“We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done” Psalm 78:4

It was a Tuesday morning, ten years ago, and I was sitting in my study down in Virginia, when in through the door came Pat Beamer fresh from the women’s weekly Bible study. Pat was a force of nature, known around the church for her down-home style, helping hands, wicked sense of humor, frank talk, extraordinary hugs… and on occasion, her purple hair.

Some might say that Pat was rough around the edges.  She was a longtime widow who was incredibly tough and carried with her a background of family pain and loss. But she was real, without pretense or hypocrisy, and she always let you know her mind and where you stood.

Pat didn’t waste any time. She burst into my office, looked me dead in the eye, and demanded, “Pastor Steve, do you take good care of your cars?”

Caught off guard, I stammered a response. “Well, yes—I mean, I think so. I try to keep them clean, vacuum them out, change the oil regularly…” My voice trailed off.  I wasn’t entirely sure what she was after.

She had heard enough.  “I’m going to leave you my car!” she stated emphatically.

Surprised and unsure, I responded, “Wow, Pat. That’s incredibly generous. I hope you don’t have plans to leave us anytime soon!” She was a healthy seventy. I added, “Are you sure your family’s okay with this?”

Pat waved her hand, dismissively. “I’m just getting my affairs in order now that I’m retired. And no. I’m not leaving it to them. They’ll be fine—they all have cars of their own.”

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of her words. You never quite knew how to take Pat. She had a way of catching people off guard, but I thought I saw a twinkle in her eyes.

Fast forward two years, and Pat passed away suddenly. It was devastating to lose her. At only seventy-two, she left a gaping hole in our community. In her last years, Pat had given herself fully to the work of the Lord. Pat was everywhere present in our church, women’s Bible studies, food pantry, greeter, small groups, children’s ministry, the Fully Alive seniors’ group.  You name it, she was there and impacted everyone from toddlers to senior saints. She was deeply loved and sorely missed.

During those years, Pat also began to grasp God’s grace in new ways.  She saw that God didn’t define her by her past and she didn’t need to strive for his favor.  In Christ she was already loved, accepted, a new creation, a child of God, had a new nature, and a good heart. Her life was a testament to God’s transforming love and faithfulness. I was honored to officiate her funeral. In my tribute, I summed up Pat as best I could: “She was a blending of beauty and imperfection, joy and regret, laughter and sorrow, hard times and good times. A forgiven, struggling, beautiful person who faithfully loved, served, and pointed others to Jesus.”

Several months later, I received an unexpected letter from a lawyer. I opened it tentatively and found that she had indeed left me her car—a silver 2008 Toyota RAV4, nine years old but well kept, with only 78,000 miles on it. And her gift wasn’t just a car; it was like a  big hug from Jesus, arriving in perfect timing.

At that point, our family was in a particularly tight spot. The church was slowly emerging from a difficult season and it had been five lean years without a raise or cost-of-living adjustment. And 2017 was the year we were hit with double college bills. Our son Josh was enrolled at Liberty University, and Amanda just started nursing school at UVA. Having a reliable vehicle without a car payment was an incredible blessing.

We gratefully received Pat’s RAV4, and it quickly became our family’s workhorse. I used it for ministry, and it carried us to the beach, to Lowes, to weekend getaways, college visits, countless hunting trips to my dad’s cabin, and made the move with us from Virginia to Pennsylvania in 2019. We’ve always viewed it as God’s car and frequently lent it out to families who needed a loaner for  reliable transportation.

Now, seven years later and more than 100,000 miles down the road, the RAV was showing its age. The front shocks were shot, the catalytic converter kept throwing codes, the motor mounts needed replacement, it would soon need 4 new tires and was burning a lot of oil. I knew that the next inspection would bring a list of repairs well beyond what it was worth or what I was willing to pay. But in all the time we’d had it, aside from routine maintenance and a few small fixes, the RAV has been incredibly dependable.

For the past few months, I’ve been tracking replacement vehicles online, but we hadn’t found one at the right price, year, and mileage—until this past weekend. So, on Monday, Pam and I made the bittersweet decision to trade in the RAV for a newer vehicle.

It’s funny how attached you can get to an inanimate object. But I really loved that car. It was a constant reminder of God’s lavish generosity and the kindness of a dear saint who, for no other reason than love, blessed us with an unexpected gift.

Thank you, Pat, for your care and concern for the Benedict family. Your legacy and spirit of generosity will be with me forever.