Dad

Dad.

I've never been close to him as a growing teen. When I was small, I totally looked up to him and mum, because he was super diplomatic when he taught me about life. Can you imagine an adult asking a kid how many strokes of cane do you think you should get after an episode of bad behaviour? That's the kind of dad I had. And I remember saying like 3 or 5; not 1. Because I was so fully 'convicted' that I deserved more than 1 for my bad behaviour after he talked to me. Even though my flesh was crying out: Just one will do!! One!

Dad taught me many things. For one, he and mum cultivated the love for music and nature in me, ever since I was a pre pre-school kid. Together, they taught me to sing. They could like name almost every creature / plant / tree to me. They taught me to play with mimosa and blow out the fluffy seed of a ripe lallang. They were into real quality music; not commercialised numbers like Teresa Teng etc, and today I learnt to appreciate a wide spectrum of quality music because of them. They taught me to sing 儿歌. Songs that I want to teach my kid in the future because they remind me of happy things and the love they gave.

From young, he has consistently taught me values. 30 years later today, I realised that God has been using him to teach me biblical principles:

Dad taught me to always have a heart that's as wide as the ocean. He says that an ocean would always be able to contain a grit of sand anytime. He wanted me to be magnanimous and gracious.
When I became Christian, my heavenly Father showed me that as far as the east is from the west, that was the extent of His love for me.

He taught me this phrase '头重脚轻根底浅；嘴尖皮厚腹中空'. It means basically that I must not be so full of myself that I think I've arrived, that I become like one who blabs without any content within.
When I became Christian, my heavenly Father showed me to keep my roots firmly planted in Him, so that the words that come out of me would be full of wisdom and grace.

He taught me not to call someone a friend simply because he praises me or says good things about me.
When I became a Christian, my heavenly Father showed me from Proverbs 27:6 - "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

He brought me to fishing trips and outings because that was the best he could afford.
He didn't know that he gave me more ignited moments than other kids got from their rich parents.

He carried me to the clinic after a bad motorcycle accident, even though he was bleeding himself.
He didn't know that I felt bad for bawling my eyes out and not trying to walk on my own after that crash.

He came running when I was pinned down by a scooter with diesel leaking all over me in the hot sun.
He didn't know how miraculous it was to me that he heard me fall. He should have been 20 metres away when it happened.

He called me once, just after I had a very bad quarrel with someone dear on my birthday, specially to wish me happy birthday.
He didn't know that I was so touched at his timely show of affection that I broke down crying when I hung up.

He bought the best durians for me at just at my casual mention.
He didn't know that when I was feeling down one day, I took the entire box out of the fridge to eat, and being reminded of Dad comforted me.

We don't have a fairytale relationship, and in fact there was a point in my life our relationship was so broken, I thought it was beyond repair. But God has come in, and in His mysterious ways, has made things better, bit by bit.

Dad, I haven't said it before, but I love you. Thank you for teaching me the right values in life and setting the foundation in me. My prayer is that just like you have been unknowingly reconciling me with God, that you will open up your heart to know this very God that you've taught me.

(mymien)