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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Comments

  1. As a Korean immigrant, I can totally relate to the feelings you had as a kid. Thank you for sharing your story and also for giving us the opportunity to win a copy of your book.

    • Thank you for this! I agree that cultural assimilation is not the answer—which is a sign of our “ongoing brokeness” (the effect of sin). It is only temporary. A bandaid. A “sweep it under the rug” sort of thing. Sooner and later our pain and aches comes back.

      This is a sign that we are all in deep need!

      So yes, the answer is Christ! Our identity in Christ always trumps and comes first over all other: over language, culture, ethnicity, nationalism, and race. And that is the most freeing thing because Christ gets to say who we are; not the world.

      Because of that we have the freedom and peace see ourselves the way God sees us: beautiful, unworthy but worthy, broken, but made GOOD. Blood isn’t thicker than water! Because we belong in this thing called the spiritual family of God. We’re all adopted! You and I are closer because we are children of God than how we are related ethnically to people who look like us. We are family in Christ.

      And I agree— we don’t feel like we truly belong because we really don’t belong. The world isn’t our home.

      With eternity in perspective, all of our culture, language, skin color, ethnicity— all is going to fade away. And when we die… this world’s identity for us dims significantly to nothing. What matters most is how God sees us. And he sees us as made Good and redeemed through his Son, Jesus.

      I’m Hmong American and I was hit with the dilemma: preserve my cultural roots or “assimilate” in America. I chose neither!

      I chose to preserve the gospel first. Seek the Kingdom first and all else will follow.

      It wasn’t until then that I said, I love this part of being Hmong; and any cultural practice of being Hmong that is ungodly, I renounced. The same came along as being an American. I love being the American I am, but not all of it is good.

      God, You get the last say in who I am. If this hard road leads me to you, then I will walk through it if you want me to.

      • Thank you for sharing your story, Houa, and for a glimpse of what it looks like for you to carry the layers God has given you to consider and carry with your story as a Hmong American.

        One thing that I love when thinking about eternity with God, is that we will be with God and bring our divinely given ethnicity with us as the vision is described by John in Revelation 7:9 , “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” Won’t it be so beautiful to witness the imago Dei in each of our ethnicities as we worship together?

        So glad you are here.

    • Sorry! I did not mean to reply to your comment, but to make a comment to the post here. I think I pressed the wrong button. My phone scrunched up the web page. I apologize!

      But I appreciate your comment nonetheless 🙂 I too can relate!

    • I’m so glad you are here. Thank you for letting me know that the feelings shared resonated with you.

  2. As a biracial individual myself I feel so much of what Tasha spoke to in this post! Definitely plan on reading this book!

    • Emily, I’m so glad the post reached you and that you can resonate. It’s a unique story we carry. I’m happy you’re here!

  3. You are beautiful inside and out! Keep shining your light for all the world to see Jesus in you!

  4. Tasha,

    My heart breaks for your little girl pain. Though our experiences are different, I remember how others treated me in hurtful ways, how those instances informed how I saw myself.

    I’m SO thankful God can redeem everything in our lives, in His time, in His ways. Your book is going to be such an encouragement to help readers see Him in a way that ushers in Shalom…and the way we see ourselves in light of who He is. What a gift!

    • Those things stay with us for a long time, don’t they? I’m grateful for healing and for the ways God pursues us and cares about the mending and liberation, no matter how long it takes us to receive it.

  5. Yes we are all same but yet different in our own ways in Jesus. As we all have our own personality’s that Jesus has given each of us. We are all Brother’s and Sister’s in Christ. There to help either and love either the way Jesus helped and love us and still does. Even though we are same yet different as we belong to one big Family the Family of God. That is so good to know. We are all Brother’s and Sister’s in Christ to be there for either. What make us different is our looks and where come from. But we all have the same and one Heavenly Father who loves and cares for us and cares for us enough to call us his children. We can him our Heavenly Father. Our Heavenly Father goes on to call us more than his children but Daughters of the king. That is so nice to know. He loves us for who we are he is glad to be our Heavenly Father. He loves us so much he sent his son to die for us. No greater love was that. Thank you Tasha for what you wrote so true all what you said. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little xx keeping you all incourage in prayer

  6. In reading today’s “In Courage” selection by Tasha Jun, my thoughts drifted not only to the rejection of ethnic and cultural identities, but of all being made in God’s image. “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

    ALL are created in God’s image. Acutely aware of their physical and emotional differences, many in the LGBTQ community conceal their true selves and own the shame thrust upon them by a society intolerant of any differences. As the author states, “any time we reject a part of ourselves that makes us distinct . . . it’s all part of this ongoing brokenness.” Further, she realized “that to belong I would have to get rid of everything that kept me from blending in and hide all that colored me in as the full version of myself.”

    Many in our society today are finally breaking the shackles that bind them and coming out of hiding.

    Let us imitate Jesus, our ultimate teacher, and “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Matthew 1:1

    • Kathy, thank you for your thoughtfulness and for sharing your thoughts with us. I can tell that you have a deep well of empathy and that you think about the belonging and welcome of all people. I’m so glad you are here and that you are in the world.

  7. I have seen your book out, about, and being talked about. Sounds so interesting! Thanks for sharing this today. I have a tendency to hide myself and am trying to teach myself not to do that. Someone recently told me, “I know you must have been taught to be small somewhere but we need you!” What a gift that person was to me when she said that. Thank you for another opportunity to win!

    • Heidi, may Love keep leading you out of hiding. I know how terrifying it can be to revisit the reasons and to show up whole. It will take the time it takes, but your friend is right – you are needed. We’re so glad you are here in this community.

  8. I was praising God this morning for His beautiful creation and marveling at how he created every person that has ever existed unique. Every one of us is different yet He knows us inside and out. He loves each and every one of us more than we can comprehend. Sin separates us from God and each other but the Holy Spirit binds us together in love.

  9. I appreciate your candid sharing. We live in a broken and evil world,where we become targets due to our faith in CHRIST, our race, ethnicity and culture. Our Creator made us as individuals to embrace ourselves and live for the LORD.
    It’s certainly getting harder for believers to be accepted in this “upside down” world where right is wrong and vice versa.

    My hope is in CHRIST, and I shall continue to follow HIM wholeheartedly. I will continue to witness for the LORD by being supportive, loving, kind and understanding to others who are different from me. I have many opportunities to do so in the country I live in.

    One day, we will rejoice in the new kingdom established by the LORD. All praise and glory to the King of kings and LORD of lords. Meanwhile, let us remain steadfast in the LORD who is the same yesterday, today and forever.

  10. Thank you Tasha for the beautiful reminders that we are created in God’s image, and also for giving us the chance to win copies of the book. I already know who I would gift the books to. I love this safe space to encourage and hear peoples’ experiences in a God centered platform. I wish all platforms were this (in)couraging!

  11. Thank you for sharing your heart with all of us today. I appreciate hearing so many different voices. It’s one of my favourite things about (in)courage. All of us have voices that need to be heard and identities that need to be celebrated. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn from so many wonderful women.

  12. Tasha,

    It’s sad that people treat each other with such disrespect-especially little children. They are usually more accepting than adults. Why can’t we all just love each other like Jesus? We seem to forget that each of us ALL nations, cultures, etc. were created by the same God & in His image. We need to respect & come alongside anyone in hiding. Love on them as Jesus would.

    Christ has redeemed people “from every tribe and language and people and nation.” In Heaven we will have a multi-ethnic group gathered around the throne praising God. This will be a super encouragement to many.

    Blessings 🙂