About the Author

Tasha is a Korean American melancholy dreamer, wife to Matt, mom to three wild and wonderful humans. She writes about everyday life and cultural and ethnic identity, and writing has always been the way God has led her towards the hope of shalom. Her first book, Tell Me The Dream...

(in)side DaySpring: things we love
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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  1. Your words moved me this morning. In the midst of darkness there is light. And there is so much darkness these days, but there is also hope. God gives power to the weakest link- love that. Keep writing your beautiful, inspiring words.

    • Jill, thank you for letting me know the words moved you. That helps me know I’m not alone. Thank you for holding onto hope with us.

  2. Beautiful, Tasha. I agree – hope is audacious. And as much as I want to be hopeful, as much as I may even want to be audacious sometimes, it’s an incredibly active choice. In these tired times, do I even have the energy for such a choice? Only by His strength. It takes courage to hope. May we all take courage.

    • Michelle, you are so right about it being an active choice. That can be so hard-and yet I suppose even that is full of grace. Thank you for reading today.

  3. Wow. If you have any doubt whether God will use your words, let me send you a resounding “yes”. I am in that dark place and your writing today felt like His personal message to me.

      • Same…..my prayer before reading today included, “hoe much longer God?”….pretty sure He answered me with this directly afterwards. Thank you so very much.

        • Kim, I’m so glad to hear that, but I’m so sorry you are in a dark place as well. Like Heidi, I’m hope you know you aren’t alone. Praying for you right now.

      • Cynthia, I’m so glad you are part of this community. May you see and feel more if his nearness and his living responses to your prayers.

    • Heidi, I’m so sorry you are in a dark place right now. Thank you for letting me know these words met you and it’s my hope that God would use them in that way-may you know and feel God’s love reaching for you now. I just took a minute to pray for you. You aren’t alone.

  4. I am weeping as I read. This year (+) has worn me down. I appreciate your willingness to be honest. Hope can be so elusive at times. People don’t always like to talk about or hear about that reality. Thank you.

    • Oh Melissa, I’m so sorry for all the things you’ve lost and for the ways you feel weary. Each thing matters. You aren’t alone. And I will pray you know that in increasing measure, and that God gives you rest and brings restoration. So glad you are here.

  5. Wow, the beauty of this piece is a gift all itself. Thank you, friend. This is one for us all to read again and again. For me, it’s this line especially: “And while I want Him to calm the storm and give us all tangible peace, I think what I’m learning to want more is His nearness and the evidence of His humanity.” May we let our ache turn us to ache for His nearness.

  6. Thank you so much for this. I’m speechless. I’m going through something that I have been asking Jesus…How much longer?
    Again thank you for this I needed it today! And everyday.

    • Michelle, I hear you. It’s so hard to hold a “how long” in our hearts. I know that weariness in my heart. You are held. And you are not alone.

  7. Nature. It’s amazing. It’s sad. It’s breathtaking. “How does she keep building and believing after all the grief?”
    Because….
    “God has never turned from us or ceased to come near to our darkness and disbelief”
    Thank You Tasha

  8. So grateful for the hope that comes from knowing that God is always with us~ Your words are a balm to a broken world.

    • That is so nice of you to say, Ann. I’m grateful for that hope too. Clinging to it.

  9. Excellent. This is exactly how I have been feeling. I remember a few years ago watching a Robin build her nest in low branches of my hydrangea. 3 eggs! Then one day they were cracked in the nest and on the ground. I was devastated. I was so fired with hope of seeing those babies…

    It feels like the world is asking us to build and re-build life in the arms of a dead tree, while unexpected storms move in without a care for the fragility of our humanity.

    These words met me this morning:

    -My heart has been frantic and sad for weeks. In my groaning prayers, I ask Jesus, again and again, “How long?”

    -I’m past the point of having the right spiritual answers and doing the right spiritual thing as if hope can be mustered from somewhere good within me. I’m becoming okay with being audacious enough to ask questions and let my exasperation show.

    -“Why don’t you believe?”

    -Does she use her own beak to remove her broken, bright blue egg-dreams? How does she keep building and believing after all the grief?

    -No matter what, Jesus is here, undefeated, giving life to the least possible, power to the weakest link, and presence to the ones whose hearts have cracked under the weight of storm and grief.

    • Shannon, thank you for letting me know what parts resonated with you and why. That helps me know I’m not alone. I’m so glad you are part of this community!

  10. Dear Tasha, thank you so very much for your beautiful words. It has been a time of so much loss in our hearts-affecting us all in a myriad of ways. But we all share the same God and we all need to be reminded that it is okay to be exasperated and wonder at the audacity of it all. Yet to also know that Jesus is right here with us in the trenches with us-in our brokenness. He understands all that we are feeling. He freely gives us his love, strength, and grace. Praying for you and all your readers-that we all stay well and safe. <3

    • Kathleen, yes. I love how you said that we all need to know it’s okay to be exasperated and audacious. It can feel like such a tension. Grateful, as always, that you are part of our community here. Your encouragement means so much!

  11. Tasha,

    These are certainly very tumultuous times. There is so much loss, violence, hatred & disunity. It is easy to lose hope-like the disciples on the ship with Jesus. He understands & is well acquainted with our exasperated frustrations & loss of hope with the way life is going right now. He will come near to us the brokenhearted.

    The animals I see outside amaze me at their resilience. They build nests, hunt for food, lay eggs, & then life happens & they lose everything. Yet they come back & keep trying. God loves them all. Yet He loves us so much more. Keep praying, & asking questions. He will give us the answers one day. Great post

    Blessings 🙂

    • Beth, I find myself more and more amazed by the life I see in my own backyard these days. Thank you for being such a continual encouragement to so many of us here. You are such a sweet part of our online community.

  12. Tasha, yes it as sometimes seems we are building nests in dead trees. But God is not blind to what is going on. And so I hope and trust. A momma Robin made 5 nests under our deck. And now she is sitting on one of them. Last year we had bluebirds make a nest, lay eggs, and something broke all the eggs and left them on the ground. It was so sad. But this year the bluebirds made another nest and I watched anxiously, and now the eggs have hatched and baby bluebirds are calling for food, and keeping their parents happy. And so hope rises up. And I remember that God knows their trials and ours.

  13. Thank You so much for sharing this, it’s true.
    It’s been a hard season, but Jesus is there with us no matter what, and I just feel He is building strenght and love in ua as we continue beside Him

  14. Dearest Tasha, Oh how I wish I could give you a hug! Your story captures so much! Please know that I still pray for you and your family often. How many years have passed since I “met” you online through Sarah (Hayden) Kloha when you & Matt were in Freiburg, Germany.

    I can be frustrated with the internet and online communities — I no longer have Facebook or any other platform. Yet I have been able to stay in touch with you through so many years and moves!

    • Jean! I’m so glad you showed up here. Thank you for letting me know and for praying for me and my family—that means the world to me. I’m glad we can stay connected here and I’m glad you are here. Sending hugs.

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