Bluster or Bite?

​It is thunderstorm season here in Florida.  During thunderstorm season, weather.com and all affiliates predict the time of day storms will be in the area bringing thunder, lightening and rain.  Here is the problem:  those predictions are wrong more often than they are correct.  They predict storms beginning at 11:00 AM and blue skies prevail; the storms will begin at 5:45 PM and all-afternoon thunderstorms begin at 1:30 PM lasting to 8:00 PM; or storms will begin at 11:00 AM lasting until 3:00 PM and, although there are grey skies, nothing happens.  The forecast for nearly every day this time of year includes heat, humidity, and thunderstorms.  I dislike the storms because rain or no rain, thunder and lightening in the area close the swimming pool.  On the other hand, watching the dark-rimmed clouds and lightening from the protection of the screen porch is infinitely entertaining, especially the storms with lots of bluster and no bite (rain).         
 
Storms with brilliant lightening, rolling thunder and no rain remind me of folks who loudly proclaim they are Christians, i.e. decals on car windows (bumper stickers are passé); t-shirts proclaiming John 3:16; an open Bible on the table at the local coffee shop; holding up the John 3:16 sign at a football game,  you get the idea, with horns blaring and rude gestures to the driver in the next lane; calling inappropriate slogans to anyone with conflicting ideas; budging the line; shorting the waitstaff their tip; screaming invectives at the officiating crew; and other such actions.  Yike!  Jesus calls us to love. In Matthew 5 Jesus says ‘“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”’    1 John 2  tells us ‘ 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[b] is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[c] lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.’       
 
The bluster we make in the world, flashy slogans or crashing noise, is just that – bluster.  To make a difference in the world, take a bite out of the evil surrounding us, we must be agents of love to our brothers and sisters, to those who look like us and those who don’t, those who speak our language and those whose words we do not understand, to those with like ideologies and those with whom we totally disagree.  In other words, we are called to love.
 
When we see the lightening and hear the thunder, watch the approaching storm, it may never come.  When we are tempted to display our Christianity with signs and slogan, repent!  As God loves the world, as Jesus exemplified love, show your Christianity by offering the hand of love to everyone you meet; and with God’s help, I will do the same.