God . Father

Today's sermon got me thinking about my relationship with my dad. The guest pastor made a parallel comparison of 2 relationships - that between Moses and God, and that between a man and his father, to help us better understand the message in Exodus Chapter 33, which narrated how a frustrated and demoralised Moses sought to witness God's glory to reaffirm his faith to lead the Israelites out of the desert.

The relationship between God and Moses was special and intimate, given He know Moses by his name and spoke to him directly on numerous occasions. But a series of events evaporated Moses' confidence, so much so he needed God's soft whisper of encouragement. While nobody can see the glory of God without perishing, God manifested His compassion by covering Moses with His hand until He had passed, so it is just enough for Moses to see His back.

Our relationship with our dads is just as similar. The father and son bond is crystallised the moment they gave us our names. With their blood running in our veins and enduring through our rebellious growing up years, they probably can read our mind without asking too many questions. One thing the pastor pointed out from the passage was that Moses can recognise God even without seeing His face, which was an interesting observation. Just like how babies can recognise their parents by their sense of smell, we probably know our dads good enough to be able to recognise them easily. Personally, I can spot my father by his sillhouette (which happens often when I had to look for him after church service), his voice (which sounds almost like mine), and his incredibly loud sneeze (I am sure nobody else sneezes in the public like my dad).

My Pa is the disciplinarian who teaches me the do's and don'ts in life. He is man of few words (other than the rare discussions on Chinese history and politics that hardly interest me) and is hardly expressed how much he loves his family. The language of love is just understated in the Asian society. How many of us will be like Moses, hoping to see that affirmation that you have done well - a nod, a smile, or a pat on the back.

Oh well, I guess the role of an Asian father remains an understated one, and I am glad the sermon made me once again appreciate my father.. erm.. that is after nagging him for neglecting his diet and personal cleanliness.