Truth In The Ice And How To Weather Your Winter

Looking at this picture of one the bushes in our backyard, encrusted in crystal like ice, I was reminded of one of life’s truths that has helped sustain me in cold and icy days, and I thought I’d share it with you…

The cold and ice will inevitably come. It will blanket and build up a barrier that seems impenetrable. It’s uncomfortable, causes damage, and slows the movement of life almost to a halt… almost, but not entirely.

Just below the surface, beneath the jagged glistening edges, life still exists in those branches. Through the clear encasing you can see it, distorted but undeniably still there. Though the branches and leaves struggle to find a way out, below the ground the roots run deep. Soaking up sustenance from the frozen ground and circulating it throughout until the sun and warmth return. Then the ice begins to melt and things become a little clearer. Life once cut off from the outside world now draws a little nearer.

Yes, the cold and ice will inevitably come. But with roots firmly planted, you have the strength you need until the return of the warmth and sun.

Living with a disability can often feel like this layer of cold and ice. Whether it’s our conventional idea of what it means to live with a disability—physical, cognitive, or otherwise—or what I like to call the “disabilities of the heart, mind, and soul” which we all live with every day—pain, struggle, fear, lies, addictions, greed, pride, slander, and so on—they all try to freeze you out, isolate you, and convince you you’re not going to make it through the winter. But if you’re rooted in the right stuff you can weather just about any storm or season.

So let me ask you… have the cold and ice surrounded you? Do you find yourself struggling to see a way out? Has the winter convinced you spring is never coming? Then ask yourself this question, “in what am I rooted?”

If you’re not sure or thinking you might be in some shoddy soil with shallow roots, maybe it’s time to do some digging, find out what lies beneath your ground, what sustains you, assess the quality of your dirt, and see where you need to send out some deeper roots. It’s no easy task and it’s nothing that happens over night, but if you take the time and give it some time you’ll find when the cold and ice come again you can have confidence in knowing your roots run deep and life will survive in this season.

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV

p.s. It’s now been three days since that picture of the bush was taken. The sun is shining, it’s a bit warmer, and the ice has melted. Just like the cold and ice will inevitability come, so does the warmth and sun. Hang in there. Spring is coming!

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Well, those are my remARCs. I hope they in some way, big or small, might have resonated with you. Whether it made you laugh, cry (I hope not too much), smile, or maybe think about life from a different perspective, I hope you take something away from this article that makes your day even the slightest bit better. I’d love to hear your remARCs as well. Feel free to send me an email at myremarcs@comcast.net, or leave a comment on the My RemARCs Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages… unless you hated it. In which case, why are you even still reading this? Hope to see you back here soon. Until then, be well and live remARCably.