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
& you will too!
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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
Find more at
DaySpring.com
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    • Dorcas, I’m so glad the words here made you feel loved and understood by God. Thank you for letting me know that.

  1. Tasha that was beautiful of how you came to Jesus by colouring. I believe in all of us. We are who Jesus made us to be. We will never be perfect. No matter what some people say about us. We will never be good at all things. People even kids can be cruel. With their words. Like with you and that boy saying what he said to you when colouring in. You found it hard to keep in the lines. You have to forgive and not let it eat you. Especially if that person or kid not saved. They will not think about their words. They will just say what is in their mind. They might not care if hurts your feelings or not. So we have to be very careful with our words more so when especially saved. Not hurt people with our words. As they can take them to heart. It can take a very long time to forgive the person or kid for what they said that hurt. I believe Jesus is proud of you Tasha for at least trying to colour in between the line. God loves a trier. Your colouring in is a master piece to Jesus. Even if you did colour outside the lines. It is your work and no one else’s. It makes you who you are and even if you find it hard to colour within the line. Jesus still loves your master piece. He loves that tried. It like me with crocheting. I can’t for all the life of me do it. I even went on line to YouTube to get a beginner course on crocheting. I tried to follow what the person on the YouTube video was telling me to do. I found myself getting madder and madder with it. My Husband then said Dawn put it away. As see your getting cross with it. Is hurting me. To see it annoy you and make you cross. At least you tried. So I took my Husband advice. Put it away. It was not for me. I have not tried it since. Nor will I be ever again. Then I heard the Lord say Dawn I am proud of you for trying. I smiled. As I did get upset that I couldn’t do it. Then I went to our women’s group in our Church said tried crocheting. But even went on YouTube to get beginner course on it. Still could not master it. So it’s not for me. Before that a lady in our Women’s group. Before I went home to practice it. Laughed at the effort I had made in our Church Women group. That lady said Dawn and laughed. What kind of mess are doing something along those line. That looks offal. I said to this lady who was good at it. I can’t get the hang of this no matter what. She this lady in our Women’s group even tried to help me. It was no good. So I said to her I will leave it for to day and try at home. But I was a bit hurt that she laughed at the offal job of crocheting I had tried too do. But I said nothing. As she could have said good on you for at least trying but she didn’t. That is what hurt. Like you with that person Tasha. They could have instead of saying what they. At least you are trying to draw within the lines. It reminded me as write this reply. Of song I think I learnt at Sunday School when small. It is “Jesus hands were kind hands doing good to all”. That person that laughed even though I didn’t let them know it hurt they laughed at my efforts of trying to crochet. Like that time that person said to you what they did. But both theses people could have been a bit kinder. Not said what they said and been like the song. “Jesus hand were kind hands doing good to all”. They could have been kinder and good to us both the person that said what they said to you about not drawing in-between the lines. That person to me by laughing. That person that did that too me. Is saved. They should have known better. Been kind like Jesus. No hurt me by laughing at my crochet which I be knew myself was not good. But I am proud of you Tasha for trying to colour in the lines. Me for the crocheting. What matters most. Is we both tried. Plus what Jesus say about us not people. Jesus is I know this proud we tried. Love you all incourage in my prayers. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little xx

    • Oh Dawn, I’m so sorry about what happened with the crocheting – that would’ve hurt me as well. But, as you said, we can be proud of our effort and may these experiences that that impacted us inform us as we interact with others. May you and I be a voice of grace and give courage away. Grateful for you, beautiful Dawn.

  2. Being a Christian dad with three lovely daughters your article has helped me to see them more through Our Father God’s eyes. Thank you sister.

  3. Tasha, this story is so good. So thankful for the grace of Jesus as life isn’t always easy. From childhood to be an adult for years. He’s always with us. Times when I feel upset I remember to look for things in my day to be thankful for. I’m a photographer and at times i feel I’m not as good as others as they have better, more expensive cameras and lenses. I continue to work on my photos and share it with people on my blog. I get disappointed I don’t get many comments on my posts but alot readers. I continue to share scripture as well. Never know how it help people. God bless you Tasha!!!

    • Thank you so much, Becky. I pray you are encouraged in your creative work as you reflect our creator God when you capture images. May you know this and delight in this when you are tempted to listen to other voices.

  4. Hi!
    One of the Best writings that
    I have ever read! It shows how
    Important it is to be kind!
    You never know who is hurting.
    God Bless !
    Sandy

  5. Dear Tasha Jun, I also could not stay in the lines while coloring no matter how hard I tried as a child. Even before my hands hurt too much to hold a nail polish brush,almost as much polish that made it onto my nails ended up on my finger tips as well. I’ve always been a people please and perfectionist which is a horrible duo. I tried to fit in the lines of whatever does a perfect daughter,student, friend, mom. white American,Japanese American, supposed to look like. Never feeling that I was doing any of it even half ‘perfect’. Even whenever I’m in the hospital or my many medical visits, I want to be the ‘perfect’ patient. Being an author where everything is so subjective adds and extra layer of vulnerability. I tend to take criticism and lack of responses straight to my heart and hearing echoes of “just imagine how successful you would be if you just worked a little harder” from my childhood. There are days between the emotional and physical pain that I want to break all my crayons in frustration like I wanted to do as a child(but didn’t because that would make a mess and surely that ‘perfect’ student in front of me would never that way)..Your beautiful words remind me that I am loved by Jesus who is perfect. I don’t have to be perfect. I can just ‘be’. I can color outside the lines, there isn’t just one perfect way to be a person,to be loved by Him. Thank you so much for giving me strength this morning. God bless ❤

    • Yes, you are wholly loved, Kathleen. I felt your pain and your courage in the words you shared here. I understand, friend, and I’m so grateful for the tender, brave heart God has given you, and for how you and your story reflect Him in a needed way. Love you!

  6. Tasha,
    Thank you for this amazing story. I can identify with many of your
    illustrations.
    Only God’s grace can save me from being such a people pleaser. God’s blessings and love

  7. Tasha,

    No one down here is perfect. We are all flawed humans. We will stumble & color outside the lines lots. That’s ok. God gives us grace upon grace to get up & try again. Society puts pressure on us to be perfect & do things “the right way”. Anything less is unacceptable. That is pure nonsense. God doesn’t condemn us so why should we listen to others harsh words? I know I’ve failed tons in my years. That hasn’t stopped God from loving & forgiving me. We need to stop being so hard on ourselves & just be the best Christian-fill in the blank we can be.

    Blessings 🙂

  8. I agree whole heartedly with this life lesson. Only Jesus can change us from the inside out. He is our Redeemer, our friend who sticks closer to us than anyone else. Praise him for his saving grace and mercy!