Eulogy Leslie Gordon Fields 3/21/2002.hb
Leslie Gordon Fields, a son, brother, an uncle, a cousin, a friend, and co worker. He was born, he lived, he died, he went home to a place prepared for him. We all go through that cycle of birth, life, and death because its automatic. Yet it takes a willful decision on our parts to go home to place prepared for us.
For those who remain on this side of death, the Bible tells us, there is a time and a season for everything under the sun. A time to laugh and a time to cry, a time to hope and a time to give up, a time for joy and a time for pain, a time to be born and a time to die. The one experience that is common to us all is death. It is as common and as natural as all the other things done under the sun.
The Scriptures tell us that there is a way that seems right to a person, but at the end of it is death. If we are all living in order that we might some day die, it should be of utmost important that we live in such way that in the end our lives would not have been lived in vain. Whether or not we have lived in vain will not be determined by how much we accumulated in terms of material goods, for naked we came into this world, and naked we go out.
The only thing that we can take out of this world is what we have given away. For that is how Jesus said to lay up treasures in heaven. If we have not loved and have not given then our living has been in vain. I did not know Leslie, or Les as he loved to be called, but I did get a glimpse of him and his life through his brother Frank and his sister Marie.
God sends everybody into the world with a gift to offer to the rest of humanity. Sometimes we do not appreciate the gifts and the struggles of others. Les too came into this world with a gift, but much of his early life began with a struggle. As a young boy he was stricken with an illness which left him with crutches and braces on his legs.
When adversity comes into our lives, we can either go into our own little shell of a world, or we can choose to face life and overcome it despite what has come into our lives. When someone gives you a lemon, you can either frown because of its bitter taste, or you can choose to make some lemonade and share it with others. Les chose to make some lemonade. As a young boy, he didn’t allow his handicap to keep him from his love of sports. No, he couldn’t play centerfield, but he was able to be the pitcher with the other boys.
Frank said his brother did not dwell on what he could not do, but rather on what he could do. His sister said, her brother would be on his crutches but he still would open the door for the ladies and say “ladies first” as he held the door for them to go through. Les also learned to sew. He even sewed some of Marie’s skirts for her.
His determination to go forward in life led to his legs becoming stronger and the braces were eventually no longer needed. Les had a passion to go out and be with others. His limitations were not going to limit him in his desire to go out and be in the presence of other people. He attempted to be as independent as he could in doing things for himself. He even took the time to neatly fold his clothes all the way down to his socks and underwear. He took pride in his appearance.
Les strove to become independent not only in his body but also in his mind. Les had a very keen mind, and he was eager to use it. No one will ever say, “Les was so easy to get along with and he would compromise with you in a minute.”
Frank said, “Les could have a comment on just about anything. Not only did he have an informed comment, as far as he was concerned it was the right comment. Now some would say he was stubborn and insisted on being right, but Les would probably say, he was simply a man of strong conviction and willing to stand for the truth as he saw it.
When it came to sports, Les loved watching them on TV and he loved being right on his interpretation of what was going on. He could tell you which championship games were on the level, and which ones had been fixed. Les was convinced he had a little more information on the subject than those watching the game with him had.
Les also was eager to provide you with some advice. He did not always ask you if you wanted it, but he was generous in giving it. Marie appreciated how he would tell her, “slow down and take some time for yourself Marie” or “don’t eat too fast, take the time too savor the flavor.” Marie wasn’t all that happy with some of his other unsolicited advice particular on how he thought she should drive.
Les had a gift of humor, and he could take something very ordinary and turn it into a joke. When Marie told him, that Frank was going to be a school crossing guard after his retirement, he replied, “well I hope he doesn’t get hit by a car.” Marie got a little upset with it for saying it but later she saw the irony in his humor.
Frank remembers spending time with Les just led to a craziness all of its own. Les could always find a way to disagree with something and the fun would be on. Les would probably say, “that it’s not that he was being ornery, but rather that he was keeping the conversation alive with action. “ Les enjoyed being with people while playing checkers, cards, and especially bid whisk.
Another gift Les had was the ability to cook. If you were in his family, you would look forward to Les’s birthday. His birthday was his time to do something special for the family, and that was to cook one of his meals. I’ve been told that no one could prepare those Sweedish meatballs in the way that Les could prepare them on his birthday.
Les looked forward to the times that he could spend with family, especially the dinners shared at his sisters’ home with her family. There was a tenderness inside of him that you could reach once you got beyond his exterior form. Marie said he was kind, but he was stuck in his ways as well. Some of you will always remember Les with a special place for him in your heart and in your lives.
Although he lived his life with vigor, death came e unexpectedly to tap him on the shoulder last week.
Death is closer to all of us than we think it is. If you had to meet it today and your life would be over this afternoon, would you be happy with the life you have lived. Would you be ready to go with no regrets? Have you said your were sorry to those you hurt and granted forgiveness to those who hurt you? Would you be as certain as being in heaven tomorrow as you are of sitting in this room today. The good news is that it is still possible for you to be certain.
How many of us live as though death is a million years away from us? How many of us pay more attention to what our hair looks like than we do the condition of our souls which is what ultimately counts.
Death is significant only because it marks the end of our opportunity to have an affect upon others for the sake of Jesus Christ. For as I said before, the Scriptures tell us that there is a time for everything under the the sun. A time to be born and a time to die. The mere fact of being born is a guarantee that we shall one day die. A lifetime in eternity hangs upon the balance of the choices we make during the brief interval that we call life.
But death is not something to be feared, For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die but have everlasting life. Jesus, God’s Son, said, let not your hearts be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. For I go to prepare a place for you. Not only has Christ gone to prepare a place for us, He has revealed to us the road in which we should follow.
Jesus tells us that there are but too roads in this life. One way has a wide gate, is a broad road and that the bulk of people travel upon it, but it leads to death and destruction. He tells us the other road has a narrow gate, is very narrow, and that few people travel upon it, but that it leads to life. Jesus himself is that narrow gate. For he issued a call, "If anyone wants life, let the person deny himself or herself, pick up his or her cross and follow me.
Have you ever wondered how good do you have to be to go to heaven and meet God. The truth is, none of us could ever be good enough to go to heaven. It’s worthless to even try it. But going to heaven isn’t about how good or how bad we have been. It’s a matter of do we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
Jesus has gone forth to prepare a place for each of us. But, we must make a choice. None of us know the day nor the hour when we shall leave this world. Christ has died on our behalf that we might have life. It’s as simple as confessing our sins, our yielding our lives to him. For in the end, the only decision that will matter is what did we do with Christ. For only what’s done for Christ will last is going to matter a thousand years from today.
The joy of dying in Christ is that goodbye is never goodbye. For the word of God clearly states, " Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men and women who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s own words, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left at the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down form heaven, with a loud command, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left, will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words. Our God is faithful.
