Wednesday, June 29, 2016

A Letter to my Sixteen Year Old Self...



Hey You! 

Well here I am 22 years later and I wanted you to know how much you are loved. There's a great God out there who sees way past all of the problems you are facing right now and He is going to turn it all around some day. Here are 7 things I want you to know:

  • 1. You know that smile that everyone keeps telling you lights up the room - they're not lying! God has given that smile to you so you can bring His Light into the hearts of many people. 

  • 2. That list you wrote of all the things you don't like about your body- Honey, you were fearfully and wonderfully made (well thought-out and planned) and not one inch of your body was mistakenly put there. No BODY is perfect, no matter what the magazines try to tell you. 

  • 3. That boy who stood you up on Queen Street and told you you looked better in the dark! He ain't got nothing on you! You don't have to hide your face in dark places to reveal your beauty- it will shine where it's value will be most appreciated. Don't let a boy define, abuse, or diminish your beauty. You are beautiful and no one needs to tell you otherwise. Embrace it and carry it as it gives glory to the One who created you that way. 

  • 4. Your dad, he loves you. He might not have been able to appropriate that love in a healthy and respectful way, but deep down he truly does. He just did the best with what he knew. Don't hate him for it. See him as God sees him and you won't waste so many of your years being controlled by your judgement of his faults.

  • 5. That pain you feel inside that causes you to take that craft knife to your skin so you transfer the pain to the outside, it's going to be healed. It's going to be used. It's all going to turn around and it's going to be okay.

  • 6. You are not your sisters shadow. Though she may seem more beautiful than you and more popular to them, what you have to offer the world in and of itself is enough to be confident in. Don't shrink back into the shadow of someone else. Rise up and sit under the light that you were born to shine in!

  • 7. And last but not least- that fear you've been battling; the fear of rejection- remember you are accepted in the Beloved! The fear of failure - remember that your mistakes are your teacher and they are going to help you pass your next test! The fear of loneliness- remember that you are never alone! There is a God who sees you...all the time and in every situation. He will never leave you nor forsake you! The fear of travel- you will travel fear free one day and you will know the safety of being under the shadow of the wings of the Almighty. 

My girl, if only I could reach into your skin again and live out your current days; basing your choices on your worth rather than your insecurities, your value rather than your damage. May our life be a message to help others know the truth behind the lies they have been told.. 

With so much love, 

Michelle Tiatia.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

What Am I Really Missing Out On?

After reading one of Jentezen Franklin’s book a few years ago, I decided to do a 21 day Daniel Fast. It was the first time for me and as I feared not eating (in fact I started off with three days of full fasting), I ate up large the night before I started. Up until that point in my life, eating had become a coping mechanism for me. I love food and I used it many times in my life to calm emotions, feed my starving soul, take out my anger and just indulge in some goodness for my pallet. So the thought of fasting scared me, to say the least.

But once I started fasting, and really, it’s still eating but just cutting out some of the favourites and remaining in a spirit of prayer.. I realized that what I was believing God for was more valuable than the food that I was sacrificing. So I wrote this in my journal..


“I’m not missing out on anything, unless I’m missing out on You.” You Meaning God

I was making chocolate cupcakes at a camp for kids when I realized that even for this seemingly big sacrifice of not eating this food I had spent hours cooking, NOTHING compares to what I would miss if I missed out on God and the answer He would give as a result of my fasting.

This can also translate to the life that we live right now. My kids were asked recently where they would rather live – Ethiopia or New Zealand? Not an unusual question for them and they were being asked by a New Zealander in Ethiopia so they felt free to answer as this person was well aware of both country’s contexts. Freely my daughters answered that they would rather live in Ethiopia because of the lifestyle but it took my youngest son a couple of days to answer and he answered when we were alone. He said, “If my cousins were all here in Ethiopia with us, I would rather live in Ethiopia…If all our family were here. “  I completely understand and too often yearn to have cuddles with my nephews and nieces and late night catch ups with my sisters and Mum. I feel like I’m missing out when birthdays are celebrated and special holidays call for family gatherings and we are not there. But at the end of the day, I know that I’m not missing out on anything unless I am missing out on God and His purpose and plan for my life.

Yesterday we went to a church service where the preacher was speaking from where Paul says “To live is Christ…” He made a point about the things that we as humans can replace the word “Christ” for. The first example he used was “money”. To live is money. This is the mantra of the lives of so many people (Christian and non-Christian) around the world. We believe that money makes the world go round and perhaps makes our life complete but if that’s what it’s all about then life is seemingly meaningless as money is only temporary. It’s just a tool to fulfill life’s real purpose.

The second example he used was one that he said was huge for American’s especially. He said “To live is Family… and went on to explain how many people put family and children before the worship of God. This he said can be interpreted as family becoming a god. To us of the familial-centered cultures, this is a challenge. What if taking our children out of our comfort zone was God’s will and we chose comfort for them over obedience to Him. Does that make them our god? What if a father insisted a child stay and chase his career options in one country that would fulfil his every material desire but he chose to go instead to a far away country where his skills were needed more and God has called him. Does his disobedience to his father mean he is sinning or does his obedience to where he is called by God supersede his father’s command?

I’ve met so many young people who have come to Ethiopia or who have heard us speak about our calling here and God’s provision in making it happen and have said that they feel called also. But there are people and circumstances in their lives that have stopped them from doing it. I am not saying that I am any better because we have done this thing…I speak because I know people still don’t understand our calling and the sacrifices we made to make this move, but God does. God knows the call, He knows the fear that follows and the hesitation to obey. But on the other side of that He also knows the blessing that awaits. He knows the joy that you will experience by being in His will and purpose. He feels the pain of the departure but He also knows the pleasure of the arrival.
Moses knew the truth of this sacrifice. He had the Promised Land in front of Him, but he was not willing to claim it unless God was with him. In essence he was saying “I am not missing out on anything (even the Promised Land) unless I’m missing out on you.

 Then he said to Him “If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.”
Exodus 33:15

Over the five years that we have been on this journey coming to and living in Ethiopia, our sacrifices have been acknowledged on various occasions. My response is always that, the greater sacrifice would be to NOT come to Ethiopia. I would rather miss out on all the things in New Zealand (family, the lifestyle, the beaches, the conveniences) than to miss out on what God has for us here. There is no better place to be than in the centre of His will.


So I’m writing this blog as a challenge and as an encouragement. What do you fear missing out on when you or if you were to step into God’s will? Then also to encourage those who feel like we are making a sacrifice. When we get to heaven (and we’re not getting there by our good works or by our sacrifices we made here, but by the ultimate sacrifice Christ made on the cross and our belief in Him) we will have everything we missed out here on earth. Our time here on earth is short compared to how we will spend eternity. We only live once and we will never know the fullness of joy that comes with being in Christ’s will apart from our time on earth. So let’s make it count.

One of the beautiful lakes in Debre Zeit


The truth of the matter is that stepping out in obedience to God's calling here has opened up the door for so many blessings, in experiences, in ministry, in relationships, in travel, in meeting some amazing people. God is never in debt to us. Our sacrifices can never outweigh His.