‘Trusting Gods Rhythm of Life’
Pastor Matararaba is also a musician and a composer.
Music has been part of our culture and our life journey through generations. Many have tailored their life journey on gospel music that have become a beacon of hope to countless individuals.
Sakiusa Matararaba, who is now a pastor and musician, grew up barely knowing who his mother was. After 18 years, he finally met her. Two years later, he met his father.
His upbringing and what he went through had impacted his life journey: his story is no fairy tale.
The 49-year-old hails from Moce in Lau, with maternal link to Dratabu Village. Raised in Dratabu, Pastor Matararaba grew up not knowing what life had installed for him.
His family did not provide him much, which saw him reaching class 5. He left school and since then it was his daily chore to feed the pigs.
Not finding the comfort to sleep at his home, he then chose the Methodist Church in the village as a resting place. He and his brother called the church their second home, and Pastor Matararaba always made the effort to see his brother continue with his studies.
“Every morning, I wake up to tend to my chores. I would feed myself first before feeding the pigs as life was hard for us. From that lowest point in my life, I felt that God was working in a mysterious way moulding me. I never imagined that life would be as such,” he said.
Composing his emotions as he vividly remembers the echoing of unforgettable moments of hurtful words that scarred his life, words that drastically weighed him down thinking that he would probably never survive this journey growing up.
“These are words that you’ll never imagine being uttered to you as a kid. You’re a fatherless kid, you’re a pig, you are worthless.”
One morning, as he woke up, he embraced and kissed his little brother knowing that it would be
the last time they see each other.
“As my bother turns around, he saw the rope and he asked what I was going to do with the ropes. I tried replying but I couldn’t utter any words. With tears streaming down my face I just walked away.”
Towards the coconut tree, he walked, with an unwavering thought that the decision he’s making will put everything to rest. Part of his daily chores was rearing cows and bullocks so knotting the rope wasn’t new to him.
He climbs the coconut tree, ties the rope securely to the tree and around his neck before he gazed up to the sky and prayed, “Oh God if you truly created me with a purpose in this world please untie this rope.”
As tying animals was his daily chore, he knew exactly what he was into, he let go of the tree and jumped. Somehow the rope was loosened from his neck. When that happened, he knew that it was God all along.
“I was swept with anger. I was angry at God for allowing me to live with the painful suffering that has scarred my childhood” he said.
For the very first time, he experienced and felt the tenderness and warmth of love in his life: it was a feeling like no other. A precious moment of experiencing the embrace of God’s love and tenderness for him was so real.
As he knelt on the ground contemplating what had happened, he heard a scripture being echoed to his ears, Jeremiah 1-5 – Before you were born, I knew you and I have chosen you. Those were the words that sank deep into his heart to date.
Today, Pastor Matararaba has been serving as a pastor for the past 10 years and is now an associate pastor at Lautoka CMF.
He is also a musician and a composer. He is married to Vikaili Qaunawa, and they have a son, Onisimo Matararaba.
His journey also inspired him to compose a gospel song tiltled ‘Saulevu Dina Na Loloma’.
In his Volume One album, Pastor Matararaba also composed ‘Na Loloma’, which tells a story of a man of God, the late Reverend Viliame Lomaloma and his encounter with God.
His heartfelt music album serves as a reminder that no matter what comes your way, there’s a promise that you will get through it.
He is calling on all Fijians to put God first always in everything.