Black Ice

It had rained during the night.
That is not a problem unless the temperatures are below freezing.
Rain that falls so gently against the roof turns into a treacherous mess at daybreak.
Not having children in the school district anymore, I do not listen for school numbers.

However, having a daughter and her husband who are both teachers, I do have a connection.
Sometimes I may get a text from my daughter that simply says: Two hour delay.
Informational on some level; however, it also suggests that she can go back to bed for a bit.
No text came this morning, so I assumed the rain did not cause a problem.

My husband’s alarm never rang.
I usually wait until he goes out to walk before I wake up.
Now the whole morning was backwards.
I had women coming for Bible study and I had to be ready.

I had plenty of time but I also wanted to bake homemade banana bread.
I did that first and then got my shower.
As I was getting ready, I listened to news radio.
It was then I heard about the black ice.

Black ice is a thin coat of highly transparent ice. The reason it is transparent is because it blends in with road pavements since it is so thin, making it nearly impossible to see. It’s called black ice since it looks black, like the color of the road pavement it forms on. Common locations to find black ice include bridges, overpasses and spots on the road shaded by trees or other objects. Bridges and overpasses are prone to black ice because cold air is able to flow underneath the road surface, since it is elevated, therefore lowering the pavement temperature. Shaded spots on the road are prone since they receive less warmth from the sun during the day. Since black ice is highly transparent, it is unlikely you’ll be able to see it while driving down the road. Roadways become very slippery when black ice forms, leading to hazardous driving conditions and an increased risk of car accidents. (Weather.com)

All the reports on the news radio were about traffic delays and fender benders.
Many schools did not close or did not call a delay since no one thought it was a problem.
The temperature was going up to 50 degrees.
However, depending on where you lived, the morning was treacherous.

I had no idea what to do about Bible study.
It was almost 8:00 when I heard the news reports.
My husband walked and did not come back and say that it was icy.
My daughter never sent a text that there was a delay.

The temperature was steadily rising.
I knew that in the next hour and a half, none of this would be a problem.
I opened one of the garage doors to see the condition of our driveway.
It was fine.

I emailed all of the women and told them that I was still having Bible study.
I told them that we would start a half hour later to give the temperature time to rise even more.
I hoped that the women would check their email.
I cared about their safety.

It is understood that if our school district has a delay or a snow day, we do not meet.
Some women are affected by those changes since they still have young children in school.
I hire two, sweet, home school girls to take care of the young children that come with their moms.
The wheels were in motion at this time of the morning so I prayed for safety for everyone.

A few women, who live further out, could not come since they did not want to drive on the roads.
Most women were still here.
As I was waiting for them to arrive, I kept thinking how deceiving black ice can be.
Black ice appears normal but it catches you off guard and is quite treacherous.

When I was in college, I was driving down a back road that I traveled every day.
I was singing along to my music.
I was approaching a stop sign.
As I tried to brake, my car slid sideways.

It was a narrow road and my car slid into the embankment on the left.
My car spun completely around and pointed towards the other side of the road.
Thankfully, no car was on the road in either direction.
There was no damage to my car but the incident really shook me up.

I needed to continue to go where I was going.
I took a deep breath and drove on.
I was shaky.
I had not been going fast; I had not done anything different.

It was black ice.
Treacherous, unseen black ice.
Black ice that turned me around in a different direction from the way I wanted to go.
Black ice that caused me to lose control.

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:12,13)

Temptation is like black ice.
It is unseen and blends in with the surroundings.
It looks normal until you try to stand or walk.
It is then that temptation tries to knock you down flat.

It is not a sin to be tempted.
Jesus was tempted in the desert.
It is a sin when we act on the temptation.
The sin is when we give in instead of standing firm.

Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:7)

Unless you take precautions, black ice will get you every time.
Unless you lean on the Lord, the temptation will be so alluring, it will be difficult to walk away.
How did Jesus combat Satan when He was being tempted in the desert?
Jesus quoted Scripture and the devil had to flee.

Over and over Jesus said, It is written, in response to the devil’s temptations.
Over and over Jesus used the Word of God as His defense.
It is no different with us.
We cannot withstand temptation on our own.

The black ice of temptation will always be there if the conditions are right.
It may spin us round in the other direction for a time.
It may shake us to the core.
The Word of God is our defense and keeps our feet from slipping.

It is written.

Beware of black ice, both on the road and in your life.
Black ice is unseen until you come upon it.
Black ice is treacherous.
It turns you around from the direction you want to go.

With the Lord’s help and His Word as your guide, you can stand firm without slipping.