Don’t Lock Up in the Cold

Cold has a way of exposing what’s real.

Dear Friends,

You feel the cold differently once the day winds down.

It settles in when you stop moving. When you sit by the fire and finally notice how stiff your hands feel, how tight your shoulders have gotten, how shallow your breathing has become. Cold doesn’t rush you. It waits. And if you’re not paying attention, it slowly takes over.

That’s when you start locking up.

Out here, you learn quickly that staying warm isn’t about fighting the cold. It’s about staying loose. You warm your hands. You shift your weight. You breathe deeper. You stay aware of what your body is telling you instead of ignoring it. Locking up feels easier in the moment, but it costs you later.

Life brings the same kind of cold.

Disappointment that lingers. Fatigue that doesn’t lift. Seasons where progress feels slow and conversations don’t go the way you hoped. When that kind of cold sets in, men tend to tighten up. You talk less. You risk less. You retreat inward and call it strength.

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But that’s how flexibility fades. That’s how faith stiffens.

In Guys, Guns and God, we talk about readiness that goes beyond skill. Real readiness includes awareness. It means noticing when your heart starts to harden, when patience shortens, when reactions replace thoughtful responses. Cold seasons don’t make you weak. Staying locked up during them does.

You weren’t built to freeze in place.

Staying loose doesn’t mean being careless. It means staying responsive. It means praying even when you don’t feel like it. Speaking honestly when silence would be easier. Adjusting when something’s off instead of pretending everything’s fine. Movement keeps you alive. Humility keeps you flexible. Scripture says it like this:

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3 (NLT)

Commitment keeps you moving forward, even when conditions aren’t comfortable.

Cold seasons pass. They always do. The question is what they leave behind. Do they sharpen you, or do they stiffen you? Do they deepen your trust, or teach you to shut down?

So if things feel cold right now, don’t lock up. Warm your hands. Open your heart. Breathe deep and stay present. God does some of His best work in uncomfortable conditions, and He hasn’t stepped away just because the night feels long.

Stay encouraged. Stay loose. Stay present.

Your story is still unfolding.

Randy Abramovic
Author, “Guys, Guns and God”

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