There was a “snowstorm” in parts of Texas the third weekend in January.
I use quotes intentionally.
I saw a funny video on Instagram where they measured the snow accumulation.
About an inch.
The caption read: “Shut it down.”
As a Minnesotan, that was just funny.
Because where I live, it will take a whole lot more than an inch of snow for us to shut down.
When we have our own snowstorm:
People still drive.
Kids still go to school.
Work still happens.
Life continues.
Now, that doesn’t mean it’s chaos-free.
We’ll have:
- A few spin-outs
- Some fender benders
- Drivers who suddenly forget how to drive
- New drivers
- Out-of-state drivers
- And of course, the SUV / truck / 4WD warriors who think physics doesn’t apply to them
But overall, things move on.
Not because Minnesotans are braver.
Not because we love snow more.
But because we’re equipped for it.
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Expectation changes preparation
Minnesota expects snow.
We budget for it.
We plan for it.
We have plows (lots of them), salt, trained crews, protocols, and muscle memory.
There are people whose entire job is to make sure life keeps moving...even in a storm.
Texas doesn’t expect snow like that.
So they’re not equipped for it.
And that difference matters.
Marriage works the same way
What shuts one marriage down
barely slows another.
Not because one marriage is more loving.
Not because one couple is stronger.
But because of what they’re equipped for.
Some marriages are shocked by conflict.
Others expect it and know how to navigate it.
Some marriages are undone by financial pressure.
Others have systems, conversations, and margins built in.
Some marriages stall when emotions get heavy.
Others have learned how to sit in discomfort without panicking.
The storm isn’t the issue.
Preparation is.
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Equipment isn’t accidental
You don’t get snow plows by accident.
You don’t get salt trucks by luck.
They’re planned.
Funded.
Maintained.
Staffed.
In marriage, equipment looks like:
- Communication skills
- Emotional maturity
- Conflict resolution habits
- Financial clarity
- Spiritual grounding
- Shared expectations
- A willingness to learn and adapt
Scripture reminds us:
“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” - Proverbs 22:3
Wisdom doesn’t panic when trouble comes.
It prepares before it arrives.
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Storms don’t mean failure
This part matters.
A marriage shutting down under pressure doesn’t mean it’s weak or unloved.
It often means it encountered conditions it wasn’t built for.
And that’s nothing to be ashamed of...
that’s information.
Information that says: We need better equipment.
So here’s the real question
What is your marriage equipped for?
Conflict?
Change?
Disappointment?
Loss?
Stress?
Seasons of scarcity?
Seasons of silence?
Because storms are not optional.
But shutdowns don’t have to be inevitable.
Jesus put it this way, in Matthew 7:5: “The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew…
yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
Same storm.
Different outcome.
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Build for where you live
Not every marriage needs the same tools.
But every marriage needs the right ones.
You don’t prepare for snow in Texas the way you do in Minnesota.
And you don’t build a marriage hoping storms never come.
You build expecting them...
and choosing to be ready.
👣 Be Better. 💛 Love Better. 🙌🏾 Do Better. 💍Marriage Works.
Storms will come.
Make sure your marriage is equipped to keep moving.
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