Unpack the Ice

Moving is always scary, especially if you have no idea what you're moving into.  When I was at BYU and Thomas was just born I did an internship with an actuarial firm in Denver Colorado.  We didn't know anybody in Denver, but through the internet we found a place that would give us a 3 month lease on an apartment.  We packed inflatable mattresses, packed an ice cooler of food, and a few other things and headed to Colorado.  We thought we were lucky.  Until we saw the place.

To be polite I won't tell you the name of our apartment complex, but we called it "Felony Ridge".  The first day was rough - tough looking neighbors, spiderwebs in the ceiling, and the late night partying showed this was not a great area of town.  Our neighbors down the hall screamed death threats at each other, scary characters in the parking lot hid bags in their car doors, and our neighbor across the hall admitted her boyfriend had a warrant.  We kept our doors locked.


Teasha was very brave, but sometimes I got the impression she was trying to hide when she cried.  When I was gone to work she would spend a lot of time on the phone with her old church ward members.  When I would come home she would ask if we could get in the car and drive to a different part of town.  I could tell the whole situation was wearing on her.

In the next few weeks things started to change.  The girl across the hall was in an abusive relationship, but this guy was a better than the last few she had lived with.  She wondered how we kept things together so well.  We shared our testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, and explained how a church helps people to get their lives in order.  We found some fantastic places to take our young toddler Thomas, and found such fun places to shop in Denver.  Teasha and I grew closer together, and learned to turn to each other when things were rough.  The Denver library has an amazing DVD collection, and we had regular movie nights.  And when the lesbian couple down the hall had a screaming fight, we shook our heads and held each other close.

One evening we returned from the store, and I had a pint of ice cream to put in the freezer.  When I opened the door I found the freezer was packed solid with ice.  This is not normal for us, since we don't use ice that much.  Come to think of it, the last time we needed ice was 3 weeks ago when we moved in.  I asked Teasha, "Dear?  What's with the ice?"

"Oh," she admitted, "That's from when we moved here.  I kept it because I figured if I needed to go back home I could throw the ice back in the cooler and be packed up in less than 10 minutes."
"You stored this so you could go home in 10 minutes notice?"
"Yeah, at first I didn't think I would survive here.  I really thought one of these days I'd send you a note and head out."
"Ok.  And what do you think now?"
"I think we should unpack the ice.  We're here to stay, and whatever happens we'll face it together.  I've learned the world can't touch what's really valuable."

We threw the ice in the sink, and ever since then we've had the saying "Unpack the ice" to mean it's time to dedicate yourself to your circumstances.  You can't keep one foot on the dock and one in the boat.  Even the Savior said, "No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).  This is lesson is especially true in relation to the things of God.  "Choose you this day whom ye will serve... As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).  Pick which side you will be on, and then unpack the ice.

Some people have ice called fear, which stops them from accepting callings or a responsibility.  For some their ice is personal desire, which seem too painful to give up for the Lord.  I know people who had a grudge as their ice, and it kept them from church activity or service.  Those who say "Here am I, send me" (Isaiah 6:8) an unpack the ice will be blessed all the greater. The road may be as tough as it was for Paul, or it may be as wonderful as the Nephites in 100AD, but dedicate yourself to serve the Lord under whatever circumstances come your way.  Unpack the ice and be happy with where the Lord wants you to be.