Day 7 of the great freeze of 2026. We’ve ate the soups, burned the fireplaces, read the books, cleaned the closets, took the naps and binged on Netflix. There’s been no school, no church, no banks, no postal service, no work, no travel. Married couples found out what “For better or worse” really encompassed by being trapped in their houses together 24 hours a day with the kids. We’ve rotated through all our best Walmart wardrobe (pajamas) rarely putting on a real pair of pants for days.
And then the sun came out. Finally, yesterday some real melting started to happen. I managed to get my wife’s car broken free from the ice that had held it captive for the last 6 days and we decided to venture into town for something to eat other than the stews, soups and snacks we had lived on for almost a week. I shaved for the first time in days, squeezed into a pair of jeans, (I was amazed at how much they had shrunken in the last 6 days) and headed out into the big wide world.
I soon found out that 4”-6” inches of ice with snow on top that has sat in the sun all day and has had no vehicles on it turns into a winter concoction that’s hard to describe. Ice? Yes. Snow? Yes. Slush? Yes. Vehicle sinking and getting buried quickly? Yes. About 50 feet from our driveway, as my tires spun and we didn’t move, I was beginning to question my life choices. But the lure of fried catfish was strong and with my exceptional driving skills (just ask my wife) I got us unstuck and we bounced our way into town.
They say we have another day above freezing today, then another cold snap tonight and tomorrow keeping us below freezing, but then we are forecast to head into February beginning to thaw out a little. And I think most of us are ready.
Life can often be like Texas weather. One moment enjoying the sunshine, the next running from the rain. One moment standing in the warmth the next moment shivering in the cold. Clear skies to cloudy, calm to storm we just never know. Life is full of unpredictable.
That’s why we need an anchor. Something solid, unchanging, unshakable, firm. Something we can count on through all the ups, downs, joys and sorrows of this life. There is such an anchor. A place of refuge and rest for the weary, comfort for the broken hearted, stability for the shaken. It’s in Jesus Christ. The author of the book of Hebrews tells us:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
(Hebrews 13:8)
There is a story about a preacher that was visiting a farmer one time and as they stood outside the barn talking the preacher looked up and saw a weathervane on the roof of the barn. It was ornately carved and said, “God is Love” The preacher looked at the farmer and said, “I’m not sure I like your weathervane. It seems you’re saying that God’s love changes every time the wind blows.” The farmer chuckled, “Well, you’re missing the whole point preacher. It’s not that God’s love changes, it’s that no matter where the wind is blowing from or how hard, God’s love is always there.”
How true that is. No matter what’s blowing through your life, God’s love is always there, and God is always there. As the author of Hebrews also reminds us:
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
(Hebrews 6:19)
And Jesus Himself said:
Matt 7:24-25
"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
(Matthew 7:24-26)
Storms come and go. As I write this this morning, I’ve just watched the sun rise out of my office window over a frozen tundra. Our yard and field are still covered with several inches of ice and snow. As inconvenient as it is it’s also beautiful. And in the middle of all that snow and ice is our swimming pool. I won’t be diving in it anytime soon, but I’m confident that there will come a day when I’ll be floating in the sunshine in it again.
If Jesus Christ is your foundation, your anchor, your rock, you will always come out in the sunshine no matter what happens in this life.
“For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.”
(Psalm 27:5)
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