The Bible is full of examples of fathers.  Good ones, not so good ones, ones filled with wisdom, ones who ‘struggled’ with wisdom, and plenty of other types.  No matter who our father is (was) Ephesians 6.2 tells us to honor our father (and mother) – and it was also the first commandment with a promise.  It was easy to honor my father.  I was one who was blessed to have a ‘good one’ – and one who was filled with wisdom.

I would like to use this space this month to honor my father.  Daddy was kind, gentle, needed no applaud or praise, never sought thanks or recognition, yet he was always the one to help anyone who was in need.  Even his own children didn’t know all that he was doing for others.  I would never have known that he had given food to folks in need if they hadn’t told me – on many occasions.  He closed our relatives’ summer home up for the winter every year when they left – and then opened it and got it operating once again before they returned the next summer.  I would never have known that if my aunt hadn’t told me.  I could go on and on with examples.

But one of my favorite memories of Daddy was when I was just 3 years old and we went to the 4^th of July parade in our tiny town in the woods of Maine.  As you can imagine with the townspeople gathered, I couldn’t see a thing – except people’s backsides.  I’m sure I complained.  The next thing I knew, Daddy was swooping me up onto his shoulders and, oh my, what a glorious view of the parade I had.  I thought it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen!

As I got older, I began to think of that experience as seeing my Dad as a type of our Heavenly Father.  In order for Daddy to pick me up to see something so much better and so much clearer, I had to have a closeness with him.  I had to daily walk with him, talk with him, and trust in him completely that he always had my best interest in mind.  Not all of us are (were) blessed to have that type of father, but even if you aren’t (weren’t), I assure you that you can completely trust your Heavenly Father – your Creator, your God-Incarnate, Jesus!  He IS the ‘way, the truth and the life’.  ‘He will never leave you nor forsake you’.  He is your Wonderful Counselor.  He is your Prince of Peace.  He is your John 3.16 – your Savior.

I have loved sharing a bit of my Dad, Lewis E. Bean with you, and honoring him in this space.  And I love that I will be re-united with him again one day in the presence of our Lord.  Happy Father’s Day, Daddy!