A Testimony from my Father's Life

As I think over my father's life, I remember that it was an exciting time of travel, of foreign countries, of another language (Spanish) and the culture and people that go with it. We lived in Havana Cuba, Caracas Venezuela, and Lima Peru where I finished High School and then came back to the States for college. All of that happened because my father lived during a time of unprecedented growth, opportunity and prosperity. For America, the 50's and 60's were a time for new companies and expanding markets into many parts of the world.

My father's short life sketch in the program recalls that his early years were times of opportunities and new challenges in jobs until he found the position where he really fit. This is the way it is with many of us - we try many different jobs until we find where we fit. We do not always recognize what it is that makes it work for us, but a recent book that I read describes this "good fit" in three qualifications: we are at work doing our passion, we are at work using our talents, skills and abilities, and we work with a style that is task oriented or people oriented.

My father's passion was working with people. His skills were largely interpersonal skills but one of his last positions was that of a trouble shooter for the company in which he would find the way for people to better accomplish their tasks. The testimonies that came from fellow workers at his death are a tribute to him because he excelled at what he did. They exemplify his ideal of allowing people to be recognized for the individual contributions that each person brings to the job, and that they should always be treated with dignity and respect. His life made a difference for many people in the world of business where profit and loss seem to be paramount but where people were the most important element.

For many of us the question of "Did I make a difference ?" is central to our purpose for living. My father's co-workers answered that question with a resounding "yes". And yet there is more to the story of his life than just a purpose for living.

Shortly before my father had a heart attack, there was an evening when the family gathered around the dinner table at Rupanco, and the conversation went a little different from the usual. As the meal ended each one began to share the hopes and dreams that they had in life. My father listened to each in turn and then offered a surprising statement. He said that he had tried many things in life, and in the process he had gotten off the right path and did not know how to get back. But now we were not to worry about him because he had found the right path again, and that path is the straight path to God through his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In one statement my father summarized what was deep within him driving him through life and pushing him to excel in the way that he had.

I remember once when I was 17, when I told him that I had asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into my heart and become my personal savior. He reflected for a moment and then told me he had made a similar type of decision when he was young. He never said any more about it nor did he ask any questions and I assumed it was part of his upbringing that he never talked about religion or politics. In his own mind he was a deep thinker and he understood much about the different ideologies in the world. One of the letters received at his death by one who knew him mentioned how tolerant he was of his Marxist views and he marveled so much about his quiet stance that he eventually changed his mind.

I for one am very glad that he shared his testimony that evening at dinner, because I know that right now he is sitting in the presence of Jesus. The Bible says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. His testimony gives us a wonderful opportunity to understand more about the biggest decision of our life: where we will spend eternity.

My father spoke about trying many things in life, losing his way spiritually, and then finding his way back again. There are some very strong forces out in the world that will confuse us about our faith in God. The Bible warns us about the ways of the world, that we are not to love the world nor the things in the world. The warning says that if we love the world, we lose our perspective and we do not understand the love of God and how to enjoy Him. Then it goes on to say that all that is in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but of the world; and the world passes away and the lust thereof, but he that does the will of God abides forever. I am so glad that my father found the love of God again. The remarkable story that comes from when he was in the hospital right after his heart attack, was that his face was like the face of an angel: he was experiencing the grace of God and the Peace of God that passes all understanding. His testimony at the dinner table was shown to be true by his countenance. Do you know what that is like ? Have you ever seen someone with this kind of peace ? If you have, you probably hope that when the trials of life come your way or when your time comes to go home to be with your heavenly father, that you will also have the faith to experience God's Peace and Grace.

It is popular today to talk about life as a journey. It is also popular today to leave God out of the picture and focus on ourselves: "Where I am going", "What I am doing", and "What makes me happy" The Bible gives us many warnings. It tells us that there is a way that seems right to a man but those ways are the ways of spiritual death and separation from God. The Bible also says that God offers us the free gift of eternal life: all we have to do is believe God: that He sent his only Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and then pray to him and ask him to forgive us of our sins and be our Savior. Speaking of himself Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

My father made many important decisions in life, and God was there beside him helping him become who he was. But the most important decision that makes my heart sing for joy was the decision he made to accept Jesus Christ into his life. That is the choice that allowed God to work in his life. The testimonies to my father's having made a difference in other people's lives are a tribute not only to my father, but to a gracious and loving God who worked through my father's life, giving him abilities and talents to use, breathing into him a passion for the work that he did, and fulfilling in his life experience the promise that Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly."

I miss my father. His normal quiet and thoughtful approach to life will remain an inspiration to me to not make hasty decisions in life, to consider carefully all the options available, and to consider what God would want me to do. Dad, I am looking forward to seeing you again one day, and spending all eternity with you in the loving presence of God.

Kingsley D. Locke