01/23/2026
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This morning I read a post written by a rancher preparing for the winter storm predicted to move across the South this weekend. The comments that followed, from other ranchers who have endured storms like this before and spoken of the losses they’ve carried, hurt my heart deeply. Not because of how they were expressed, but because of the weight of experience behind them.
As we prepare for the winter storm moving across the South, with temperatures forecast to drop into the teens, windchills up to 30° below, and ice/snow expected, may we pause to consider what this preparation looks like for others.
For some, preparing means wrapping pipes, buying groceries, and staying close to home.
But for others, preparation means bracing for long nights in dangerous conditions… frozen water sources, slick ground, stressed animals, and the very real possibility of loss.
May we be mindful that as this storm settles in, there will be people checking livestock through freezing ice and temperatures, breaking ice so animals can drink, hauling feed across unsafe ground, and watching over calves and herds through bitter cold. There will be wildlife with no shelter at all. And there will be families carrying the quiet weight of responsibility, knowing not everything can be protected from ice and freezing temperatures.
There will also be linemen and utility workers called out into the worst of it… restoring power in bitter cold, and working through the night so others can stay warm and safe.
This is the unseen side of winter storms… the endurance required, the vigilance demanded, and the humanity stretched thin by responsibility.
So as we prepare our homes and ourselves, may we also remember those whose preparation requires sacrifice.🙏
Let us pray together…
Jesus, as this winter storm moves in, we ask Your covering over the people and animals who will endure it. Strengthen those working through cold and ice. Protect livestock and wildlife exposed to the elements. Be near to families facing long, uncertain nights. Grant endurance, peace, and protection. We ask these things in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
