible event is something God sends to teach us a lesson.

But I do believe He can work through even the most difficult circumstances to bring out something good.

I've seen it happen.

I've seen people who were struggling themselves become the first ones to help somebody else. I've seen communities come together in ways that would never have happened otherwise. And I've seen people discover strength, compassion, and faith they didn't even realize they had.

What if we didn't wait for the next storm to become those people?

What if we offered grace before somebody had to beg for it? What if we checked on our neighbors before they needed rescuing? What if we forgave a little more freely, judged a little less quickly, and looked for opportunities to serve people simply because they needed us?

Imagine what our communities might look like if the love we show after a disaster became the way we lived every ordinary day.

Because storms will come. Some will be hurricanes, and others will be the personal battles nobody else can see.

Some damage will be repaired. Some losses will change us forever. And sometimes rebuilding will take far longer than we ever imagined.

But we don't have to wait until everything falls apart to begin doing better.

God has given us today.

Another opportunity to love. To forgive. To serve. To rebuild something that has been broken. To strengthen the foundations of our faith and our relationships.

And maybe that's one of the greatest lessons we can take from the aftermath of a storm.

We shouldn't need a disaster to remind us how to love one another.

So as the skies clear and life begins returning to normal, I hope we don't leave behind the compassion, generosity, and kindness that showed up when we needed them most.

Because the greatest thing we can rebuild after a storm might not be our homes, our businesses, or even our communities.

It is assuredly how we treat one another. In every day ahead. In every circumstance. Think about unconditional love for each other.

And wouldn't it be wonderful if that was something we never had to rebuild again? 😊