The Last Two Tears

Freddie Fikes left this life today around 3:00 p.m., and joined Jesus. As he took his last breath, he had two tears to escape his eyes. He has been at death's door since Saturday and very little, if any, recognition or emotion has been shown. But as he entered heaven's gates, God wiped away his tears and his last two tears seeped out. It says in Revelations 7:17 that, ". . .God shall wipe every tear from their eyes" It also says in II Corinthians 5:4, that "for while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened. . . " Bro. Freddie has battled cancer for ten years and has had a particularly harrowing fight the last two years. He has been burdened with pain and sickness, and he is finally well. God has healed him, just not in the way we had hoped.

Freddie loved God, his church, and his family. He fought to the last moment to stay with them just a little bit longer. In his later years, he surrendered to preach and traveled many miles giving back to God. Freddie was always a giver. He would help anybody. It didn't matter if they were a druggie, a thief, or a convicted felon. He believed that God could take you and totally change your life with His spirit. Untold hundreds of people have been helped by Freddie Fikes, and also attended church because that was one of the requirements of his assistance.

I have known the Fikes family all my life. My mom grew up with them and she doesn't remember not knowing them, and I am the same way. When my mother married my Dad, and I was about 2 years old, they bought Donna and Freddie's old house on Shady Grove road. I have memories of visiting them in their homes many times--I specifically remember going to their house on Sunday nights after church and this usually involved cheese dip or popcorn and a game of some sort. I remember they introduced me to Skip-bo.

For years, Freddie owned a car lot and he bought and sold used cars. He was also a good mechanic. When I was looking for a new car, he took me to a car auction in some other town and we tried some out, but he didn't think there were any there good enough (at least not in my price range). Then he heard of one that was owned by a man who had become ill and needed to sell his car and we went over and saw it. He finally decided that was the car for me and it lasted me for several years, one of which was spent driving back and forth to Arkadelphia to college. Then I passed the car on down to my brother who eventually wore it out. Freddie always had some advice to give me, I can't say I always took it, but I did always listen.

I lived with Freddie and Donna for 6 months when my own family was in turmoil, and one night in the middle of the early morning, Amber awoke to find her dog had died. Obviously, she was devastated, and Freddie stayed up all night crying with her. The Fikes family is one of the most close-knit families I know, and their home was always open to anyone. I wager to bet most of the people who know them, know where to find a key to their house and know they are welcome to come in if they need too. When I lived there, Donna told us we could have anyone over, so long as we (Amber and I) cleaned the house. I always tease Amber about how I just couldn't color code the towels in a way that would please her. There is a hole and an ache in my heart tonight. I will miss hearing Freddie's voice and listening to his advice. I will cry for the family who is going to miss him more than they would miss an arm. He was their heart, and it stopped beating today. I pray God will step in and fill the hole and bring them peace. I am comforted by the words to a song I remember he and Tawaynia singing so many years ago, "Tis so sweet, to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, just to know thus saith the Lord."