Darin was mesmerized as his father slowly navigated their all-wheel-drive SUV along the freshly-plowed road that wound through the wilderness area in the Rockies. His nose was pressed up against the frosty window as he marveled at what looked like the surreal paintings he had seen in his second grade geography book. Gusts of wind blew the lightly falling snow across the gorgeous landscape. The mountains stood as a majestic backdrop to the snow-covered grasslands.

Standing knee deep in snow, just a few feet from the road was an enormous bison, which he later discovered may have weighed as much as two thousand pounds – about half the weight of the vehicle in which he and his family were riding. His father stopped the vehicle so everyone could take a good look, and a few pictures. The bull did not move. His face was caked with ice and snow. Blasts of arctic wind tugged at his beard as he exhaled puffs of steam through his nose. It was below freezing out there, yet the gigantic buffalo was not shivering. He seemed quite content as he occasionally chewed his cud. He then casually turned his head in their direction, as if he were bored and hoping they would just move on down the road.

“Mom,” Darin queried, “how cold is it outside?”

“I think it is about twenty degrees, honey.”

“How can that buffalo survive when it so cold outside? Why doesn’t he go crawl in a cave somewhere?”

“God created him that way.” she explained, “He has thick skin and fur, and his body uses food to produce enough heat to keep him warm. It is an inner strength that helps him withstand extreme circumstances.”

After a long pause he commented, “That’s kind of what the Holy Ghost is like, isn’t it? It is something on the inside that keeps us warm. My Sunday School teacher called it “inner strength.”“Exactly!” replied his mother, “it comes from what we eat spiritually.” As the car began to move again, she immediately realized that her life had recently been exceptionally difficult. She was feeling the cold and had forgotten about that inner strength. She quickly thanked God for the reminder, and let His love rise up in her own soul. She suddenly felt warmer inside… content in the storm.