How Much Does God Actually Want to Interact with Our Lives?

Growing up, I really didn’t think of God much beyond the fact that Jesus had died for my sins so that I could go to heaven someday.

I knew I *ought* to read the Bible & pray, but not why. Just felt it was what a “good Christian person” does… not much beyond that.

I also understood that I was supposed to live in a way that pleased God, so… try to be a nice person, try not to break His laws/commandments, & make good choices that would make Him happy.

Then there’s tithe, to support my local church… go to church on Sundays… pray before a meal… serve somehow, some way… pray when I’m scared of the dark or of a nightmare (I used to have chronic nightmares).

Other than that… well, I didn’t really think God was much involved in my life. More like a distant overseer who would let me into heaven someday because of what Jesus did for me.

What Can Prayer Actually Do?

I also REALLY didn’t understand the purpose of prayer, or even the point of it sometimes (I mean, He already knows my thoughts anyway).

(***You can read 3 previous blog posts on the topic of prayer, here: “What Even Is Prayer?” “What Is Prayer & Why Does It Matter?” “‘Pray Continually’–What Does Prayer Actually Accomplish?” ***)

So, thinking about God as a part of my daily life just seemed sort of not really a thing.

But, the more I read the Bible, the more I pray, & the more years that pass as someone seeking to know Him more & more… the more I have realized just how personal & involved God wants to be in our lives… if we but let Him.

Think of the verses in the Bible about “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) this isn’t some sort of “stay knelt at the edge of your bed with your hands clasped & your eyes closed… & never EVER leave there.” This is a “instead of just inner dialogue, recognize God hears every thought & turn those thoughts toward conversation with Him.”

Learn from Those in the Bible Who Turned to God in Prayer about EVERYTHING… Vs Those Who Didn’t… (Sometimes the Same Person Did Both)

My husband & I read a chapter of the Bible together every night before bed, followed by our thoughts on what we’d read & then we take turns praying over our next day & thanking Him… & we just finished 2 Chronicles.

Just reading about all of the kings throughout Israel’s history during that time period, you see the good, the bad, & the UGLY (like burning your children alive to “appease” false “gods” UGH).

But what these chapters show over & over again is what God can do with a life willing to go to Him with every thought, every question, every struggle… willing to humble yourself before God with everything… & when they didn’t, like near the end of 2 Chronicles (2 Chronicles 35) (also, see David’s story), even when warned that it was God’s leading & to not try to stop it… instead of stopping to confirm with God, Josiah got himself killed. Every decision should go before the King of kings… not just doing what seems right to us.

The Patterns of the World?

Or how about the many repeated times where the phrase “& the people did what was right in their own eyes” shows up? (Judges 21:25) I always pictured it talking about orgies & other despicable things… but it quite literally is just what it says, they were “doing what was right in their own eyes.” That is seen as a bad thing, & goes along also with the phrase of the “vain patterns of their fathers,” doing what’s always been modeled to us versus checking it against what God says & how God leads.

“Don’t conform yourself to the patterns of this world, but BE transformed by the renewing of your mind….” (Romans 12:2)

We are not here on this earth to just live & then die. We were born, KNIT TOGETHER, (Psalm 139:13) our days numbered before even one began… to WORSHIP OUR KING. To live for the SPIRITUAL Kingdom of GOD. NOT this world!

How often do we live like that is actually true? How often do we just follow the patterns of the world we live in? The way we grew up?

How often do we stop & say to ourselves, “wait, everything else will just die with me when I go… ONLY living for God’s kingdom will last beyond my lifetime”? How often?

Who Do I Act Like I Am I REALLY Living For?

I grew up thinking to try to live a good life, “with a little dash of Jesus for good measure.” But who am I living for? Me? Or Him?

Even praying before meals had become a mindless ritual in many cases, while Jesus demonstrates it solely as a sign of humble respect, thanking God for His provisions, recognizing it as all from Him, before eating it. (Luke 22:19; John 6:11)

Do you know how much RICHER your life will become when it is fully, completely, & entirely submitted to THE eternal, all-powerful, all-wise, gracious, loving KING of kings? Because EVERYTHING you do will hold ETERNAL significance!

Don’t you want a life like that??? Don’t you CRAVE that???

What Would That Life Look Like?

A life where even menial, thankless, ever-needing-to-be-done tasks (like laundry, dishes, cleaning, bill-paying) become opportunities to thank God for all He has supplied, to honor Him by stewarding the resources well, to honor Him by working hard & allowing it to become a safe haven space for you & your family to come home to?

Work becomes a space where you can shine a light of hope to a world who does not know Hope, to pray for co-workers, to offer encouragement or grounding truth from God’s Word, to serve them, to find ways to make their EVERY day a little brighter & easier to show up for?

Where screw ups & failures & weaknesses never get wasted, because you pray & ask God to teach you to better trust & rely on Him through them & they become examples to the world of how great & gracious our God truly is. That He can do anything… He has no limitations.

Where peace enters your life when chaos still lingers because you have humbled yourself before Him to hold you through it. A peace not reliant upon peaceful circumstances returning.

Where bad attitudes, stress, & short tempers are met with a lowered head & a silent prayer of asking God for forgiveness & the grace to face that moment in a way that honors Him vs. just how it’s making you feel.

Parenting becomes discipleship. Marriage becomes a display of His grace. Friendships become fellowship. Church becomes humble worship… LIFE becomes humble worship.

Isn’t that what you want? Don’t you crave that?

How Much of Your Life Do You Let God Be a Part Of? … & How Much Do You Keep Back from Him?

Really think about it: How much of your life do you let God be a part of? … & how much do you keep back from Him?

Do you follow the patterns of people that live “with a dash of Jesus”? Or do you seek to let God help you forge a life fully surrendered to His Kingdom?

As I heard in a video recently, “Pretend that every time you walk into a room—God sent you there. How would that change how you act/live?”

We are here for a purpose: to worship & glorify God through all that we live, say, think, & do… are you living that way? Or are you just satisfied with your “dash” of Him?

Shine HOPE by letting God be your ALWAYS focus in your EVERY moment… not just the “dash of Jesus” ones.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

January 2026 “Hope Mail” INDIA

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of January! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!       

Your purchase of January Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty.     

Featured in this month’s Hope Mail is the Love Letter Necklace. This adorable golden necklace features an envelope pendant and is creating dignified jobs for women in India. Each gold-tone envelope pendant looks like it’s sealed with a heart.

Every purchase of this month’s Hope Mail creates safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.

***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Short Answer? No

How do you become someone who is ALL IN for God? Is it only certain people who are exceptionally passionate people? Extra spiritual somehow? The right personality for it?

How can you go from just your average person to someone with a ministry like Paul’s? Like authors/speakers/pastors you admire? Is that even possible?

Sometimes it seems tempting to “leave that up to the ones who are “called” to it… those who seem to know what they’re doing… who seem to be naturals at it.” The problem with that line of thinking is literally every example of flawed human beings we read about in the Bible (aka everyone)… that the wonder, power, greatness, wisdom, miracles, etc. did not come from them being great at all… but because they trusted God over themselves.

I’m Never Going to be Good Enough…

I grew up a Christian. But I wasn’t always as I am now: designing/running my own website & blog, leading Bible studies, prayer groups, Sunday school classes, accountability groups, etc. I never thought I was good enough for ANY of that… & I wasn’t… & I still am not.

When I was just 5 years old, God got my attention. The sermon the pastor had preached in church started illuminating, as if it just all started suddenly coming into clear focus. That the sin he preached about was about ME TOO. I lied to my parents, argued, disobeyed, was mean to my little sister… all those things were SIN. I WAS WHY JESUS HAD TO DIE. ME.

I realized that my sin angered God & separated me from Him & made me worthy of Hell. I realized Jesus loved ME enough to die for MY sins. That Jesus was the ONLY way, because I was not good enough.

My parents asked me questions & walked me through how I could lay down my life & trust in Jesus to save me from my sins, that His death & resurrection alone was sufficient.

God, in His infinite grace, through His love for us that compelled Him… saw fit to pay my debts.

I Thought God Was Pretty Hands Off in the Day-to-Day… That His Saving Me Applied Only After Death… I Was Wrong

But, although I knew eternal peace from that young age &, in hindsight saw His fingerprints all throughout my life… I didn’t know much beyond that. I had to LEARN it.

You see, I thought He gave us His Word (the Bible) as good pointers/wisdom & that was that… it was up to me to figure out the rest from there. I didn’t know how He could help illuminate His Word to me through the Holy Spirit, as He had when the pastor had preached about heaven & hell all those years ago. I thought it was up to me to figure it all out.

I also wrongly felt pressures to always be good enough to “deserve” Jesus. As if I felt I needed to add more onto it as my life went on, more clearly recognizing my unworthiness the older I got… & I wanted to balance the scales a bit so I could maybe feel worthy of Jesus saving me… constantly worried that if I didn’t do enough, maybe my salvation was fake because I knew I was so flawed.

I also wrongly believed that God didn’t have much to do with my day-to-day life, other than me trying to read the Bible & live in a way that honored Him. Like… that GOD was pretty much hands-off other than that.

Everything We Say or Do Will All Pass Away… Except for What We Do for HIS KINGDOM

I ALSO wrongly believed that life was just life. You follow the flow of society… go to school, graduate, go to college, get a job, get married, have kids, etc. & that life was just about trying to do your best to live for God by praying before meals, going to church, not cussing, & just trying to be a good person, etc. through all of it.

I didn’t really truly understand the purpose of prayer beyond thanking Him for things, asking for things, or whatever.

Maybe all this describes you right now. That you believe that’s that & there’s nothing more to it.

But can I challenge you to wonder if there could be more?

That the fruit of prayer can be so incredibly richer than you currently believe it to be?

Even in the Quiet, Unappreciated, Unnoticed Parts of Life… They Can be Used to Glorify & Worship God, Too

I am not talking about a “going viral” type of ministry. I am not talking about being an author or speaker recognized nationally. Or even being really popular.

Sometimes it’s in the quiet things & seems to go quite unnoticed (like my little blog—or even like parenting or tending to your home/family). Sometimes it’s so small, but yet so rich.

This is why I write this blog, or at least a huge part of it. I desperately want you to see that going more & more ALL IN for Him is not reserved for the super spiritual type people. It’s for the average, even less than average. I want you to experience the richness of a life full, brimming, & overflowing with purpose, a joy that goes beyond circumstances… a life mission that lives long after you. A life of bringing honor & glory & worship to the One True King of kings, Lord of Heaven & Earth, Savior of our souls.

Even in the mundane. Even in just surrendering your sour attitude on a hard morning. Even in remembering to pray when you feel weak or even when you feel strong, relying on Him over self. Even on caring for others in the quiet, unnoticed things. Living a life surrendered to His purposes & His Will & His provision & His Love. A life that puts Him first in EVERYTHING, praying for His help to do so at every turn, even & especially when you REALLY don’t FEEL like it.

He Can Use the Weakest of the Weak, if They Are But Willing to Surrender Their Meager Self to His Infinite Power & Purpose

I was no one special. I was just some girl growing up thinking it was all up to me to be a good person to please God “enough.” I didn’t know He would help me in doing that better if I but asked Him & relied upon His help.

I prayed only when I needed something, not when I truly believed nothing could change anyway. Now I see the evidence again & again in the Bible of WHY we OUGHT TO TURN TO HIM WHEN THERE IS NO HOPE… because God can do what I can’t. He can make happen what I can’t.

Not vain repetitions, as if He doesn’t already know… but repeatedly & consistently because you know He’s where your hope will be found & nowhere else.

Praying for HIS peace when peace is impossible.

Praying for HIS strength when you are absolutely depleted of it.

Praying for HIS wisdom when you’ve exhausted all options.

Praying for forgiveness when you have fallen short for the millionth time already, knowing His grace has no limits.

Praying for help to make the right choice, to have the right attitude… for even a desire to WANT to make the right choice or have the right attitude (that’s usually where I have to start anyway).

Does Your Personality Determine How “All In” You Can be with God?

You aren’t BORN WANTING to please God, but SELF.

Going ALL IN with God takes a surrendered heart, a surrendered will.

It takes a willingness over & over & over again, not giving up on what God can do with a willing heart, saying, “God, I am unworthy, make me more like Your Son… make me more like Jesus. Help me to honor You better, to love You better, to please You better in EVERY area of my life, big or small. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

I promise you, it is 100% worth it.

I am still a work-in-progress & forever will be. But I have a God Who is so far beyond my limitations. And in Him is where my trust is rooted... not myself.

…. Not myself….

What Are You Willing to Surrender? What Are You Willing to Trust God Can Change in You?

If you want an ALL IN faith, an ALL IN life (one that you can look back on while on your death bed & be proud of), you have to be repeatedly willing to lay yourself, your way, your will, your wisdom, your all… down at His feet as a sacrifice. For Him to redeem it into something more beautiful, more eternally significant. For His Kingdom.

It’s not an overnight thing. I spent YEARS in tumultuous doubts from the clashes of culture vs. God’s Word in my youth, years I never thought could ever end. He ended it by leading me through one of the darkest valleys I’ve ever known. But on the other side, I walked out in full assurance of Who my God is. That I never had to doubt ever again–& for that, I only WISH I could lead everyone I know to that same terrible valley I thought I could only hate & fear. Because it led to TRUE LIGHT of HOPE.

I have a long ways to go, but it’s a journey well worth the pursuit. Everything else is just filler before death… death that leads to me being forgotten completely within just a few generations.

But what I do for Jesus Christ will have eternal value. Shining a light of hope into this world, letting my broken pieces be where His light shines through… showing the world the way to HOPE.

Let Your Brokenness & Flaws Shine His Glory & Grace through the Cracks

My mistakes & my flaws & my failures are no longer mine to keep… they are the cracks & crevices that allow others to see what God can do with our brokenness & our flawed humanity. His redemption. His healing. His grace. His love. His HOPE.

So, the level of your being ALL IN with God, living as a true light for Him in all areas of your life, has very little to do with you or your personality… & it has ALL to do with your willingness to continue laying yourself down to His help & His will over your own.

So… SHINE for Him. Shine HOPE. But first, be willing to start with repeated-throughout-the-years moments of surrender that say, “God, I want to live ALL IN for You, but I have no idea where to begin… or if I have the personality for it… so change me, shape me into someone who lives to live a life that shines hope, found only in Your Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ worthy, holy name, AMEN.”

~It is a journey well worth it.

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Moon Earrings (Handcrafted in INDIA)

Showcase detailed Artisanal craftmanship when you style these unique Moon Earrings! These gorgeous, beaded earrings are handcrafted in a workshop in India that’s committed to fighting child marriage and helping women become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. Featuring white beads in a gold moon shape and finished with a freshwater pearl, the Moon Earrings are intricately crafted to create a subtle, beautiful iridescent design. Not only are the Moon Earrings stunning, but they also create necessary jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty in India. 

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

It’s So Much More

The story of Christmas goes beyond sparkling lights & beautiful presents under a beautiful tree. It’s more than the upbeat, cheerful melodies of the Christmas carols or the delectable smells drifting throughout the house from cookies baking in the oven or a Christmas scented candle lit nearby.

The story of Christmas is a story of HOPE… & not just hope for those whose lives seem outwardly to have earned it. No… hope for the weary & broken. Hope for the hurting & lonely. Hope for the one who feels all hope is gone.

It is a story of the God Who created the world & everyone in it, Who sits on His heavenly throne, being worshipped & praised night & day, Who is deserving of all honor & praise & submission… stepping down from Heaven, to be born in human flesh… so that He could humble Himself for us… even to death on a cross.

It is a story of our long-suffering type of patient God, demonstrating, through His actions… His sacrifice… His love for His created.

It is a story of HOPE.

God Sees You, He Knows Your Heart

I don’t know where you’re at in life right now, sitting on the other side of this screen, reading this. Whether you feel joyful or sorrowful, strong or depleted, together or falling apart… hopeful or hopeless.

But I do know that God sees you where you are. He knows the deepest depths of your heart, even the hurts you hide behind your smile. He sees it all.

And He saw it before you were even born. He knew this feeling would come. He saw you here, now… back then.

And He prepared for you a plan of HOPE against all odds… HOPE even in the even if… HOPE even when nothing works out okay & nothing seems to be getting better & no one seems to care you even exist. He made you. He died for you. To offer you hope.

With Him, there is no hopeless.

The Gift Is Given Freely… But It Has to be Received

Maybe you’re reading this & feeling offended. Reared up. Ready to spew all the reasons you project that mean you’re doing just fine.

But late at night… when you have nothing to prove… when you’re all alone in the dark… do you feel the same way?

Are you willing to admit to yourself, that if you’re really honest with yourself… you too are looking for some HOPE?

Into His Loving Arms

I have failed God more times than I could ever keep track of in my 37 years of being His child. I don’t deserve one OUNCE of His grace. He, more than ANYONE knows this about me. And yet, by some great miracle, whenever I humble myself before Him & turn to Him… I am not met with a stern gaze & a pointed finger… but with open arms & a warm smile, as if to say, “Come home, My child. I will never give up on you. Never have, never will. I love you too much to leave you, Michelle.”

Through my seasons of raging doubts that tossed me to & fro & left me ever unstable & constantly seeking just-in-cases over Him… to seasons where I thought I could find happiness better, more assuredly, if I sought it anywhere else but Him… to seasons where I was trying so hard to be good enough to earn His favor versus trusting it’s based on His love, not my efforts… to seasons of defiance & rebellion that led to disaster… to seasons where I shut Him out because the season of suffering I was in never seemed to end & praying for help only left me angry with Him & the guilt of that anger made me stop coming to Him altogether….

I have failed Him an embarrassing number of times…. And let me emphasize here that I don’t like just learning my lessons once… I tend to need to learn it repeatedly before it really sticks—I am really thick-headed that way.

And yet… grace. Every time… grace.

You Cannot Out-Sin His Love for You

It used to make me feel guilty coming back… as if I had called in one too many lifelines… that I had used up all my second chances. But not so with God… oh how His grace only seems to ever multiply…. Not to excuse my sin, but to show me that I cannot out-sin His love for me… His grace offered to me. Jesus paid it ALL… ALL to Him I owe.

I cannot out-sin His grace. You don’t have to pretend with God… You don’t have to be fake with Him… He already knows.

YOU cannot out-sin His grace… His LOVE for you.

Not having it all together, but coming broken, sad, without it all together, failing, pitiful, undeserving, wretched, disgusting, flawed, feeling worthless.

But all God sees when He looks down at you… is His love for you… His desire to welcome you back home to His warm embrace.

He is the ultimate HOME.

So COME all ye unfaithful… COME.

Where Hope Meets Us

Let this Christmas be a reminder of the Hope we have because God came as man, to dwell among us… to give His life as a ransom for many… to save us from our sins.

Let the lights remind you of His GLORY. Let the shape of the tree remind you to look up to Him. Let the decorations be a reminder of His splendor. Let the gifts be a reminder of the greatest gift ever given—JESUS, God with us.

Shine HOPE this Christmas by finding your HOPE in Emmanuel, God with us… JESUS. And by giving Him all the honor & praise He deserves this Christmas.

“Oh Come All You Unfaithful” song, by Sovereign Grace Music

O come, all you unfaithful
Come, weak and unstable
Come, know you are not alone
O come, barren and waiting ones
Weary of praying, come
See what your God has done
Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you
O come, bitter and broken
Come with fears unspoken
Come, taste of His perfect love
O come, guilty and hiding ones
There is no need to run
See what your God has done
Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you
He’s the Lamb who was given
Slain for our pardon
His promise is peace
For those who believe
He’s the Lamb who was given
Slain for our pardon
His promise is peace
For those who believe
So come, though you have nothing
Come, He is the offering
Come, see what your God has done
Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you
Christ is born, Christ is born
Christ is born for you
(Songwriters: Bob Kauflin, Lisa Clow–Watch it on YouTube, here: “Oh Come All Ye Unfaithful.”

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Malachite Unity Bracelet–India

Artisans in India handcraft this beautiful Malachite Unity Bracelet while earning a fair wage for their work. Each bracelet features gold-tone beads on one side and malachite beads on the other, creating a beautiful blocked look, perfect for the holidays or everyday wear. Every purchase of the Malachite Unity Bracelet helps to end poverty cycles and keep families out of the slums of India!

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Any Job, with ZERO Obstacles to It…? What Would You Choose?

My friend asked me something like this in the past year or so: “If you could have ANY job, with ZERO obstacles to get it… what would it be? Meaning, no budget constraints for schooling, you automatically gain all the skills you need to do it… no job too big or too small, dream big… what would that dream job be?”

I don’t have to think about that one too hard. I know exactly what I would choose.

Growing up, this wasn’t the case. I was told I was smart, that I could be whatever I wanted. I was told I could dream big—even a CEO or lawyer… that I had what it took to think big.

But… for what? Nothing seemed quite right to me….

I Never Knew “What I Wanted to be When I Grew Up”

That question, though… boy did I dislike it: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Why did I loathe it so much? Because I never had a clue. It made me feel like I was SUPPOSED to have it all figured out, but for some reason could not grasp any idea of it.

I never really knew what job/career stood out to me. I tried so many different things, sort of just shooting in the dark to try to find something that would stick… became a “jack of all trades,” if you will.

I was a bank teller, a bridal gown consultant, acting bridal manager, real estate office receptionist, post office clerk, party store employee, nanny, housecleaner, technical school receptionist, temp, pet sitter, file room worker, call center employee for J Crew, church secretary, backup ESL Teacher in Japan, K5 teacher for a year before moving overseas, cashier for a school cafeteria, substitute teacher, sold knives for Cutco, worked with Trades of Hope (still do)…. But it all just felt like I was trying to force something that was just not mean to be for the long haul. Doing well at it but just feeling like it wasn’t the end goal.

God Always Has a Plan… & Sometimes What We Need Is to be Taken Off Course

Cue getting married & moving overseas. I could NOT seem to get a job. It was so discouraging. But I started doing more ministry related things… eventually designing & launching my website back in 2018.

But God never works without a purpose. He always has a plan we don’t see. He is working!

Eventually, through the study “Breaking Free,” by Beth Moore (you can find a link to this resource on the Resources & Recommendations page of my website, found: here), God showed me that although it was okay to mourn what never was–contrary to how it had sometimes felt–it was also not a punishment that I was childless, but rather a beautiful opportunity to pour into others.

(***You can read about that discovery in more detail in my previous post about it: “To the Barren Woman.”***)

God’s Plan Is Better Than What I Can See

You see, I was never huge with maternal instinct vibes, but I wanted kids just simply so I could pour into & disciple them to serve God long after I was gone. To leave behind a legacy for Christ.

And Beth Moore brought up that exact thing. That a mother’s main role is pouring into their children, but as a childless woman, I could pour into THEM, to strengthen & encourage THEM to then pour that overflow into THEIR children.

I bawled my eyes out when God showed me that because I realized in that moment that it was what I wanted more than anything in the world… to share His hope with those who need that reminder. And we all could use that reminder.

If I Could Have My Dream Job

My dream job?

Picture this: a small, quaint office, with a simple desk, a few chairs, a lamp, a bookcase, & a cozy rug. The bookcase has games, coloring supplies, & puzzles on its lower shelves… & books of authors who have led me, inspired me, & encouraged me closer to Jesus on the upper shelves. If a mom with kids, she could bring them to sit & play or color. We could talk. A revolving door for women of all ages: kids to elderly. Accountability, discipleship, prayer meetings. Talking about what the Bible says… talking about life… pointing to Him & His Word to help us navigate it all… prayer… sharing testimonies of His work… tears… laughter… openness… edifying (building up), encouraging (lifting up), & exhorting (urging forward) (AKA what I call “3E conversations”)… walking alongside one another… urging one another to seek Him in all things… all things for His glory.

That’s it. That is my dream job. If I could do ANYTHING, no obstacles…. To talk about Him all day to anyone who will listen. To point to Him in all things… to model praying through it all, seeking His wisdom above the world’s, seeking His face & His glory over anything this temporary world has to offer.

To Live All for the Glory of God

That’s what I want more than anything. To spend my life talking about Him with others.

To spend my life urging others to live life in full surrender, to be their prayer backup when Satan’s lies twist around them, to encourage them through hurts & struggles & pain. To point to GOD, through Christ, as our hope & our purpose in ALL THINGS.

It lights a fire in me. It invigorates me. It inspires me to remember the real reason we were put on this earth, to live for & bring glory to the One true, eternal King, Jesus our LORD.

And guess what? You don’t need to have my dream job to live your life for Him & for His glory… so how can you be doing that right where you are, in the job that you have… wherever God has placed you?

Shine HOPE by serving Him & giving Him glory wherever He may plant you. even if you never get your dream job….

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Enhanced Ruby Earrings–INDIA

Create safe jobs for women in India when you shop the Enhanced Ruby Earrings! These stunning drop-style earrings feature an enhanced ruby stone deepening the color of the ruby. Each earring is handmade by women in India earning fair wages for their work. Dress the Enhanced Ruby Studs up for the holidays or wear them as an everyday staple with jeans!

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Always Watching…

When your face says a little more than you mean it to… when the tone of your voice gives a little too much insight into the bad attitude you’re trying to pretend isn’t there… when you just don’t seem to act like that something or other is really that big of a deal to you…. Everything you do & say, whether purposely or subconsciously… tells others what is important to you… tells others about who you are.

If you say God is important to you, but you only mention Him at church or in prayer before a meal… what do you think that really communicates?

When you say you love a family member, but you can’t seem to spend significant time with them without being on your phone… what do you think that really communicates?

I could go on & on with examples, we all know of them… whether we’re the witness or the culprit.

And the point of this week’s post isn’t to shame you on it either. It’s to help us see a different way to live. Gain perspective.

Are You Perfect? I’m Not.

None of us are perfect. We all give a facial expression from time to time that slips out how we’re really feeling. Or a tone of voice with a little more sass than you intended. Or feeling so zoned out & exhausted that even one more interaction just feels like too much in that particular moment, even for someone you love.

We’re not machines. We’re people. We don’t always immediately react how we ought to or have the perfect attitude as we ought to… love how we ought to… represent God how we ought to.

But we’re being watched all the same.

What are people seeing in you?

Not a Call to be Fake… But to be Intentional

Now, this point is not being made in order to push us all into some unrealistic pressures to achieve a perception of perfection… but rather a call to be mindful… to be intentional.

People observe us every day. We represent Jesus Christ, our LORD, whether we’re intentionally setting out to do so that day or not.

God doesn’t need us to fake the smile… fake the perfection… hide our weaknesses… but to use our mistakes to point to our need of Him… to demonstrate a life of surrendering our imperfections & struggles to the One Who holds our HOPE.

Not perfection… none of us have any hope of achieving that (& we all know that, no matter how hard you may try to appear so)… but intentionally living a surrendered & submitted life, for God’s help, to live a life that displays (& shouts even) His glory to a world that passes by you each & every day.

Not to be “perfect”… but to be intentional.

What Do They See About You?

If a stranger who sees you regularly at the town store were to try to describe you as a person, just simply by outside observation, how would they describe you? Patient? Rushed? Rude? Kind? Cheerful? Stressed out? Relaxed? Peaceful? On a mission? Gracious?

If a young child were to describe what matters most to you, what would they say? Your Bible? Your phone? Your shows? Church? Bible Studies? Fashion, sports, shopping, etc? Sharing the gospel? Helping others? Free time to yourself? Them?

What are you putting on display to the world? Even unknowingly?

When you die, what will people say was most important to you in life? Would they even think to mention Jesus?

You are communicating to others every day, without even saying a word.

So, what are YOU communicating to the world around you?

You Are Being Watched

Would they know Jesus from you? Would they witness you taking your weaknesses to God for help? Would they see you shutting down &/or shutting others out from stress? Would they see comfort & ease as your idols? Would they know they matter to you? Would they see God’s glory displayed through your day-to-day life? Would they say you value the well-being of others?

How are you living for the glory of God? What do others see in you?

Shine HOPE by taking every thought captive, making it obedient to Christ, by continuously asking for God’s help in how you: interact with others, treat others, how you react & respond, how you love others & how you love Jesus.

To God be the glory, forever & ever, AMEN.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

December 2025 “HOPE MAIL” (INDIA)

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of December! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!       

Your purchase of December Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty.     

Featured in this month’s Hope Mail is the Gilded Crest Earrings. These detailed, hand beaded earrings are handcrafted by women in a workshop committed to fighting child marriage and creating dignified jobs for women in India. Each gold-tone earring uses traditional embroidery and hand beading details to show off our Artisan Partners craftsmanship featuring pearl accents.

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

When You Feel Unseen

Do you ever feel invisible? Like your hurts are just too much for others? Like you’re too much for others?

I definitely feel that way sometimes.

But, if I’m honest, I think everyone probably feels that way to some degree, whether they are able to acknowledge or articulate that or not. Some people clam up, avoid others when they’re struggling. Some cry a lot. Some seem clingy & needy. We all handle it a bit differently, but deep down, we understand our hard is a burden, which can make US feel like a burden.

Sometimes I Feel Like Others See Me as a Burden

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I have big emotions. It’s something that has been shamed quite a bit in my lifetime… something I often feel a lot of shame about, as a result.

I have seen the poorly concealed rolled eyes, the distancing from me, have heard the “so much drama” comments about me. It hurts, to be honest.

Nobody likes to feel shamed when they’re already feeling weak & vulnerable. They want to be embraced & loved just where they are, as they are… without having to mask or conceal the unsightly parts of their heart.

At least, that’s what I want.

Stay

And when I am facing a ton of hard emotions, the LAST thing I want is to feel as if everyone I love & trust seem to just begin to slowly pull away from me.

I want them to pull me in closer. Bear hug me. Tell me they still love me, even when I’m not at my best. Even when I feel I have so very little to offer them. That just me is enough.

It’s not something I really experience much. I more often than not feel invisible all of a sudden.

In My Poetry Journaling, I Can “Ugly Cry”

Besides crying alone & gripping the covers up to my chin to feel safe & secure… besides gripping (or chucking) my stress ball to help me squeeze out some of the tension I feel overwhelmed by… besides praying for help… I write about it. Little poems where I let out my darkest, ugliest swirling thoughts… where I allow them to be there & allow myself to be real about their existence, so I can call it out & pray about it as it really is… not just the prettied-up version God doesn’t need because He knows all anyway.

I write about longing for the perfection of heaven, the lack of tears, the lack of pain. I even sometimes write about wishing I could die so I wouldn’t have to ever feel any pain again. I write about longing to be in the arms of God, to feel safe & whole & wholly loved. I get real with God about where I’m at, letting myself trust that even if my reality scares people away or makes me seem like the family burden, I am never a burden to God.

God Wraps His Sufficient, Gracious, Merciful, Faithful, Long-Suffering Arms Around Me

He is big enough for me. He can handle it. He doesn’t need the cliff notes, He takes it all. I can full on ugly cry with Him. He can handle the ugly, the “drama”, the not-prettied-up version of me. He takes me as is. He loves me as is. He is sufficient for me as is.

I don’t have to mask for Him. I don’t have to plaster on a smile for Him. I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to pretend my faith is bigger than it is for Him. I don’t have to will-power my way through anything with Him. I don’t have to be okay all the time for Him. I don’t have to make myself seem worthy or appealing enough to want to spend time with me, to counter how much of a burden I feel I can be. I don’t have to try to advocate for why I’m worth keeping around. I can just BE with Him. Just me.

I can collapse in His figurative arms. Raw, hurting, & empty. I can come with nothing at all to offer Him. I can be frail & weak & ugly crying with snot all over my face. I can be as much of a burden as is humanly possible & be no burden at all to Him. I can handle everything terribly, fall apart, have no answers, get everything wrong… & yet He Is Sufficient. He is merciful. He is patient. He is faithful. He will NOT leave me nor can He love me any less. I can have nothing & He will still bring me His everything.

I love that so much.

Love Like Jesus… Even When It Is Really, REALLY Uncomfortable… Hug & PRAY with Them

Do I really, really wish more people loved others the way He loves us? To feel a tangible love & friendship where I don’t always feel like I have to convince them I’m not too much? Where I don’t feel I have to muster up cliff notes that won’t bore them or scare them or make them uncomfortable? A love that is present & warm & caring, even when it doesn’t benefit them? Of course I do. That’s why God calls us to love other people that way.

To comfort the faint-hearted, not to sing when others are broken & hurting, to mourn with those who mourn….

Not avoid. Not fix. Not quote platitudes. Just presence… just an attitude that says, “even when you’re not all together, I love you & I’m not going anywhere.”

Do You Ever Feel Invisible?

Can we be more of that to each other? Allow each other not to always have it together or have all the answers or always respond in the perfect way to all of life at all times? To have big emotions we don’t know what to do with? To be human…?

Not excusing sin, not supporting strongholds… but also learning compassion, recognizing weakness is human, bearing with one another in love, as God calls us to.

Can we take the time to SEE each other, really see them… even when they may be at their worst & have nothing to offer the friendship?

Can we love more like God loves us?

How Can You Love Others the Way You Wish to be Loved?

Do you ever feel invisible?

What would help you in it? How can you love someone else the way it would help you?

How can you be present… even when you may not get anything from it? Even if it feels burdensome to you. How can you love them anyway? As Christ loves us?

What helps me? When people still invite me, even when I’m low energy & not much of a contribution to conversation/fun. When people genuinely want to know how I am & pray WITH me through it. A long hug–you know, when it gets to that fine line between “I’ve got you, no matter what,” & borderline completely awkwardly long? Like that. When people remind me of truth, but also remind me that even in my weakness, God never gives up on me. When people are willing to be a sounding board… getting to talk about what makes my heart ache oftentimes takes the power away from whatever is plaguing me, so a listening ear does wonders.

Shine HOPE by seeking to really see people in their hurting & let them feel seen. Even if it’s uncomfortable. Love the way you would love to be loved, even when you don’t really understand their hurt…. You don’t have to understand why they’re hurting so much in order to love them so much. Remember that. God doesn’t ask us to justify why we’re hurting, He just comforts & offers His sufficient, faithful love… let’s do that.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Scarlet Cluster Studs (INDIA)

Artisans in India are earning a fair and dignified wage as they handcraft these elegant and festive Scarlet Cluster Studs. Each gold-framed earring features a cluster of four scarlet-colored gems in a gold-tone setting, creating a beautiful fair-trade fashion statement. Every pair of Scarlet Cluster Studs create necessary jobs to end poverty cycles and keep families out of the slums of India!

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

How Do You Know if You’re Living with Blinders On?

If you saw on my social media the sermon notes I took down this past Sunday, you will have a clue as to the direction of this week’s blog post: How hard it is to live in light of eternity, when our everyday activities are right in front of our face all the time.

I can’t say I am always too good at this. I tend to live life with blinders on… run the errands, do the chores, do my tasks at work, come home to relax, etc. before considering the fact that really, when it all boils down… none of it is anything that will affect eternity or have any significance or worth after I die.

So, how do I do things differently? How do I live with a mindset of what will last? What truly matters once I am gone? After my loved ones are gone? Once Jesus returns?

If It Were Up to Me…?

One question that keeps ringing in my ear is the one I wrote on those sermon notes… “If it were completely up to me, who would go to Hell because I felt too uncomfortable to tell them about Jesus?”

That’s rough, isn’t it?

It seems a little too uncomfortable even reading or asking that question.

But there is some truth to it. No, it’s not entirely up to us. God doesn’t need us. But God DOES use our willingness to live in obedience & surrender to Him. It can bless others, help their road be less damaging, be a demonstration of HOPE to a world in desperate need of it. PLUS, it brings honor & glory to God.

We can play a part. We can plant a seed. But we can’t bring anyone to Christ—that’s God’s job. He does the saving, not us.

Where Is Your Focus Pointed?

How do you start your day? Do you grumble at your alarm clock? At the lack of sleep you had last night? (Saying from experience here.) Do you grab your phone for some mindless scrolling? Or do you pay attention to the fact that God sees you, right there, in your groggy fogged state, in whatever attitude you have at that given moment—He sees you. Do you take a minute to say hi? To confess your grumpy attitude, if you have one, & ask for an adjustment in perspective? Do you ask Him to guide your day, grant you wisdom, help you to see opportunities, help you to live for Him that day?

What about getting ready in the morning? Is there worship music playing? Are you praising Him? Talking to Him? Are you reviewing Bible verses as you brush your teeth to help you stand firmly on truth? Spending time with your Bible & study notes?

Where are you setting your focus?

(*My website offers a free Bible Study Notes Guide printable resource if you need help getting started on this. You can find it in the “Abiding in Him” section of the Resources & Recommendations page on my website.)

Where Are You Pointing Your Family?

If you have a family to cook for, are you seeing it as an opportunity to serve them lovingly? To create an environment where they feel safe & loved? Or are you doing it out of felt obligation? Do you take opportunity to demonstrate & teach the importance of taking time to thank God for His provisions before you eat, as Jesus demonstrated? Or just rush through the meal?

In the chores & the errands, do you see it as a way to bless those who will benefit from it? To create a warm, safe, loving environment for everyone to come home to? Or just work to be done?

At work, do you serve as if serving God? Trying to do it willingly & cheerfully? To be a blessing to others? Or just to get a paycheck at the end of the day?

I heard a comedian that gave me such a wonderfully fresh perspective on this. He talked about how he came to work every night, to perform his comedy bit, working on new material & practicing & doing the shows, to GET PAID… but that God got his attention one day to view it not as what he can GET, but rather what he can GIVE. That some may be stressed from piles of assignments at work, feel underappreciated or unseen, struggling through loss, etc. & that he had the beautiful opportunity to GIVE them space to smile & laugh & feel LIGHT. What a beautiful perspective!!

How can we apply that to different areas of our lives? Where can we GIVE?

Living the Gospel Out Loud

When others talk about their stresses or hurts, do you take a minute right there & ask if you can pray with them right then & there? To come alongside them in it? Or just promise to pray a prayer for them that you’ll forget about later?

Do you ask God for opportunities to be a blessing to others who may be secretly hurting, who may have needs you’re able to meet?

Do you talk about Jesus? Do you ever bring Him up in conversation? Do other people know that you know Him & trust Him with your eternity?

When you hear the lies of culture, do you take a moment to point out what the Bible says to counter in it with Truth? To point to a steady, sure, reliable foundation….

Do you read your Bible so you can get to know the character of God, to recognize the voice of truth when God tries to lead you? Do you know your Good Shepherd’s voice? Do you know His Word, the Bible, well enough to know the Truth, to know His leading, to hear His voice? How is your discernment?

Do you talk to Him all throughout your day? … Recognizing that He hears your every thought & can help you through every step as you allow Him to take the lead?

Do You Pray Without Ceasing? Talk to Him throughout Your Every Day?

Do you seek His comfort & pray when you’re down or burdened or hurting?

Do you seek His wisdom & pray when you’re anxious, worried, or stressed?

Do you seek His strength & pray when you feel weak, incapable, or insecure?

Do you seek His help & pray when you feel ill-equipped, unsure, or out of your depth?

Do you seek His words & pray when you want to talk about Him or His Word to others, but you just don’t know how to say it?

He is always listening. He is always capable. He is always strong. He is all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful.

ASK Him.

Living in Light of Eternity? Or Just Right Now?

Do you live your life in light of eternity? Or just right now?

How are you living?

Will it matter when you die?

Will it have affected the lives of those around you for eternity after they’re gone?

What changes will you make? Will you ask God where to start? Will you ask God to give you wisdom in the how & strength in the change? Will you have the courage to ask Him to help you live more in light of eternity vs. just right now?

How are you living?

Shine HOPE by living every day in light of eternity, realizing the difference between what will be here today & gone tomorrow, versus what will last long into forever after we’re dead & gone. What will you invest your life in? Will it matter? Shine as a beacon of hope in Jesus Christ, so that, if it were up to you, everyone who even passes by you will have every opportunity to know how they can spend their eternity in Heaven & never feel the painful pangs of Hell. Live like forever matters… because it does… it really, really does.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Sealed with Love Ornament–NEPAL

HOLIDAY EDITION – While supplies last! Create safe jobs with fair wages for the women in Nepal who handcraft the adorable Sealed with Love Ornament through this dignified partnership. Your Christmas tree will be so charming with this festive mother and baby duo holding a present. Each ornament is crafted using 100% wool and traditional wool crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations. 

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Here’s to 42!

Well, tomorrow is my birthday & it’s the big 4-2 happening here.

Nothing big planned—just planning to go walk around the mall & get dinner with the hubs. It’s how I like it. Simple, good company, small, quiet, good food, & maybe a few presents & light pink balloons, too.

Aging is interesting, isn’t it? For one, I do not feel 42. As my mom says every year, “how are you ________, when I’m still 29?” That’s how it feels, doesn’t it? I wonder if it’s because our souls are eternal & our bodies are not. Our bodies are slowly wearing down over time (I definitely feel that truth more & more with each passing year), but our souls are forever young.

Not Ashamed to Say It… I Love My Birthday!

But I think getting older is cool. I LOVE my birthday. I’m a complete kid with my birthday. It always involves a lot of pink & all my favorite foods & presents I get to pick out (which makes it twice as nice because I so enjoy shopping (even just window shopping is super fun for me—seeing beautiful fabrics & creative designs & people’s artistic expressions).

But beyond those things, I think celebrating my birthday each year is really cool because it’s a reminder of another year I have completed. Another year of experiences lived. New hobbies or lessons learned or new friends met. New lessons God has taught me. New things overcome.

Every year passed is another year of time with family & friends, of traveling, of seeing how God wants to use me during my time on this green earth… it’s like leveling up in a video game—an achievement I have earned (with SO MUCH of God’s help), an achievement worth celebrating.

Another year of life LIVED. Another year of seeing God’s blessings, even through the darkest, hardest of times.

Don’t Fear the Grays–Embrace Them! They’re a Crown of Glory!

God actually says that gray hair is like a crown of glory. (Provers 16:31) Why? Because it shows how much you have faced to EARN that gray hair. A life long-lived.

“Even to your old age, I [God] am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4)

“Wisdom is with the aged,
    and understanding in length of days.

With God are wisdom and might;
    he has counsel and understanding.” (Job 12:12-13)

“So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?” (Psalm 71:18-19)

In My 42nd Year…

In my 42^nd year, I hope to surrender more of myself & my way to God’s will & way. To be used by Him. To surrender more to His leading, to do more of what pleases & honors Him. To use my time well.

In my 42^nd year, I hope for more warm & happy memories with my family & friends… more edifying (building up) & encouraging (lifting up) & exhorting (urging forward) conversations. (AKA, more “3E” conversations.)

In my 42^nd year, I hope for more opportunities to travel (& maybe a couple Disney trips thrown in there, too–Tokyo Disney is so cheap & so fun!).

In my 42^nd year, I hope I will be able to look back at the end of it & see how much I’ve grown, how many fears God has helped me overcome, how many better habits I’ve established & incorporated with God’s help, how far God has brought me from this moment right here writing this.

To 42 Years, & Counting

You see, deserving or not, God never gives up on me. His love compelled Him to give His all for me, when I deserved none of it. He didn’t have to. He wanted to. And He still gives & gives & gives! Peace in the storms, wisdom when I’m lost, strength when I’m helpless, & gentle love through it all.

And I trust that He will continue to work on me, weeding out the not-so-greats & pruning the could-be-betters. He is faithful. He is working. He doesn’t give up on me. Not now, not ever.

And I want my year 42 to reflect that in every high & in every low, not because I have a right to have this platform, but because He has a right to have this platform be used to proclaim His glory with every single letter written from now until my final dying breath.

With every breath, may I praise the LORD.

Shine HOPE, by allowing your age, the number of years you’ve lived, be a proclamation of how far He has brought you, of accomplishments, of experiences lived, of lessons learned, of life LIVED. To God be the glory, forever & ever. AMEN.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Snowdrop Owl Ornament (NEPAL)

HOLIDAY EDITION – While supplies last! Create safe jobs with fair wages for the women in Nepal who handcraft the adorable Snowdrop Owl Ornament through this dignified partnership. Adorn your Christmas tree with a beautiful Owl Ornament featuring pearl beaded accents, crafted using 100% wool and traditional wool crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations. 

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

HERE’S TO YEAR 42!!

Never Thinking I’m Good Enough… So Never Wanting to Try

My whole life, I’ve lived life scared. Scared I wasn’t good enough. Scared of getting into trouble. Scared of failing. Scared of looking bad. Scared of disappointing anyone. Scared of not being liked or wanted. Scared to try. Scared of saying the wrong thing. Scared of looking like I was trying too hard. Scared of looking dumb. Scared of not being “wantable” or loved.

It’s turned me into a people pleaser. It’s kept me from trying new things. It’s kept me stuck.

It’s not in everything, but I’ve seen it trickle into my life & I have overcome some, through God’s help, as well.

Getting Married Didn’t Solve All My Problems Like I Thought It Would

Somehow, I think I believed marriage would solve this… you know, find someone who happens to love you for you & all your problems melt away. But, somehow, I think my fears got worse instead.

All of a sudden, another person was tied to me, by choice… which meant they could change their mind.

It’s not like my husband puts unreasonable stipulations or expectations in place or like he holds my imperfections over me… they’re self-inflicted.

So, getting married didn’t actually fix anything. It’s something I need to surrender to God for help instead as I come across it.

My “Anti-Word”

You may or may not remember a couple years ago or something, how, instead of choosing my “Word of 2024,” I chose an ANTI-word: Victim. (Read that post here: “My ‘Anti-Word’ for 2024–VICTIM.”)

I recognized I had been living as a victim. Not an actual victim… but living as if I were one.

God had started whispering the reminder “victim” over my heart every time I was letting it happen, as if to gently make me aware of what I was believing & living… so I could stop doing that.

God didn’t make me to be timid… that is something Satan uses to keep me over-protective of self & closed off from others, while diminishing trust in God & appreciation of God’s many blessings.

God’s Glory or Protecting Self, Living in Fear?

Well, progress (at least in living afraid of disappointing my husband every day), has happened… but I find now I have so much more to go.

For one, I love to sing. Never have I ever sung solo because the idea terrifies me: I am “not good enough, not consistent enough with my range, not confident enough.” (I dropped out of doing choir when I hit high school even because solos were required. That’s a giant NO for me. And it’s why I never joined choir last time I lived on Guam: solo tryouts were required. Automatic NO thank you).

So instead of doing something I absolutely LOVE… that also gives God glory… I run from & avoid it like the plague because I am too scared to look a fool or fail to live up to others’ standards.

Is it just me??

Baby Steps to Living for God WITHOUT Living in Fear

But, I have been praying about all these people-pleasing fears & the lack of singing in my life as well… & God encouraged me to at least ASK about joining the praise team at church. (If solos were required, I was OUT.) No solos required & I was invited onto the team!

Instant regret! Thinking of ways to back out without looking like a complete wimp. Praying constantly 24 hours leading up to it because the urge to drop out was PRESSING.

But I didn’t quit. I prayed A TON. And, although I was shaking like a LEAF the WHOLE TIME… I DID IT!

I determined I would do my best to give Him glory, to sing with my soul & not just my voice, worshipping Him versus worrying whether I sounded good enough to justify being up there.

Where Did My Carefree, Child-Like Love for & Trust of God Go? Just Basking in All He Is?

Did you know, I’m even scared of dancing in my OWN HOME because I’m afraid someone will happen to see me & raise eyebrows at me & judge me? Or worse, film or photograph me looking foolish? Same with belting out singing at home? Same with most things? (Paranoid much?)

When did I become so afraid of everything?

I used to put on socks & headphones, with my little hot pink cd player & blast my music & just dance!

I used to draw & paint & create art.

I used to be silly & light-hearted & fun.

In What Ways Are You Living Life as the Victim? What Are You Missing Out on because of It?

I’m so uptight now. So scared of judgment. So worried someone will take an unflattering picture & blast me with hurtful words. So worried of not looking like I have it together & don’t care what others think… the old move I used to use in grade school, where I got openly mocked for being completely inept at sports because I had been homeschooled & didn’t know any of the rules… so I grew to put on the “oh, sports? pshh, lame. I am talking with my friends instead, duh!” so I would appear as if it were “too beneath me” vs something I was so afraid of everyone laughing at me about. Act like you don’t care & they can’t mock you for caring & failing. So sad.

And I still do it. I live as a victim. If I act like I’m not interested, I can’t make a fool of myself. I don’t attempt friendly games of sport because I feel like a flailing pigeon. I don’t sing or dance because I don’t think others will think I’m any good. I don’t want to sing solo because I don’t want to prove to others I don’t deserve the chance. Still living as a victim.

Let Us Not Live Life Scared

I want to give myself permission to be imperfect… to fail.

I want to give myself permission for people to not think I’m good enough… to be less than.

I want to give myself permission to be misunderstood… to be disliked.

I want to give myself permission to try… even if I’m terrible at it.

I want to give myself permission to ENJOY the blessings God gives me… unashamed.

God doesn’t ask me to be meek BY STAYING SCARED. Those two are not the same thing.

God doesn’t ask me to try to be every person’s “cup of tea.”

So, yesterday I sang with just a few other people… on stage… with my own mic… & I survived. Scared… but I did it. God made my voice to give Him praise… & I want to use it, whether or not I’m the best at it!

Live Unapologetically for Him! Enjoying His Blessings & Using His Blessings to Give Him Glory!

I want to begin living unapologetically. Not in sin… but not in fear either.

God made me to be a light… to live in confidence through Him… to live how He made me… to shine for His glory… not to hide.

I have a long way to go… but with God’s help, I’m going to keep going.

Shine HOPE by living first & foremost to please, honor, & obey God, letting yourself be imperfect, letting yourself fail, letting yourself be a work-in-progress, letting others dislike you or misunderstand you, letting yourself be who God made you to be, even if not everyone likes it or understands it. Above ALL for HIS glory!

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Emerald Wrap (INDIA)

This emerald green wrap is handmade by women in India who are facing extreme poverty. By shopping this wrap, you’re creating an opportunity for them to earn a fair and dignified wage so they can feed their babies. Each Artisan-made scarf is handcrafted using a soft viscose material.

Every purchase creates safe jobs and fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.  

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

POST #400!!!

I just want to take a minute before we get started to acknowledge how big a thing this is! Me, the girl who starts & quits a million craft projects, who struggles tons with self-motivation & insecurities, wrestles with dark seasons of depression at times… ME… + FOUR HUNDRED POSTS!

What a faithful God Who helps me even in my hard seasons to remain faithful with this little corner of the internet, however small it may be. What a testimony to our blog topic for this week!

When God began to lead me down this path, in 2018, I was SO nervous… mainly because of all the reasons I listed above. I don’t want to be fake with people either, pretending I have my life together to “be a good testimony.” I really struggled with that. But God reminded me ever so gently, that this space is not about showing how worthy & capable I am… but how worthy & capable HE is.

It’s not about me having all the answers, but knowing Who to turn to for those answers. Not about me being strong, but showing Him as my strength. Not me as the best writer, but Him as worth writing about. Not me as the most faithful, but about Him as worth showing up for, even on days I feel I have very little left to give.

So, here’s to post #400! Praise to God!

He can use our little to do great things, because all the power belongs to HIM.

“The Exceeding Greatness of His Power Toward Us Who Believe…”

“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” (Ephesians 1:15-21) (emphasis mine)

When did we stop believing all that God is capable of to those who believe on Him?

How often we underestimate Him & in how many countless ways!

Oh, What God Can Do in & through Us… If Only We Believe!

How much of what God calls us to do we think is up to us to fill in for Him or do FOR Him?

Do we not remember that He walked on water, calmed the stormy seas, freed Israel through miraculous signs, whittled down an army so that even the small could defeat the great in His power? He led David to victory against all odds, shut the hungry lions’ mouths, kept even the SMELL of smoke from Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He created the WORLD… from NOTHING… knit us together in our mother’s womb.

The whole Bible SCREAMS at us the power of our great GOD. Do we listen? Do we BELIEVE?

We Need to Get in the Habit of Believing Him Enough to Ask for the Impossible

If you, for one second, think you need to prove your faith by doing it without asking Him for His infinite supply—STOP. Isn’t that just the OPPOSITE of faith? When did we get that twisted? God doesn’t need us to prove WE can… because HE can.

ALL work in our homes, at work, in church, in the world (grocery store even) ought to flow out of time spend before Almighty God & His infinite supply.

If you feel ineffective or like your life is not really being lived all for His glory, but you feel there’s nothing you know to do about it… don’t stop at what YOU know or what YOU can manage. Ask HIM.

Let me tell you something. God is so much more infinitely capable than we could ever even BEGIN to wrap our minds around. So infinite. So limitless. So powerful.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

It’s Been a Hard Couple Weeks

Last week, well… the last couple weeks… have been hard. For one, my cat of 12 years is fading & has stopped eating real food. The vet is out of ideas. Options are out. We’re on our last attempt. We may have to say goodbye soon. It’s been hard watching him become less & less himself. Weaker. Thinner. It’s tough.

But that’s not all.

Work has been infinite for my husband recently. I had strep. Meds are now making me super tired & drowsy. And there’s other stuff I won’t get into for the sake of others’ privacy.

It’s just been one of those months where I feel like I am being slapped back & forth in the face. I’m weary. I’m wounded. And on some nights… I feel I can barely stand under the weight of all that I can’t control or stop or make better.

Even His Little Is Infinitely Great

And I had one of those nights recently. If you follow me on social media, then you saw my posts about it. But it’s worth bringing attention to it again… in case you missed it or forgot.

In the depth of that hurt I felt I was paralyzed… I had no answers, no profound prayer to pray, no strength. Just hurt.

So all I could manage was I whimpered to God: “help.”

That’s all I had. Just a little whimpered, pathetic “help.”

I faceplanted on my bed, & just felt as if I was being directed to one simple thing & then another… pulled over my phone, turned on the music app, set it to my worship playlist, & the first song that played was one I didn’t even remember owning: “Turn to Jesus,” by Katy Nichole (highly recommend).

It’s like God knew & summed up all the whirling pain & overwhelm & just washed His comfort over my heart when I didn’t think comfort was possible. In just the simplest of ways… a song with the words I so desperately needed to hear.

Do Not Forget How Great Is Our God

He doesn’t need my input or my particular profound words to hear my heart & know my need.

He doesn’t need to calm the storm to calm my heart.

He doesn’t need to show up to make Himself shown to me.

He carries the weight. He doesn’t need my help. He can.

I’m the one who needs Him… not the other way around.

And yet, even in my greatest, most weak moments, He doesn’t tell me to get it together… He tells me to come to Him.

Ask Yourself

Where are you selling Him short in your life?

In where/when you’re willing to serve?

In your hurts/traumas?

In your day-to-day task list items?

Where do you leave Him out?

Are you believing in God as the God Who made the WORLD?

As one of the ladies on my hall in college once wisely taught us, “when you write on a piece of paper the most amazing, mind-blowing thing you can think of about God… & you put that piece of paper in a box… just remember that whatever it is that you wrote on that piece of paper… you are still putting God in a box.”

Shine HOPE by believing God is as He reveals Himself to be in the Bible, taking Him at His Word, believing He can work the impossible, willing to say, “Send me, Lord,” knowing this is true about Him. That He CAN where you most certainly cannot. To God be the glory! How great is our God!

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.

Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

A Note from Michelle:

(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts ,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)

This blog/website has been running for 7 years now (BLOG POST #400 TODAY!!!!)! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

November 2025 “Hope Mail”

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of November! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!  

The Merry & Bright Mini Pouch is a hand-beaded pouch is handcrafted by women in India in a workshop committed to fighting child marriage and creating dignified jobs for women. Every stitch and bead showcases the incredible skill and artistry of our Artisan Partners.  4.5 in x 6 in. Beaded on the front with a cream satin backing.

Your purchase of the November Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty, giving her a chance to learn, dream, and thrive.

Each pouch is beautifully unique, with small variations that make it charmingly artisan-made!

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!