Letter to My Father
How much a man loves his wife is often shown in how far he is willing to go for her. The depth of one’s love will determine the distance undertaken. On 22 March 2023, my mum went back to the Lord. My dad, not being a highly educated man, did not give a eulogy at her funeral. Therefore, I am writing this to honour my parents.
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Baba, you are truly the best husband who loved Mama throughout your 48 years of marriage. Although she was fierce and quick to anger, you always forgave her, accepted who she was, and never left her even when she asked for a divorce. Because you are a responsible man, you love your wife and your family. You worked hard day and night to raise us.
When Mama had Alzheimer’s disease, you took care of her with the very little that you had while you had liver disease and joint pains yourself. You never failed to remember every appointment for Mama at UMMC Hospital, and always remembered to drive there to buy her medicine.
I will never forget watching you hold Mama’s hand and walking towards the hospital car park. It’s the sweetest thing a husband can do for his wife in old age. At times when we were not around to help, you showered Mama, fed her, gave her medicine, bought her food, took care of her, and loved her without expecting anything in return.
On the morning of 22 March 2023, you fed her with water; first sip, second sip. But the third sip didn’t go into her mouth, and you knew she had left already. How devastating it must be to see your beloved wife leave you. But she was not alone when she left, she was in your embrace when you were feeding her. What more can a woman ask for? Before Mama departed, she said, “I love you very much.” She forgot everything and everyone except you.
I know how much you wish to die together with Mama. But it’s not your time yet. You have suffered all your life and God wants to bless you. He wants you to know Him more before you return to Him and be united with Mama again. Allow me to have more time to care for you and love you before you leave us too. My heart breaks whenever I’m thinking of you. How much more Jesus feels for you!
I’m so glad to see you baptised on 12 February 2023. But I also want to see you healthy and happy, and be assured that Jesus is real and that He loves you. He has healed you from liver cancer, and He will also heal you from joint pain and gastric pain. Most importantly, He will heal all the brokenness, hatred, resentment, and bitterness in your life. Amen!
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The depth of my dad’s love for my mum was shown in the distance he went in giving, loving, and caring for her until her last day. John 15:13 (NLT) says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The depth of Jesus’ love for humanity is truly beyond our comprehension. He went the furthest distance from heaven to this broken and sinful world to die for us.
Have we become so “seasoned” a Christian that we’ve forgotten the depth of Jesus’s sacrificial love? We are unworthy, yet Jesus loves us without regret and without expecting any favours. He laid down His life for us in perfect obedience to the Father to the point of a humiliating death on the cross, bearing the guilt of all our sins to redeem us. What a wonderful Saviour!
On the other hand, the depth of our love for Jesus will determine how far we will go in serving and loving Him. Do we love Jesus unconditionally? Do we serve the church and the people without expecting a return? Do we give to the needy without asking God to bless us?
Jesus has shown us the way and He is the best role model, displaying an unmatchable depth of love and going the furthest distance for us.
About the Author
Dr. Li Sze Chow is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at UCSI University. She is the author of “A Grieving Heart is Most Loved” published in 2020. She started the Women of Acts ministry at Christ Lutheran Church in July 2022 with a vision to train women to be a woman of God empowered by the Holy Spirit. She has two digital ministries on YouTube: Lisze Piano and Heavenly Devotion.
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