It is no secret, I am not a fan of cold weather, but I do find a fresh snowfall rather enchanting. The untouched beauty of a Colorado snow gives me an almost adventurous inkling. Rarely, however, am I be willing to go out into the snowy tundra to romp around. I prefer to stay inside and admire it from the warmth of my home or office. I find many times our conversations follow a similar pattern. They can change and morph based on who is involved, and topics and depth can develop and deteriorate as quickly as a Colorado snowstorm. Some topics are more warm and comfortable like sports and weather, others more frigid like religion and politics. Even within the realm of those difficult topics, we will generally operate within the bounds of where we agree not willing to trudge into areas where we may have to defend or argue a position. As people of comfort, there are many times when we flee the chilly conversations of greater depth in order to find respite in topics that make us feel more warm and fuzzy. Now, put down your hot cocoa and put on your jacket, things are about to get chilly.

At the outset, I feel it necessary to qualify that there is nothing wrong with small talk. As with all things, it has its place. However, some of the toughest and most rewarding conversations I have experienced have come in the evening hours with a chill in the air as tougher concepts are wrestled through in the parking lot after church. I can distinctly remember many of these conversations, delving deeper into the struggles of life, the theological ponderings of curious minds, as we stand there shivering in the cold evenings. The weather demanded that we get to the point, not wasting words or time on the trivial. Between shivers and chattering teeth, the focus of our conversation intent on these grand issues. Yes, a jacket, gloves, and a scarf would help ease the sting of the chilly air, but that is not the type of jacket to which I am referring.

When it comes to our conversation, it is vital that we do not shirk the difficult things. We must be ready always to confront any form of difficulty. This means wearing a jacket. Not a physical jacket of course, but a preparation to step undaunted into the wintry issues at hand. One does not quite feel the bite of the cold unless they have known what warmth is. But when there is a task at hand, the cold must be endured, and the warmth of comfort must stand as a haven on the other side of the cold and not a place to flee toward. One can only endure the cold with the warmth they take with them, this is the jacket, the preparedness, the protection, and the peace.

The Preparedness 

There are ample passages of scripture which point to the necessity of preparation, perhaps none more familiar than the words penned by the apostle Peter, “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.” Against the backdrop of Rocky Mountain weather, this is a simple picture for us to grasp. There are mornings in mid-January that seem nice enough and yet out of nowhere a bomb cyclone can come in and dump a foot of snow in a matter of hours. Of course, a native sees a sixty-degree morning and wonders how much snow will come, but venturing out of the house with a jacket is the simplest of assumptions made when preparing for the day. When seeking to face the day of spiritual, emotional, and interpersonal encounters, we should be no less prepared. As Peter admonishes just prior to the aforementioned passage, “sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always…” we are to take the charge that being ready to face the challenges by first revering our Lord is a necessity. We can no more face the flurries of heresies and winds of doctrine without an abiding relationship with our Savior than we can withstand the blizzards of Colorado without proper winter gear.

This world is full of hostility. We can long for a day where the most serious debates are the identity of the author of Hebrews or whether or not Adam had a belly button; the fact of the matter is that today the forecast calls for mostly cloudy with a one hundred percent chance of abortion and this afternoon, expect very icy conditions when you use the wrong pronouns. Do not fear the storm, simply step out of your comfort expecting to shiver a little. Sanctify Christ as Lord in your heart and step into the snow. He has given you all things for life and godliness. You need not wait for the car to warm up, the snow to stop, or any other excuse you may conjure up. The time is fleeting and we must make progress while we can.

The Protection

In stepping out, there is a certain uncertainty. As when you set to shoveling a driveway, you first make one track, then another, and another, yet the biting cold begins to seep through your coat and gloves. Then, upon looking, the walk has only begun to be cleared, you are closer to the beginning than finishing and the portion you have already cleared, now has a dusting on it. It is at this moment you feel colder than ever. Will there ever be an end? For every positive article you post on Facebook or inspirational quote you put on Instagram, there seem to be hundreds more in contradiction to you. And when you make a stand in public, the opposition seems to come from everywhere seeking to dismantle your firm footing in the word of God.

Take heart in the presence of the opposition. The snowier the storm gets, the more glorious the clearing of the clouds will be. Our God makes precious promises to keep and preserve his saints. Peter, in his second epistle, says thus, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:5-8). Diligence, faith, virtue, et cetera are all a bundling up of our spiritual state. The addition of these things to our spiritual maturity puts us in a better position to face the cold. Think of this building of character as a thicker winter jacket, a top-of-the-line scarf, or the warmest gloves. The bundling up of your spiritual condition is not an avoidance of the cold in the world; rather, it is a statement to the world that you will not be deterred by the current weather and your confidence in the coming climate change. When you have the proper gear, you are not looking for an escape from the cold, you can put your hand to the task and know that the cold must only be endured a little while longer. Our hope is not in escape from Winter but in the promise of Spring.

The Peace

Even as I hesitate to go into the cold, it can be the same type of excuse I use to not engage in these tougher arenas of conversations. In view of this, I want to leave you with an exhortation and comfort. To reiterate, it is clear there is a chill in the air, these things are uncomfortable to us, but it is not our responsibility to change the weather. It is, however, our responsibility to properly engage with the culture in the most difficult spaces, in the difficult and often tense conversations. The promise Peter gives us for bundling up is one we can take hold of, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:10-11). There is a promised rest, God does not send us into the frozen tundra to die of frostbite. He sends us to clear the driveway. We can go endure the cold, keeping the roads free from ice which stumbles many, and trust that the day is coming when the clouds are cleared, the snow has stopped and the world shall experience the wonder and goodness of God.