Remembering My Dad

Today is January 20, 2022. I don’t know what you have on your calendars today, but at the top of mine, it says, “Dad’s Birthday.” Sadly, my dad, Morgan Ross Beamer, passed a little over a year ago. Today as I remembered him, I went back and looked over what I read at his funeral. To honor him, I’d like to publish what I wrote then and still find to be true today:

Dad’s Funeral, November 12, 2020 –

My dad will never be remembered as the gentlest. He was maybe a bit too harsh at times. Maybe he cussed a bit too much. Maybe he yelled a bit too often.

But that is not what I want to remember my dad for. I wrote this as much to help me solidify what I want to remember him for as much as I did to tell you all what kind of person my dad was.

In my mind, earthly fathers have one primary responsibility – to reflect our Heavenly Father. A father’s job is to show their kids what God is like. Of all the things my dad did or didn’t do, two things stand out above the rest because they represented God so well.

1. My dad was a great gift receiver.

I know what you’re thinking: “That’s stupid; who isn’t good at getting gifts?” Well, I can think of a few.

But this isn’t stupid at all. I don’t know if you know this, but dads usually get the short end of the stick at holidays and birthdays. We forgot my dad’s birthday frequently, said sorry, and moved on. But if we forgot mom’s…much bigger deal.

Further, my dad almost always received what I thought were the worst gifts – socks, t-shirts, sweatshirts, underwear, etc. However, he was always excited about it, no matter what gift he got. He never showed that he was upset. He always said thank you. He always had a smile on his face. He always showed genuine thankfulness.

My wife and I talked about how sad we would be at Christmas this week because dad was always so excited about whatever we got him.

Does this not represent God so well? What do we, as creatures, have anything to offer the creator of the universe? What could I possibly have to offer the God who has given me life twice – once in birth and secondly through His Son Jesus Christ? What do I have?

Yet, God loves when His children bring Him things, even though He doesn’t need it. God is pleased with the widow’s penny or the offering of a prodigal son. Although He needs nothing, He is overjoyed when we seek to please Him in Christ.

When I think of my dad, I will think of the joy he had at even a small gift from one of his kids, and it will remind me of what God is like.

2. My dad was always there.

Even if I sometimes wished my dad would leave me alone while I was playing baseball, my dad was always there.

Did you know over 25% of kids grow up in one-parent homes? Did you know that children without a father are 47% more likely to live in poverty, significantly more likely to have behavioral issues and mental health issues? Not only that, but men with absent fathers are more likely to go to prison and be absent fathers themselves. There are even direct links between infant mortality rate and the father’s presence in the home. The statistics are astounding.

But you know who will never have to struggle with those things? Me, my brother and my sister. But this legacy goes even further. Not only did I have a dad, but now my children will have a dad who wants to be present because my dad set that example.

My dad came to every game and every practice. He threw hundreds upon hundreds of baseballs to me and hit hundreds upon hundreds of ground balls. He was always a phone call away and would do anything to help whenever asked.

Does this not perfectly represent God in Christ? He is the God who always promises to be present, to be our help in time of need. He is the God who will not leave or forsake His children. He is the God who did not even spare His own Son, Jesus, for us. Will He not give us all things? He is the God who clothes the lilies of the field, provides food for the sparrows, and promises that He cares for us so much more. He is the Father who counts every hair on our head and holds our tears in bottles. He is a Father who is there, always there.

And, until last week, so was my dad.

That is what I want to remember my dad for and what I hope to represent to my own children.

Love you, dad.

                            Marty