In this week’s Pastor’s Corner, I would like to share the story of a Chinese father, which was reported in the newspaper in September 2011. Du Jinhui was from a poor peasant family in Lingshou County, near Shijiazhuang City in China. He earned money as a stevedore in another city about 40 kilometers away, while his wife, Liu Yanhua, 32, raised chickens at home to support their family of six, including an elderly mother and two children.
On August 6, 2011, a large fire broke out while Mrs. Liu was lighting a stove to warm the greenhouse where they were raising chicks. She suffered injuries to her arms and back, and her 5-year-old daughter Lanlan suffered severe third-degree burns over 40% of her body. After three surgeries, the daughter survived but needed skin grafts for further surgery. The father was willing to give his skin to his daughter, but he was not able to afford to have general anesthesia, which cost about $200 CAD. What’s more, he never wanted to take his eyes off his daughter for a single moment during the surgery. So, he opted to take more than 100 shots of local anesthetic.
“I’m fine. Please take off more of my skin, it will be good for my daughter.” Even though he was screaming from the pain of the skin being removed, he kept saying to the doctor, “Please take more.” Later, Du Jinhui said to the reporter, “The pain of removing my flesh is nothing compared to the pain of my child. Any father in the world would have done this.”
The story and the words of this father, Du Jinhui, touch us deeply. Like he said, any father in the world would have done the same thing, but our heavenly Father would do even more so. Of the many titles we call God, none is more heartwarming and intimate than ‘Father.’ Jesus loves to call God His Father and teaches us to call Him “Our Father in heaven.” This means we are His beloved children like Jesus.
I grew up under a single mother, so I have no memories of my father. His absence at home meant many difficulties for me and my mother. Whenever I felt my father’s absence, my only hope and comfort was found in my heavenly Father. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the words of Psalm 68:5: He is “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.” In order to be our Father, our God sacrificed His one and only Son for us. In fact, our Heavenly Father sacrificed Himself for us in Christ. Apostle Paul testifies that love: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 4:9).
It is Father’s Day weekend. Please be sure you express your gratitude, respect, and love to your father if you can this weekend. More than that, let’s all express our gratitude, praise, and love to our Father in heaven as well. He is our Father, and we are His beloved children. There is no greater love than the love of our heavenly Father. Happy Father’s Day!
Pastor Dae-Eun Kim
Note from the Communication Department: This week’s Pastor’s Corner is inspired by a newspaper article taken from China Daily, where readers can find a photo of Du Jinhui donating his skin to his daughter. Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to reproduce that picture on our website, but we encourage you to check it out by clicking the link to China Daily.