Spiritual Sunday: Rain, Not Thunder by Jared Harding Wilson

by Jared Harding Wilson

“Raise your words, not voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.” — Rumi

I’ve been thinking a lot about this insight from Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet and scholar. Rumi’s world was one of massive upheaval, yet his writings consistently returned to themes of divine love, patience, and inner transformation. He understood a fundamental truth about human nature: volume does not equal power. Noise does not yield growth.

It is the quiet, persistent rain that brings life to the soil, not the roaring thunder.

In our modern world, we seem to have forgotten this. We live in a loud, reactive “cancel culture.” If someone makes us uncomfortable, if they have a complicated past, or if they make a wrong choice, the default reaction is often to write them off entirely. They get canceled, hated, rejected, or ignored. Too often, people are locked into the worst mistake they ever made, denied the room or the time to actually change—even after years and years have passed.

My wife and I have experienced our own share of family drama. Dear reader, I’m not sure if you ever have, but it can be incredibly difficult. It’s painful when the people closest to you resort to thunder instead of rain.

But I am learning—sometimes the hard way—that the answer isn’t to meet thunder with thunder. The answer is to learn how to love deeper. To speak kind words, to pray for others no matter what, and to give people the grace of time.

This requires becoming what President Russell M. Nelson called a true peacemaker. In his powerful address, Peacemakers Wanted, he reminded us:

“How we treat one another truly matters! How we speak to and about others at home, at church, at work, and online truly matters. Today, I am asking us to interact with others in a higher, holier way.”

Choosing that “higher, holier way” means resisting the urge to cancel or condemn. It means choosing patience over retaliation. As President Dallin H. Oaks has wisely observed regarding family relationships and disagreements:

“Follow the Savior’s teaching to love our enemies, to bless them that curse us, to do good to them that hate us, and to pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us… We should try to be creative and constructive in maintaining our relationships.”

It takes immense faith to stay creative and constructive when a relationship feels broken. It takes humility to realize that we, too, are works in progress who require the patience of others.

Time can heal wounds, but only if we fill that time with charity. I truly believe that love and patience have the power to heal broken hearts, broken families, and broken communities.

This week, let’s leave the thunder behind. Let’s try to be the rain.

In a world that loves to cancel, how can we do a better job of building bridges instead? Share your reflections below.