Altar Call – Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
August 26, 2018
A way out of the
doldrums
Discouraged?
Dark cloud hanging overhead? Got the blues? So miserable you want to go back to
bed and pull the covers over your head? I know the feeling. I have been there.
When
I’m caught up in the doldrums, and misery hovers near, I find it helps to remember
that “this too shall pass.” Then I try to think of happy times when, instead of
despair, I had pancakes and Conecuh sausage for breakfast. Life is not all bad.
There are good days.
A
little fortitude, and the memory of a beautiful moment, can help me find a way
through some dark cloud. Flying has taught me that there is often brilliant
sunshine just above the darkest cloud.
Beautiful
moments sometimes occur during painful experiences. If we cherish them and
store them in our hearts, they can help us when trouble comes again. And it will
come. It’s always on the way.
One
of my precious memories is about a time my wife was critically ill in a
hospital. I was deeply troubled. Her doctor was worried and not sure what to do
next. I was not able to stay by her side at night because our four small boys
needed me at home. I left the hospital one night in a cloud of despair.
The
next morning as I walked into Dean’s hospital room she smiled and said quietly,
“I am well. The doctor said you can take me home today.” I was stunned. The day
before her life seemed to hang in the balance. How could this be?
She
explained it this way. “Yesterday afternoon I felt terrible. It was hot and
stuffy in the room. My nurse opened the window and soon I felt a gentle breeze.
Suddenly I felt a Presence in the room and in my mind I heard a voice say, ‘you
are well, my child.’ Then I realized I felt well. I did not feel sick anymore.
I knew I was well.” And she was!
Can
I explain her recovery? No, I cannot. I did not even try. I just said, “Thank
you, Father!” and moved on. Why spoil a miracle by trying to figure it out? Best
just to enjoy and remember the wonder of such a golden moment.
Remembering
energizes my faith when times are hard again. If it happened once, through no
merit of my own, it can happen again. And I have not been shy about asking the
Lord to do it again. He is able. This is
his world and he is in charge.
Another
beautiful moment stored in my memory bank occurred when our youngest son was
nine years old. One afternoon I started to leave home to keep a speaking
engagement in a nearby town. As I walked out the door Steve asked if he could
go with me. “Sure, son,” I said, “come on.”
As
we began our journey I turned the car radio on. Steve reached up and turned it
off. Then he said, “Dad, why don’t we just talk?” I said, “Son that is a great
idea; let’s do that.”
We
talked for a long time. Then, after a bit of silence, he said, “Dad, we like
being together, don’t we?” It was an electric moment. Those words were forever
etched in my mind that afternoon. And that remains one of the most beautiful
moments of my life.
When
relationships are strained and harsh words have been exchanged, it helps to
remember a child’s voice saying “We like being together, don’t we?” Broken
relationships can be healed by recalling golden moments when they were like
they ought to be.
When
life is tough, remembering beautiful moments can restore our hope and renew our
courage to face not only the blues but even the worst of times. The doldrums
don’t like being around people who can remember and celebrate beautiful
moments. + + +