Passing the Torch

Over the past year, I've learned so much more about my dad than I knew before. You know how as kids, we don't tend to really think about our parents as real people? As in, we don't really think a lot about where they came from, who they were when they were our age, all that stuff, kinda like how we thought about teachers. I am finding more and more that when we actually do ask questions and listen, when our parents are willing to share with us about their pasts and who they really are, there is a shift in dynamic in the relationship.

It's like your eyes are opened to see more clearly, to look back on past events and see them with a fuller view. Understanding where your parents come from and how they think and why they are the way they are makes a huge difference. Not only does it help grow your relationship, but it also gives you a richer picture of your family legacy, all that God has done to prepare you for this very moment in your own life.

My dad is applying to become a seminary student this year. Part of that entailed writing a personal statement, which he e-mailed to us kids for suggestions and also to share about some things we maybe didn't know. I was so blessed by that. I learned more about the way God brought a knowledge of his redemption into my family way back with my great-great-great-great-grandpa and the German missionaries who were faithful to God's call to go all the way to Hong Kong. I read about my dad's testimony, which, oddly enough, I didn't really know. I was introduced to his struggles, his heart's prayers, his openness to God's callings, and in all this, I came out encouraged in my own path and with a new sense of respect for my dad's heart toward God. I didn't really expect all that when I downloaded the document to read, but I think God is really showing me the vast importance of family, of honoring the people who have come before us. It's more than the traditional Chinese value of filial piety; it's the passing of God's torch from generation to generation, where the younger is humble enough to seek and be open and the elder is willing and conscious of the valuable gift he carries.

Thanks, Dad, for being honest and willing. Happy Father's Day.