The Value of Memories by Dr. Juan Harrison

I bet we all have one, a special memory of a special time that almost seems surreal.  For me it was a group of close friends and fellow believers gathered in a German meadow in the shadows of a castle dating back to Roman occupation at the height of their power.  The soft tall grass served as a cushion as my Black pastor friend led us in a Bible study.

Today when things seem tough we look across the sea and see a country almost disappearing before our eyes.  As a young military officer back then, I looked at my serene surroundings and thought of friends living and dying in peril in Southeast Asia.  A silent prayer of gratefulness for my watch care crossed my lips then as one does now for my European brothers fighting the good fight.

So much of life is relative.  One person gives thanks for another night’s survival amidst missiles and artillery shells; another gives thanks for another tank of gas or finding formula for the baby.

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Pain is real.  Life is hard.  Singer Eric Clapton’s four year old son fell out a fourth floor window.  George Strait’s thirteen year old died in a car crash.  Loretta Lynn’s son drowned in a river on the family farm.  Death is no respecter of our status in life; the Bible says rain falls on the just and the unjust.  The issue becomes how good of an umbrella do you have.  They really come in handy when life brings showers and sometimes floods.

Sooner or later most of us are going to feel the full weight of life’s pressures trying to crush us.  You feel your mind will crack or your heart explode.  Losses or fear of loss can almost make you retreat to your closet and huddle in a corner.  I’ve heard of people getting into fetal position and feeling totally helpless against the onslaught of life’s trials.

Some people fight through it; some never recover.  Some people are wise enough to call on spiritual help to get through.  Others don’t and often live to regret it.  They tell us that the greatest tragedy is to go through a tough situation and not learn anything about life or ourselves.

God sends us good memories to sustain us in the hard times.  Sometimes it’s a new mother getting to hold the newborn while the baby takes his few precious breaths on Earth before departing to Heaven.  See you again Mom when we reunite in Heaven.  The image of that sweet face will help sustain her later when other trials beset her.  Some people say life is too hard and check out.  Others know they’re weak and frail but were just too hard headed to give up and let the Devil deprive them of the opportunity to create even more great memories.

By Dr. Juan Harrison