Who Is Really Behind It? Be on Alert!

I take things personally too often. It’s one of my not great qualities. Honestly, that’s why I had to pray so much leading up to even taking the first steps with creating & publishing this website.

Even if it’s a simple misunderstanding with another person, I tend to take it as my character &/or integrity being questioned & it hurts my feelings.

I know people make mistakes. I know I make mistakes… but I still feel the sting when someone misunderstands me in some way.

But then, deep down, if I take time to surrender the hurt to God, God reminds me that my true wrestling match is not with the other person (Ephesians 6:12), but with Satan aiming to sow discord among us.

The Cunning Snake

You see, Satan is a cunning snake. He has had MANY years to learn how humans tick… to know how to create divisions, disagreements, & discord. He knows where to strike.

It’s something I always try to keep in mind & repeatedly try to remind others when meeting with young ladies for discipleship/accountability. Because if you have a relationship with someone that honors & glorifies God, encouraging & edifying one other toward the gospel & good works… you can be SURE that Satan will be QUICK to do WHATEVER he can to break that up… ASAP.

So, if you feel a pull from insecurity, shame, annoyance, frustration, or anything not PEACE-laden pulling you away from someone, you can be sure Satan is doing what he can to keep you both from glorifying God together…. Another reason why he attacks marriages & ministries so often!

And yet, even knowing this… I still fall for it sometimes.

Disagreements, Grumpies, & Hurt Feelings

It can start as small as a disagreement about something, seeing something differently than someone else… or maybe a misunderstanding… & if left unchecked, begins to erode away the potentially God-honoring, blessed connection you may have with someome, until you feel so stiff, tense, &/or insecure around them that you maybe start making new routes in your life to avoid interacting with them.

Sometimes it’s a grumpy mood, “that time of the month,” waking up “on the wrong side of the bed,” or just a good ol’ tough day… & it gets misinterpreted or maybe taken out on someone else… or the grump on your face gets seen as an afront against someone else & now you’re in a feud with someone you didn’t even realize you had offended.

Or maybe you DO realize because your day was SO bad & your mood was left unchecked for TOO long & the cramps are UGH & you just let a curt word come out of your mouth when responding (or rather, REACTING) to someone else. Oops.

It doesn’t take much. Satan is QUICK to jump in there with leading conclusions & jabbing at your insecurities & stabbing at your vulnerabilities until now you’re fuming & “well, I didn’t realize they were SUCH A JERK! Forget them!”

Yeah, it happens.

Be Aware So You Can Pray

But, we need to be aware of this because we need to know to pray about this.

We need to know the signs, the dangers, the manipulations that Satan uses on our weak spots, emotions, & insecurities.

And we need to know to PRAY.

Satan wants grudges, God wants grace.

Satan wants rifts, God wants restoration.

Satan wants division, God wants unity & peace.

Learn to take your gut reaction to God… to forgive you for your gut reaction if it does not honor or would not please Him… for help laying the offense at His feet… & for wisdom on a path toward restoration, through grace, for reconciled unity & peace with that person.

A Prayer of Surrender in the Hurt of the Moment

“God, OOOHH that was not cool! I feel so frustrated & tense & I just want to REACT! But… God help me, please help me. Help me to take a deep breath. Help me place this on Your strong shoulders. Help me let go. Maybe they’re having a bad day. Maybe they’re just grumpy & I’m making more of it. Maybe they really are MAD at me. I don’t know & it shouldn’t matter! Help me lay that on You. Give me Your peace. Don’t let me fall prey to Satan’s twisting, manipulative divisiveness. Help me give it to YOU. Help me to LOVE even when I don’t feel loved back. Help me to SERVE those who seem to dislike me, knowing they don’t have to even like me for me to do the right thing. Help me to honor YOU with how I respond. HELP me do that. My gut response is pettiness, anger, frustration, avoidance… but You command GRACE as You have given me such grace. Grace, by definition, is undeserved—so even if they meant to be mean to me, help me to have the surrender-to-YOU attitude to let You handle it & to help me give grace. Help me love like You love, not reviling or threatening in return (1 Peter 2:21-24). But, love. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Don’t Let Satan Sow Discord Among You

Maybe they really are just having a bad day & it really has NOTHING to do with you.

Maybe they MEANT IT & wanted to hurt you.

Regardless… LOVE.

Regardless… GRACE.

Regardless… Honor God with your RESPONSE (even if you have to bite your lip HARD, take a DEEP breath, & PRAY for help desperately).

If you have a prayer partner, an accountability partner, are in discipleship with someone… EXPECT THIS TO HAPPEN & PRAY AGAINST IT & for discernment to see it!

It Hurts, I Know…

You don’t have to be respected to be respectful.

You don’t have to be liked to love.

You don’t have to be admired to do what’s right.

You don’t have to be well-treated to be kind.

Despite their choice… YOU have a choice.

Honor God. Lean on God. Let God help you.

To God be the Glory Forever and Ever!

Don’t let Satan sow discord among you, because Lord knows HE WILL TRY.

Shine HOPE by praying for the discernment to recognize Satan’s crafty schemes & the submissive heart to come to God for help with a response that honors Him versus letting Satan control the narrative through your natural human response.

Choose to honor God ALWAYS, even when it doesn’t feel so great in that exact moment.

God will bless you for your obedience.

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 almost FIVE 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!!

Silver Remi Necklace (India)

This classic silver-tone beaded necklace from India is an everyday wardrobe essential. Wear it alone or layer it with other necklaces! Customize your length with the adjustable extension chain on the back featuring an easy-clasp closure.

***Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops.***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

We All Need the Reminder Sometimes

I have talked a few times about this topic of praise, here & there… but today, I just wanted to sit in it for a moment. I want a chance to really let it sink in & settle in our hearts… mine included.

I’m a complainer… a whiner. When things get hard, I look for a way out. It is not natural for me to “be still & know that He is God,” as the verse so rightly encourages & guides. (Psalm 46:10)

Even if I push through & try not to let it change how I interact with others, it’s easy for me to see an existing problem that will not go away, & just want to throw my head back in frustration & yell, “GO AWAY ALREADY!”

I get overwhelmed & unsettled & I don’t like it.

And sometimes, when I feel frustrated & overwhelmed & I cry out to God for help, the response comes like a gentle breeze over my heart, “Praise Me.”

And When Hurts Are Heavy…

Sometimes it’s something that hurt me deeply, either a traumatic circumstance or betrayal of someone close to me, & I just feel despair begin to settle on me like a heavy, cumbersome blanket, pushing me down under its weight.

Crawling in bed, pulling the comforter up to my chin, curling up on my side, just wanting to shut out the whole world.

And sometimes, in these burdensome moments when the hurt closes in around me & I can only manage choking out a silent sob, I stop to pray to God for rescue & refuge, & the response comes like a gentle breeze over my heart, “Praise Me.”

And When God Leads Me Where I Do Not Want to Go…

Or when God asks something of me that I DO NOT WANT… like when He first revealed His guiding us back to Guam.

I felt stubborn & angry & hurt & afraid. It became a wrestling match between me & God. I knew He would win (that He SHOULD win), that He is never wrong, that He always had a plan… but I didn’t want it. I was afraid.

And His reminder, that felt so annoying to my defiant heart, was the response that came like a gentle breeze over my heart, “Praise Me.”

And When Depression Symptoms Threaten to Envelop Me…

My depression symptoms, too. Oh, how they can beat me up sometimes.

It’s true that I’m in a weird transition of recognizing how I have made my coping mechanisms my idols, turning to them IN PLACE OF God’s peace… so I am cutting myself off of them, my idols, forcing myself to try trusting ONLY in God with NO substitutes… & you may think, “if you need them, you need them, Michelle. If they help, use them,” but it’s beyond that. I have become DEPENDENT on them, ADDICTED to them, & once I indulge, the consuming weight shifts from the symptoms to an inability to pull away from the coping mechanisms.

And some days, I feel strong & able, seeing God guide me in His PEACE… a freedom.

But other days, I just want it to be easy & I just want to run away to what feels easy, to what I know… to STUFF every hint of the angst it brings. And I feel overcome & afraid of losing to the symptoms.

And even still, when I run instead to my prayer journal to hash out my angst in desperate prayers of repentance & admission to God of my fear (aka my lack of trust in Him), asking for His help, the response comes like a gentle breeze over my heart, “Praise Me.”

He Is Worthy. He Is Sufficient. He Cares for Me.

Praise Him. Give Him thanks. Worship Him… the echoed reminders to my heart in times of trouble.

Sometimes it feels insensitive. Would you feel that way? Like God is just dismissing your hurt, fear, angst, etc.? But at the heart of it, if you take prayerful time to look deeper, you begin to see the wisdom behind this gentle nudge to Praise Him in ALL circumstances.

In some seasons, life can seem overwhelmingly painful. Like you are being dragged down to the ground & you can’t ever get up again. Sometimes it’s scary & uncertain & everything just seems to be exploding all around you in chaos & pain & you may really feel that if you fall, you may never be able to get back up again.

But Praise Him.

Why? Because it takes our eyes off the mess & redirects them to HIM.

Cultivating a Heart of Praise-A Vital Necessity in Life

Cultivating a heart of praise is a VITAL necessity in life–to bow our hurting, heavy hearts under His strong, mighty, capable hand.

Saying, “God, this is HARD, but You, You’re Enough! You are mighty. You are strong. You are ABLE! I can rely on You. I can trust You. You have a plan & You can carry me through any valley or ANY storm! You are worthy to be praised, come what may, no matter what! You are sufficient as my refuge & my strength in ANY time of trouble. You are GOD!”

God isn’t being insensitive when He nudges your heart to praise Him when it’s hard… it’s His reminder to you to take a moment to put your hope NOT in how YOU can handle the given situation or circumstance, but in HIM.

Let Your Heart Choose to Praise Him in ALL Circumstances

“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore, we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah” (Psalm 46:1-3)

“IN the multitude of my anxieties, Your comforts delight my soul.” (Psalm 94:19; emphasis added)

“My grace is sufficient, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

“Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

“God will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

“I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised…” (2 Samuel 22:4; Psalm 18:3; Psalm 145:3)

Remember…

God hasn’t abandoned me in those HARD moments, He is beckoning me to lay that HARD at His feet for help & to lift Him up in my heart so I may remember WHO He is… WHO loves me… & WHO is able!

He doesn’t promise life will never be hard. We live in a sin-torn, broken world, in NEED OF JESUS… but He does promise to be with us in it & through it… & to be our sufficiency. (Read about why we need JESUS, here: “The Gospel Changes Everything” & “Why the Gospel Is Such a Big Deal.”)

PRAISE HIM! Not just for the promise of eternity with Him, but now, in the hurting.

He is worthy.

Lean into Him. Put your weight on Him. Lift Him up in your heart.

PRAISE HIM for He is worthy to be praised!

Shine HOPE by DETERMINING to PRAISE Him in ALL circumstances… & so also find the hope you’re so desperately needing in your darkest moments–in HIM.

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 almost FIVE 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!!

Citrus Wood Body Butter (USA)

Every purchase of this Citrus Wood Body Butter empowers women survivors of human trafficking, addiction, and abuse in Nashville, U.S.A.

This Citrus Wood Body Butter is designed to glide on for a refreshingly airy application to provide less bulk and more hydration. Enjoy the refreshing cedar and citrus scent this blend provides.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Let’s Keep Learning…

It seems there is no rest for me lately with lessons learned… hard lessons.

First was trusting God with moving where I didn’t want to go, leaving a place I wanted to stay, needing to wrestle with the anger, hurt, & fear to trust & learn to desire God’s will & plan over my own… then the chaotic move that had Satan seemingly throwing obstacles at our every turn, needing to run blind & just trust that God would clear a way where there seemed no way… then all the stuff with the house & needing to rest that in His hands… to 2 months ish of consistent sleeplessness, where I learned He is sufficient & faithful & can be my strength even when I have none & that He would thus also provide the strength I needed if I gave up sleep on purpose to honor Him with a regular morning quiet time… it’s been a trying year for sure.

God Proves Himself… I Doubt Him in a New Way… My Weak Faith

And now, this. Ugh. I feel like the Israelites going through the wilderness… hardship at every turn, yet God always provides & leads & proves Himself mighty, strong, worthy, & more than sufficient—He provided their food, water, made sure their clothing never wore out & their feet never swelled on their long journey (Deuteronomy 8:4; Psalm 78:20-25). That’s pretty crazy! PLUS, the grand rescue from Egyptian enslavement! And yet… they continuously grumbled against God versus remembering to GO TO GOD.

That’s me. Grumbling. Always grumbling…. The, “not agains” are too many to count.

You would think I would sit back & say, “After all that? Nah, I have nothing to worry about. God will take care of it somehow like He always does… I just need to turn to Him as my help & sufficiency!” But, no… I grumble with each new struggle.

Idols Aren’t Always So Obvious

I have been working through a daily devotional on food freedom, learning to turn to God versus anything else we may turn to… including food.

Well, for me, it’s mainly the eating out. “I’m bored… let’s eat out.” “I had a bad day… let’s eat out.” “I feel angsty & numb & want to feel SOMETHING… let’s eat out.”

Sensing a pattern with me here? An idol maybe? Yep.

It’s not just the eating out temptation as my go-to fix-all… it’s the tv binging some days, & the video scrolling for hours on my phone, or the gaming that starts as an hour & ends with the sun setting. These things have become almost synonymous with NECESSITY versus an option.

My Coping Mechanisms have become my idols–what I turn to instead of God as my help.

I’ve Come a Long Way, But There’s Still More Growing to Do…

You see, as you probably or may know, in my struggle with depression (not depressive thoughts, but the chemical imbalance in my brain that sometimes coats me in oppressive brain fog, numbing over, losing any care for anything because I just feel so full of NUMB in my brain that it’s sometimes physically tiring to try to get myself to care about something), I have come so far from where I once was.

And I thought I was doing pretty well.

I have learned that there’s a distinction between 1. the cause (chemical imbalance), 2. symptoms (brain fog, lack of motivation, tired, checked out), 3. consequences (feeling like every easy thing is way harder than it should be & noticing others’ responses to it), 4. Satan exploiting all of the above: “you’re a waste of space, you annoy everyone, you’re a burden, etc.” & 5. MY CHOICE in how to respond to all of the above: Trust God despite it staying hard, determining to set my focus on Him no matter how hard it may get… or spiral because Satan sounds so convincing. (Read more about these 5 distinctions in a previous blog post: “Understanding Depression with Discernment.”)

But I still have a long way to go… obviously.

What Exactly am I Afraid Of?

But, back to the devotional I mentioned earlier. She made a point about FEAR being a major motivator for overeating or eating poorly.

Her point was about feeling unworthy compared with others or something like that, but God has already worked me through the difference between my worth/value/beauty being completely separate from my HEALTH & caring for the one body God has made for & given to me. (Read more about that journey in a previous post: “Your Weight Does Not Determine Your Worth.”)

BUT… the fear thing stood out to me. I didn’t know why because that seemed a drastic thing to claim when I don’t consciously feel afraid of anything specific… especially not my worth being in question because of poor health.

So, I asked God to help me understand that. And as I continued the devotional, it all came to clarity… she asked me, as the reader, to list things that make me feel tense or afraid & as a counter to each, to list THE PEACE OF GOD as greater than anything I could fear.

And my response? My depression symptoms. The angst. The bored restlessness that seems surprisingly consuming at times. The empty numbness that sometimes envelops my brain. The screaming in my head to satiate, to run to comfort, to feel SOMETHING other than that. To hide. To run. To AVOID it.

Hiding My Fears Behind Coping Mechanisms

I thought my coping mechanisms were smart. I thought I was protecting myself. But in that great, strong security fence I had been building around myself, I realized it had inadvertently become my own prison… one of my own making… a sense of “go to those coping mechanisms, OR ELSE.”

I realized I had been hiding my fears behind coping mechanisms all along. That without them, I felt vulnerable… overwhelmed… treading water… my face tingling with anxiety… a weight on my shoulders & around my ankles that threaten to slowly drag me down to despair.

I thought I was doing so well, but I had placed my hope in “happy highs” that can never actually solve the problem or give me any real victory or hope….

The days I lose. The ambition that drowns in my avoidance of feeling all of the above. The empty hours. The wasted fulfillment. The perpetuating emptiness of time passed that can’t be regained. The looming threat.

Facing the Truth… That I Need Someone Greater Than My Coping Mechanisms

So, last night was rough. I was forced to face the truth… that my solution had imprisoned me.

I realized I didn’t know how to go to God in this. I didn’t know how to do anything but run, hide, & stuff. I didn’t know how to face it & overcome it. My coping mechanisms weren’t fixing the problem… they were helping me pretend I was AVOIDING it.

I realized that I didn’t actually trust God’s peace to be enough for me in this particular circumstance. My desperate rush to cover, hide, stuff, run, & avoid proved that.

And I’m afraid. I’m afraid of not running… of standing facing it… of being overcome by it if I don’t run. I’m afraid of losing to it.

I’m afraid God won’t be enough for me in it.

After ALL He has brought me through & ALL His faithfulness He has DEMONSTRATED to me… & I am here doubting… just like the Israelites.

It Took Me 3 Days…

Our sermon at church this week was “How to Lose Your Spiritual Way in 40 Days,” based on the Israelites going quickly from “whatever God says, we will do!!!” faith (Exodus 24:3; Exodus 24:18) immediately to drunken orgies & worshipping a golden calf because Moses went on the mountain & didn’t come back right away (Exodus 32). After ALL God had JUST brought them through miraculously & more than sufficiently (Exodus 15)! WHAT?!?!?

And here I am. Doubting God, too. After ALL He has brought me through even just this past year.

A Prayer of Surrender to Trust God… Even in This

“God, please forgive me. My coping mechanisms have clearly become a stronghold in me. I hold onto them. Satan uses them to convince me I need them more than I need You… or instead of You… that they will serve me better. And I have unknowingly bought into it hook, line, & sinker. Please forgive me! It just feels too much. I hate falling prey to my symptoms… of feeling vulnerable to them… of facing them versus running. I’m too scared. I can’t do it. Help me. Please forgive me. Help my unbelief. You are enough. You are ALWAYS enough. And You’re always faithful… & gentle… & kind… & You gave everything for me, through Jesus, when I didn’t & don’t deserve it. How can I doubt Your sufficiency & willingness here? You’ve proven Yourself. You are worthy of praise, God! Help me set down these chains. Take down my security fence. Become my refuge… my fortitude. Help me to rest in You as sufficient & nothing else. NOTHING ELSE. Help me re-write fulfilling coping mechanisms, with You at its center, clinging to You as my Hope, Guide, Counselor, Faithful Friend, Strength, & Sufficiency! You ARE Enough. I believe, Lord, Help my unbelief. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Is there anything you’re running to instead of to God? What is your personal stronghold that you feel you NEED in place of God’s peace? Where do you feel God’s peace won’t be sufficient for you?

Shine HOPE by going to Him in ALL things. ALL THINGS. His peace… GOD’s peace… is sufficient!

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”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Mabel & Walter the Bunnies (Vietnam)

LIMITED EDITION – while supplies last! Cuddly, soft, and lovable, Mabel the Bunny is adorable, mini, fair-trade fun with her cute pink flower and carrot accessory. Each bunny comes with an adorable carrot that is not attached to the bunny making it perfect for creative play! Artisans in Vietnam hand crochet each bunny with soft cotton-blend yarn and neutral cream, black, and pink colors that make this stuffed animal the perfect gift for any occasion or decor. Each huggable bunny is hand stuffed by visually impaired women in areas of extreme poverty.

Have you met Mabel’s best friend, Walter the Bunny? They make quite the pair!

***Every purchase of Walter or Mabel the Bunny provides fair-trade jobs for local women and villagers who are overcoming disabilities, homelessness, and extreme poverty in Vietnam.***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

It Doesn’t Have to be Intentionally Wrong… to be Wrong

This is an unpopular topic… mostly because when Christians fall into this, they have ZERO intention of TRYING to make sin appealing & would NEVER claim that it’s even okay to do such a thing.

But just as the verse puts it, “… holding onto the traditions of men…” (Mark 7:8-9), it is easy to see what was okay to the past generations & feel if it’s okay with them & THEY weren’t intentionally trying to promote sin & it was always meant as “all in good fun,” then it can’t be wrong now either. And even though those verses refer to coming up with traditions to SEEM holy, rules God never gave in the first place because it made them feel good about themselves… the same can be true about justifying things we engage in that dishonor Him.

This is where the recurring theme/danger of humanity “doing what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6; Judges 21:25) comes in & needing to pray the prayer, “Lord, search me & know me… see if there be any wicked way in me….” (Psalm 139:23-24) Because it’s not always INTENTIONAL when we’re in fact dishonoring God. We often have good intentions (or at least harmless ones) indeed.

But that doesn’t make it NOT wrong, either.

Almost True = NOT True

It is VITALLY important to do spiritual checkups frequently because we are fed information, beliefs, & opinions every day of our lives through every person we come in contact with, whether through our personal lives or through the media/social media. We are being fed from somewhere, always.

This is also why we NEED the MEAT of the Word of God to be part of our daily spiritual nutrition, coupled with constant prayer, because quite frankly, we don’t always recognize WHEN we’re buying into something that’s just not quite right… even though it may seem PRETTY CLOSE.

Let me put it this way… if something is ALMOST true, what does that make it?

Blurring the Lines Is No New Tactic

As a culture, I have witnessed what has actually been happening every day throughout all history, as it ebbs & flows in its determination to honor & please God… the watering down of how BAD sin really is. Sin sometimes sort of seems to come off as “doing a bad thing” versus wretchedness, wickedness, & deserving of Hell as it actually is.

Think about it. If we water down the severity of sin, which Satan is so intentional in his deceit here, it makes it SEEM like God is just on a major power trip… or that He is just overreacting about EVERYTHING… or that “WHY HELL?” It makes Him seem a maniacal dictator throwing the temper tantrum the century.

Satan very much wants us to think these things about God… to doubt Him… or at the very least, to question Him… to blur the lines of sin & God’s deserving, to make our secure foundation of faith begin to totter & crumble beneath us.

We Need a Reality Check Sometimes

We need a perception adjustment here as a culture.

When we sin… we are defying, disrespecting, & spitting in the face of a HOLY God, Creator & Sustainer of ALL life (that includes you & me!), Who gave His ALL for us through Jesus on the cross, paying the debt WE owe for OUR sin & wretchedness. We don’t deserve Heaven, but He paid the way for every one of us who is willing to turn to Jesus as their only hope. (Because He IS our only hope!)

So, we’re not just mocking HIM when we water down the wretchedness of sin, but also the fact that He knew you would, knew you could never adequately pay Him back to make it right, & so HE HIMSELF MADE a way for you to be cleared of your debt FOR YOU… Our sin mocks THAT, too.

He is infinitely WORTHY of us making sure we are not, in the SLIGHTEST, watering down what displeases God simply because it’s been widely accepted throughout mainstream culture or even sometimes, sadly, the church.

It Doesn’t Matter What It Is… If It At ALL Offends God… WALK AWAY from It

And when you take things like “identity” & make it a “choice” rather than His specific design… that’s mocking Him.

And when you say you don’t have a choice BUT to sin, because it’s “who you are…” that’s mocking Him. Reality check, even if you feel you’ve had a certain DRAW toward a specific something God calls sin since you were a kid… guess what… you were BORN a sinner, so that has since become a decision to satisfy SELF more than a desire to please God… that’s mocking Him.)

And when we downplay certain sins that seem like they’re “not really that bad compared to “WORSE” ones,” assuming sometimes it can be “innocent” & that God “knows your intentions”… that’s mocking God.

And when we defend certain books or movies or games that even a little bit make us wonder whether it offends God… why do you resist that nudge? Have you asked yourself that yet? Have you dared to confront it? To surrender it if needed? To be willing to let God change your mind about it & move on from it? Or do you shove that little heart nudge so deep down that you don’t have to think about it anymore because you don’t want to be made to feel bad about it?

Do you claim that giving it up would be “legalistic”? Is that the method Satan uses to successfully get you to desperately cling on to something that dishonors, displeases, or offends God?

He Gets to Choose

HE made us. HE gets to choose. HE gave us a choice, desiring that we would choose to honor Him, knowing we wouldn’t always, & then made a way for us anyway through JESUS. He is WORTHY of PRAISE & HONOR!

I get it. Trends are popular & tempting because they can be fun, engaging, exciting, & SEEM harmless… but if they honor something God calls sin… can we really, honestly examine ourselves & say that engaging with it doesn’t dishonor Him?

Are you willing to do a soul inventory? Are you willing to be “searched” & “known” by God as the prayer requests of God in Psalm 139? For Him to show you if there be “any wicked way” in you? Or do you insist on remaining comfortable in what you have wrapped excuses around as “not that bad”?

It’s tempting for me, when I come to these sorts of crossroads, for me to rear up, feel defensive & called out… to feel offended… because I am NOT TRYING to offend God IN THE LEAST! But if I am willing to be honest with myself… am I fully convinced that I am indeed NOT offending Him with ANY of my choices?

Or do I just want what I want, to convince myself it is just fine, & to stay tucked in that comfort?

I Don’t Like Being Challenged to Let Go

When facing myself & coming to a willingness to be shown as wrong… It’s scary to me. It is. It takes a willingness to try surrender. To say, “God, I don’t know about this. You know I’m not trying to offend You, right? I would NEVER want that! But I feel myself rearing up. I feel the tension & ick & fear of having to realize that what I was so convinced was just fine before… maybe isn’t actually so fine. I don’t like that. Help me. If this is something that DOES indeed offend You, God, help me be willing… WILLING… to let it go. Change my heart & my perspective to want only what honors You, even if I have to lose something I like. I am afraid of losing this. But I also don’t want to even RISK offending You, either. Help me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Are you willing to pray that? Are you willing to let God see the parts of you that you’ve justified circles around? Are you willing to let HIM change your mind about it if it indeed offends Him? Are you willing to risk losing that to make sure you honor & please Him with your choices no matter what?

Or will you cling? Will you rear back? Will you talk to friends who will help you feel better about it again so you have someone to back up what you want to feel okay about again?

Will you shut God out of that part of your life?

What/Who do you want more?

The Cultural Breakdown of Sin–Making Evil Look Good

We should NEVER try to sugarcoat what God calls evil or sin. EVER. And for GOOD reason! The cultural breakdown of sin–making evil look good, only stands to HURT us.

Are you willing to believe that if it dishonors or offends Him that it is for a GREAT reason? That His choices & commands ONLY EVER revolve around BOTH your good AND His Glory?

Are you willing to REALLY believe that?

Shine HOPE by being WILLING to go to God in whatever you felt defensive about as you read this… by being willing to ask God to search & to know you, to let you know if there is ANY wicked way in you that you may be excusing or justifying… SO THAT He can lead you in “THE WAY EVERLASTING.”

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”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Mini Mandala Dish (India)

Create a gorgeous missional tablescape or display your favorite jewelry with this decorative Mini Mandala Dish from India! This eco-friendly dish is made from fast-growing mango wood, a sustainable byproduct of India’s mango fruit industry. Each dish features unique natural wood grains. Every purchase supports families in areas of extreme poverty in India.

In addition to being eco-friendly with fast-growing mango wood, our Artisans use up ALL parts of the wood! Nothing is wasted. This leads to many variations in the bowl, showing off its natural beauty. 

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

The Idol of Comfort-Seeking

I get it. I am basically the queen of wanting to avoid things that make me uncomfortable. It’s one of my biggest idols—comfort-seeking.

You may see my blog posts & social media encouragement & think, “yeah, but you still get stuff done, so how can you really say you relate?” But if you knew how much inner fight went on behind the scenes some weeks, you would get it. My heart craves comfort-seeking.

In a social media world especially, it’s easy to make life about the feel-good moments & the aesthetics. Frame it well, include some pretty florals, & use the right font & I am more likely to want to try whatever it is. Put it in black & white, in a boring font, & yeah, no thanks.

Reframing Your Perspective Is Actually a Good Thing!

It’s not wrong to try to reframe a situation in a more positive light… for example, if you use a planner, having gold foil accents & florals make it more appealing to use it… or in thinking about chores, changing your mindset from seeing it as grueling housework that you have to do versus something you GET to do to help make your home more comfortable & a safe space to come home to.

Nothing is wrong with re-framing our mindset about responsibilities, but the problem sprouts up when we refuse to do it if we can’t find a way to make it seem pretty or appealing. When we can’t find a way to make it make us feel good.

In a culture primarily led by how something makes them feel, we ought to do what’s right, even when we don’t feel like it.

Legitimate Struggle, But Not Worth Giving Up–Because God Is Bigger Still

I struggle with depression & probably anxiety. Now, this isn’t the type of depression that is feeling depressed & woe is me (although, when left unchecked, it can surely go there) & it is not the type of anxiety where I am constantly worrying about every outcome & everything around me, but rather they are manifested more in feeling physically & mentally tired, worn out, sluggish, checked out, numb, restless, & angsty… making it easy to want to seek out whatever feels better versus adding to the already existing strain.

It’s a legitimate issue… a legitimate struggle. It’s not trying to be lazy, but rather not feeling you have anything left to give anything else.

But, responsibilities still exist & as they pile up unchecked, so do the anxieties & stressors–typically making things worse. And God is always waiting to help as we cry out to Him for help. He wants us to live for Him & He also has the full, inexhaustible supply to help us make it happen.

It Always Leads Back to Surrender

It comes back to surrender… surprise, surprise… a willingness to lay down how I FEEL for what is right, even when I don’t feel like it. But thank GOD He doesn’t leave it up to my willpower or strength! He supplies as I cry out to Him AS my help!

This applies to showing up & doing my blog every week, even when I really don’t feel like concentrating or working some weeks.

It means not wasting away my afternoons when I get home from work, introverted me tired from being around people all morning, but rather surrendering & asking God instead to help take my hand & lead me step by step through my required tasks for the day, even when I would really rather just play video games or binge on a tv show the entire day.

It means doing the hard things, even when they don’t make me feel good.

It means being a PART of the body at church, serving in some capacity, even when some days I just don’t want to be around any other humans because I am TIRED.

But it also means recognizing when God is saying I just need rest, but not taking that to mean rest ONLY, ALWAYS. It always leads back to surrender to His lead & His help.

In a Culture Often Led by How Something Makes You Feel, Do What’s Right Anyway

What would the world look like if EVERYONE ONLY did what made them feel good?

You know what, being a janitor is dirty work… & because it is, I try to remember to thank them respectfully every time I see them working past me, even using sir or ma’am, because I want them to be honored for doing something most of us wouldn’t feel good doing, but I am SO grateful that they do it! If you are a sanitary worker, THANK YOU!

Imagine a world where we all only got the jobs that made us feel good… no janitors, no one to shovel poop on the farm, no one to care for the sick & dying…. It would become a pretty ugly world pretty quickly if we all avoided what didn’t make us feel good.

But don’t we often avoid taking extra time we don’t feel we have (& because it doesn’t always feel good) to serve God or honor Him by studying His Word, or taking intentional personal time with Him every day when we’re busy or worn out? Or is it just me?

What is the world around you missing out on in seeing Jesus through you because it doesn’t always make you feel good to honor Him all the time? Surrender.

I am Not the Shining Example I Ought to Be

I know I am pretty convicted by this. I am certainly not writing this week as a shining example of what ought to be done… unfortunately.

This is something I need to lay down every day, but I honestly sometimes don’t.

It’s something I need to surrender… to be willing to surrender to Him for help.

I have been asking for prayers lately for God to help me rebuild my life after our move because I have a REALLY hard time starting over & setting new routines & productive habits… after the craziness dust settles after a move, I easily fall into “oh phew! Now I need a BREAK!” & then I just never want to come out of that break because I have no good habits built up to fill in the blank spaces yet.

But alongside my prayers for a rebuilt life, I realized that my true need is a willingness to give up that break… (again, surrender) to ALLOW God to replace some of it with productive, healthy habits versus just existing through my day into the next one.

What are you avoiding for this very same reason–because it doesn’t make you feel good or give you a happy high in your day? That’s MY struggle.

Even When I am Weak, He Is Strong

Through my chronic sleeplessness lately (which I am grateful to say seems to have passed), God taught me how much of a Supply He could be if I were but willing to surrender to His help rather than giving up when I was so weak & tired & so prone to crankiness. He taught me that even with an against-my-will lacking, He was enough for me through it….

So, if I lost sleep on purpose (versus setting my morning alarm for the last possible second) to start each morning spending time in Bible study so I could begin my day purposefully focusing on Him versus just numb go-through-the-motions, that He would for sure be enough for me there as well.

He is helping me rebuild… to honor Him better with my time & choices… because I am willing to lay down my coveting of time-my-way for time HIS way… but I am still in need of more work with it FOR SURE & it is taking a DAILY surrender in this area.

What Are You Willing to Surrender, Even If It Doesn’t FEEL Good?

This week, I had a 5-day weekend, & I committed to fast from television, video games, mindless video scrolling online, & mindless swipe games… to work on making a commitment to better use my time. I’m going to need to keep working on it because my progress felt so incredibly sluggish because I am so reluctant… but I want to keep learning to bow that to Him so that when I look back a year from now, I can see & know I spent my time well & not wasted.

What do you need to give up that you are clinging to other than God as your help? What are you avoiding because it doesn’t make you feel good? What are you saying “no” to God about because it doesn’t seem appealing?

Shine HOPE by being willing to do what’s right, even when you don’t feel like it… with God’s help & a willingness to surrender to that help!

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”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Leather Leaf Earrings (Haiti)

These totally unique brown and ivory Leather Leaf Earrings made by women leading their families out of poverty in Haiti! Inspired by the natural beauty of the changing seasons, these genuine leather statement earrings are hand cut and accented with ivory glass beads and 14k gold-plated fishhook-style ear wires.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

What Should Prayer Look Like?

If you’re wanting to learn what God says about prayer, a quick internet search on prayer verses in the Bible will bring up quite a few references to what the Bible (AKA God) says about prayer, but something I would like to highlight is a newer-to-me perspective on why I ought to pray.

I grew up believing that prayer was about asking for what I want. In fact the Bible even says to let our requests be made known to God:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7) (emphasis added, & hey, it’s also our verse from last week! Read that post, here: “How You Can Have Impossible Peace.”)

But make no mistake… prayer is not about making God do what I want. And trust me… that’s a GOOD THING.

God Doesn’t Answer to Me… Will That Cause Me to Doubt Him?

Something I always seemed to misunderstand was how I could be expected to make my requests known to Him & NOT be trying to make God into my personal genie—as I had always been told He was not… because He isn’t. He is GOD. And God does not answer to me.

So, going through deep depression lows & other seemingly never-ending times of hardship in my life, I would do as the verse says… I would make my requests (to end my struggles) be made known to God.

But when He did not remove the struggles or hardships… well, I stopped finding it so easy to trust Him.

And guess what… that is Exactly what Satan wants to result from our hardships & struggles… to doubt God & to turn away from Him... from HOPE.

And so I have come to realize that while the Bible does instruct us to make our requests known to God… I was missing a key piece to the whole prayer thing.

Prayer is meant to help me get on the same page as God. To align my heart with His perfect will & steadfast peace. To trust He knows far better than I do.

Remember These Major Truths When You Pray

Really effective prayer stems from another few verses we ought to keep in mind as we pray (emphasis added):

1. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
2. “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to Whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)
3. ““For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways,
   And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
4. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
5. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

It’s okay to let God know your preference & to ask for it. But when looking at the above verses, it sounds like God is trying to tell us something there, doesn’t it? And boy do I need that reminder almost every day…. Our preference should not be the end-all-be-all, my-way-or-the-highway type of request… but a request of humility, understanding that in ALL things, GOD KNOWS BEST.

Fearing God Is Where It Ought to Start… Because of Some Pretty Awesome Reasons

Fearing God means recognizing really & truly that God is GOD & we are NOT–that’s why true wisdom starts there. Couple that with the fact that God tells us directly NOT to rely on our OWN understanding, well, it stands to reason that when we pray, we ought to ask for HIS GOD-will to trump our own will… that He help us trust HIS will & that He uphold us in it & through it.

Prayer is not about bringing a grocery list of requests to God for Him to pop out as you ask them, allowing you to have your ideal life with zero struggle or pain.

Prayer is about bringing our requests to Him & asking with a BUT, “… BUT, help me to see YOUR will in this. Help me to face it in a way that honors YOU. Strengthen me & help me to give YOU glory—no matter the outcome, & help me trust that YOU will also be my enough every step through it & will work it out for my good because YOU are a good God.”

Pray your prayers with a heart of surrender, being willing to trade your preference for His perfectly wise & always GOOD will.

Who Would You Rather?

Consider it this way: If you had a choice between entrusting your faith to a toddler to help you know what is best… Or an adult… who would you rather call the shots? (Hint: We are the toddler in this scenario… & God is the adult, but so much more.)

Oh, we may want something REALLY badly & feel like it’s the absolute end of the world if we do not have it (our dream job, our dream guy, 2.5 kids with a white picket fence, or a clear bill of health–none of those are wrong to want, by the way)… But we only see & understand & know a mere FRACTION of what God sees, understands, & knows.

God sees & understands & knows EVERYTHING. Do we? I know I don’t.

(But let me tell you, it is getting harder for me to raise eyebrows at screaming, demanding-their-way toddlers nowadays because I’m beginning to realize how closely I must resemble them before God sometimes.)

So why oh why would we want & sometimes maybe even demand to get OUR way if it differs from GOD’S way?

God Is Good, So Good–Pray for His Will

I heard pastor & author Chip Ingram say in his video series on “God as He Longs for You to See Him”:

“God is all-wise & all-good, so if there was a gentler, kinder, better way for God to accomplish His perfect will for your life… That’s the way He would do it.”

-Chip Ingram

God knows what He’s talking about on literally EVERYTHING. So that’s why, when we pray, we ought to pray that God help us line up to His perspective & His will in the situation, that He help us trust in that even when we don’t really understand it or see how it could possibly be any good... that He help us through His way & in letting go of our way if it is His will.

“BUT, Your will be done… & help me to trust You through it… I don’t understand, but I know You do. And be my strength & guide & ENOUGH every step of the way.”

Do you pray to get your way or for help trusting God’s way?

Do You Pray to Get Your Way? Or for Help Trusting God’s Way?

Request your request, but have a heart willing to yield that request for His glory & His help through every step of it.

Because He may not give you what you so desperately want, but He WILL supply you with all you need through it, AS you lean into HIM as your Enough. He will NEVER waste your struggle or lack. EVER.

So, shine HOPE by turning your prayers from getting your way to asking for help in being willing to see God’s plan win over your own, & for Him to be your supply through it every step of the way.

He ALWAYS shows Himself faithful. And you can ALWAYS count on 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”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Aventurine Lock Bracelet (Dominican Republic)

The naturally varying shades of genuine aventurine stone make every Aventurine Lock Bracelet from the Dominican Republic totally unique. Each stretch-to-fit bracelet features a gold-tone accent bead and a delicate gold lock charm.

*Every purchase of this bracelet supports a safe house in the Dominican Republic that provides housing, education, legal services, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking.*

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

An “Impossible” Peace

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

Have you ever stopped to consider what it really means to have peace that goes beyond your understanding?

I have talked on this before, but as I am learning more about daily, moment-by-moment surrender to God, to include my very grumpy mornings as of late, this concept of impossible peace has become a comforting, non-understandable companion of mine. And I want you to see how you can have it, too.

Many a Sleepless Night

You see, it has been a long time since I have slept well. And, while many have conjectured the reasons, whether it be hormonal or anxiety or whatever else, there really isn’t any clear explanation at all as to why I am not sleeping much.

It’s always different. I feel no anxiety or worries floating around in my head. I’m not thinking about anything at all & in fact, constantly feel in a state of “I’m about to drift off” but sometimes never actually do. The reason for my lack of sleep is never consistent.

There’s the stray dogs that gather outside our bedroom window & decide to join as a chaotic choir of shrill, loud barks in the middle of the night at random times. There’s my husband’s leg that jerks along with his dreams some nights as he sleeps. There’s the inconsolable itches in my nose or a clog I can’t seem to adequately clear or a tickle in my throat that threatens to explode into a barrage of loud, wake-the-husband coughs that I strain to contain. Sometimes it’s a fold in the sheets under my leg that my brain fixates on with hypersensitivity, like I am embodying the princess & the pea. And in the course of one single night, sometimes it is ALL OF THE ABOVE.

It has been rough. I’m not going to lie to you about that.

The Hard Hasn’t Stopped… But…

Some nights, after HOURS of “almost there, almost about to drift into deep, blissful sleep” moments where I am jerked awake by any one of those things I mentioned above… after hours of being so sleepy, so relaxed, so on the edge of slumber, but unsuccessful… well, sometimes I resort to silent screaming into my pillow, whimpering pathetically as quietly as I can, or just giving up altogether & just getting up.

In fact, after resorting to all three of those a few nights ago, I eventually sat down at my dining room table at around 4am, put my elbows on the table, put my face in my palms, & I just sat there & sobbed for about 20-30 minutes.

Frustration. Exhaustion. Maddening countless failed attempts to sleep. It was all too much. And this, mind you, is after MONTHS of this happening several times a week, if not more.

And I have prayed. OH HOW I HAVE PRAYED for it to stop so I could JUST SLEEP.

But no relief comes. But….

Does God Really Care? Even When It Stays Hard?

And to be honest with you, when times like this, where troubles just kept coming at me with little to no relief & my prayers seemed to be to no avail, I was really, really tempted & sometimes full-on gave in to doubting that God even cared about me at all.

Shame on me.

But God has been preparing me for this very season through my personally learned lessons of surrender lately. He’s been teaching me that He is enough when I am not even close. That He can be my strength when I am depleted. That He can hold me up & lift me when I feel sunken into the ground in defeat.

He really is enough.

And that’s what I want to urge you to consider. That He is enough, even when it makes absolutely no sense that you can feel you have lost everything & still have everything.

His Peace Seems Impossible When It Is Present on the Darkest of Nights

Impossible peace is not so impossible with God.

It is very much possible… through crying out to Him AS your help in times of trouble.

*Now, there is a pre-requisite, if you will… Knowing & accepting His Son, Jesus, as your Savior from your sin. We all sin. We all deserve Hell. But God offers hope, through Jesus. Do you know Him? (Read more about that in “Have You Met Jesus?” & “Am I Going to Hell?”) Because THAT peace is what your heart really craves above ALL else.*

You see, I used to think that crying out to Him as my help in times of trouble meant that I need to trust Him to fix everything for me so I can just be happy again.

But no. That’s not it.

Praise Him in Every Circumstance

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

“I will praise the Lord at all times.
    I will constantly speak his praises.” (Psalm 34:1)

This peace that goes beyond understanding, this IMPOSSIBLE PEACE, means that EVEN WHEN THE STORMS STILL RAGE… you can have peace through Him.

That is why the disciples could sing praise to God while sitting in prison. (Acts 16:24-25)

That is why God says to praise Him in every circumstance. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

That is why God says to not lean on our own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

How You Can Have Impossible Peace

My physical body is weak. I am tired almost all the time lately. I wake up so many days mad at my alarm, signifying that time is up… no more attempts for sleep tonight….

And I have a lot to surrender lately because of all that.

And I may feel like I am breaking, but I am not broken.

I may feel weak, but He IS my strength when I call out to Him.

My days may start off with an angry, temper-tantrum worthy attitude of frustration, but when I ask God to forgive me for it & I ask Him to be my enough somehow that day… He shows Himself quite enough for me every time.

How can you have impossible peace? Through calling out to Him AS your help.

I don’t like feeling weak. I don’t like feeling like I have to ask for help in the dumbest, littlest ways as if I am completely worthless… but let me tell you what… I like knowing He is enough, always, 100%.

Am I Willing to Surrender This to Him as My Help?

The question I have to ask myself when I am being broken down is this: “Am I willing to surrender this to Him for help? Am I willing to entrust my nothing for His everything? Or am I going to demand to feel I am enough on my own?”

Satan Wants Me Broken… Wants Me to Quit… But God Wants Me to KNOW God Is Enough, Even If

I strongly believe that my lack of sleep is spiritual warfare. If you doubt Satan does stuff like that, just spend some time reading the book in the Bible: Job. (Job) Because there is no clear reason, nor any CONSISTENT reason why I can’t sleep.

I feel like Satan is hating what I am learning about surrender, aka taking my lacking & knowing I can trade that in for God’s everything if I am but willing to surrender to His help versus demand I feel adequate on my own again.

I feel like Satan wants me to throw in the towel & say, “Heck no! This is NOT worth it! I feel tired all the time & it is so HARD & I HATE hard! Forget it! I want it to be easy again! I don’t want to NEED God for even the tiniest things! It’s TOO HARD! I quit!”

But God whispers gently the reminder that each & every time I have chosen surrender on those very hard mornings following bad sleep… that God was faithful… He showed up… He helped me put one foot in front of the other like a constant Companion & Guide… He comforted me in my most uncomfortable moments. That He was very much ENOUGH for me.

I am But Human… Thankfully, God Is MORE

Am I tempted some mornings to listen to Satan & throw in the towel & quit & say, “But I don’t WANT it to be HARD anymore!” Yes. Sadly, yes. I like feeling the lie that I can take care of myself just fine & rely on a restful night sleep after a long day so I can wake up refreshed & ready for the next day, feeling strong. I WANT THAT SO BADLY when struggling to sleep in the middle of the night!

But God has been giving me impossible peace each day when sleep happens to elude me. He has helped me see I can trust Him with more than I thought.

My Excuses… My Fears… Compared to God’s Everything

And He has shown me another very important thing through this hard, sometimes so frustrating journey… that my previous struggle of merely being a light sleeper kept me from thriving because I always chose extra chances for sleep versus taking time with Him every morning before I began each day, worried I wouldn’t sleep enough otherwise.

But now, I barely sleep anyway. And yet… God has shown Himself more than sufficient for me through it….

And if He is sufficient when I get no sleep, how much more so if I am getting less sleep ON PURPOSE because I desire to give Him honor by spending time with Him before I start each day, asking for His help & guiding hand to lead my thoughts & actions.

Satan wants me to stay stuck. To say, “See, you’re never guaranteed sleep… so just set your alarm as late as you can… or don’t set it at all… just in case.”

But if God can prove Himself to be more than sufficient in this season of intense & agonizing sleeplessness, then He can supply for me what I need in order to take some time each morning, intentionally, to spend time honoring Him each morning before I start my day.

No more living in fear of lack of sleep. I’m not getting much these days anyway.

I Can Have Impossible Peace… Even IN the Hard… & SO. CAN. YOU.

Time to surrender even my fear of not getting enough sleep to God & time to start asking Him to give me enough clarity of thought to spend time dedicating my day to Him each morning… even if I don’t get ANY sleep… & even if it means risking less sleep.

Because He really is enough. And He really can supply “impossible” peace… even when it seems, well, impossible… if I am but willing to surrender my need to Him AS my help.

Shine HOPE by not letting Satan call the shots or discourage you away from all the many ways God can stand in the gap for you & be your more than enough… by determining to rely on God’s impossible peace.

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”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Kaia Earrings (Philippines)

These elegant eco-friendly earrings feature ethically sourced, sustainable, capiz shells that local families harvest from the bottom of the sea surrounding the Philippine islands. Artisans handcraft these natural capiz shells into blue ombré teardrop shapes and then wrap them in silver-tone metal frames before adding silver-tone fishhook ear wires.

*Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in the Philippines.*

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

When Everything Is Just Blank…

I am sitting at my computer just feeling completely blank. I have tried to think of what to say, have started typing several times on topics in the back of my mind… but nothing seems to stick. Nothing seems quite right… & so then it gets deleted.

So, I guess I am just going to start typing & see where God takes it today.

Feeling Tired. Feeling Numb.

My depression is a funny animal. Some days I feel pretty okay, some I thrive… but some days (like today) just feel like I am dragging. Everything feels hard.

It might also have something to do with the consistently choppy sleep I have been getting recently. So part of it is quite possibly just being plain tired. But I feel sort of numb, too, like I just don’t really care about much of anything.

Feeling this way makes it hard to do much of anything. I just want to glaze over & get through the day so I can try again tomorrow… or maybe next week. That’s just me being honest. I know sometimes I sound like a broken record when I have these days & talk about it, but the alternative is plastering on a fake smile & forcing out a cheery tone to make everyone else feel better about me not feeling better… but then I just feel like a fake & like what’s the point?

Quitting Just Makes It Worse

But I also don’t want to waste away my day, letting those feelings of blah win, because honestly, enough of those sorts of days piled up makes me feel defeated & they just seem to compound over time, sparking the feeling that my life is just one big waste. (Not a rabbit hole I want to go down again.)

So, that’s not really an option either.

Then what do I do? I’ve got nothin’. I feel blah. I just want to not bother because bothering just seems an added hard to the already existing hard.

Well, surprise, surprise… I go back to my old friend “Surrender.” And here we go again.

God Knows & God’s Enough

“God, I don’t understand why I’m not sleeping… why everything has to feel so hard so often. I feel like I struggle more than most people & that everyone is probably sick of hearing about it by now… so why do You allow it to keep happening? And why do I have to keep writing about how weak I am? I don’t understand why so many things keep me awake lately. I feel like I took sleep for granted & now I never seem to get enough of it. I feel like I’m drifting. I feel bored with & am numbing to life sometimes lately because everything seems grayscale. I crave color. I want to do great things for You, but then I feel like I am obviously not strong enough for it. I get it… I’m not enough. My humanness glares at me in times like this & it is so uncomfortable. I really hate it sometimes. Maybe that’s why You allow it? So I learn it’s not me I need to be trying to count on anyway, but You? I know I need to be better at that for sure. I’m sorry for craving self-sufficiency, for trying to fix it myself… instead of allowing it to be an opportunity to cry out to You as my help. Please forgive me. I like feeling strong & capable, but please teach me that You really are my Enough. Please be my Enough. Help me to somehow give You glory when all I feel like I want to be is a grumbling, grumpy, give-up quitter. Forgive me for thinking I have to have my strength & control back in order to be something or do anything of value for You. You are Enough. Be my Enough. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”

Am I the Only One Who Feels So Weak So Often?

I don’t know if you ever feel like that? Or if it’s just me?

But boy am I NOT a fan.

But today, & hopefully every day following… I want to force myself to choose surrender & let God take my NOT ENOUGH & make it into something because HE IS ENOUGH.

Shine HOPE by making sure you remember that, too. 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”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Rosa Bracelet (Guatemala)

Using traditional Guatemalan beading techniques, Artisans handcraft this feminine and romantic adjustable Rosa Bracelet to create a beautiful chain of petite purple diamonds with silver accents. Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in Guatemala.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Do You Ever Wonder?

When the lights go out & you crawl into bed for the night, alone with your thoughts… do you ever wonder: “Am I going to Hell when I die?”

Maybe during the day you make conscious effort to do the right thing & be a nice person, & so you are good at burying that little annoying doubt under loads of feel-goods… but when you’re alone with your thoughts… are you solid in convincing yourself? Or does that little nagging doubt follow you like an ominous shadow that you can’t quite seem to shake?

How Can You Know?

Satan definitely likes to make Christians doubt the power of God on this point, but for some, that nagging little doubt is a nudge from God’s Spirit, letting you know that the way you are headed, no matter how laced with good deeds & good intentions, is leading you straight to Hell.

But how can you really know for sure?

I don’t want you to live with doubts & wondering. I don’t want you to be weighed down by anxious thoughts & worry. I want you to know that you know that you know. Once & for all.

And trust me… there is a sure way to KNOW. (If you haven’t read last week’s post, that’s a very good place to start: “Have You Met Jesus?”)

You Need to KNOW, So You Can Shove That Annoying Little Doubt Away for GOOD

You see, I want you to know the truth. That if you have not admitted to the sin in your life… those things where you went your way over God’s or did any scrap of wrong AT ALL (God is pure, holy, & perfect, so our sin naturally separates us from Him, no matter how “small,” “infrequent,” or “inconsequential” you may try to convince yourself it is)… you are going to Hell without Jesus. NONE of us have ANY chance without Jesus. So it’s really important that you know Him.

Are You Willing to Just Chance It?

No amount of good deeds will ever give you the rest & assurance you’re seeking, because deep down, your heart knows that will never be enough—no matter how hard you may try to convince yourself otherwise.

No amount of being a nice or good person will ever even the scales in your favor. Any amount of wrong in your life separates you from God.

No amount of knowing all the right answers in church, or perfect church attendance, or going to every church function, or doing all the right “churchy” things.”.

No amount of being generous.

No amount of trying to feel good about yourself.

You’ll always come up short… miss the mark… do you really want to take that chance?

Do you really want to risk eternal anguish & suffering by hoping you can do “enough”? … to risk never experiencing the calm, contented, PEACE & LOVE of Heaven because Maybe you’ll make it in?

What Is Hell?

You may say, “well, Hell can’t be that bad. Heaven sounds boring anyway.”

No, my friend. Hell is complete & absolute, eternal separation from God. While on earth, you still experience His goodness & love, mixed with the hurt, stress, & pain results of sin in this world. But in Hell—take out the good parts… leave only the pain.

You don’t want that & God is NOT forcing you to go there because you’re “not good enough.” Because NONE of us are. ANY sin makes us separated from God. ANY. (Romans 3:23-24)

It’s not that the “beyond saving” “have to” go to Hell. Or that only the “bad” people go there. No, we ALL deserve Hell.

But… JESUS

But… Jesus. “Have You Met Jesus?” He made a way possible. (Romans 6:23; 1 John 3:16; John 14:6; John 3:17)

Don’t let yourself remain tormented with that nagging question: “Am I Going to Hell?” Because you can KNOW you’re not, because the way to Heaven doesn’t depend on what you can offer, but what God already offered, through JESUS..

Jesus came down from His heavenly throne, to be born as a man, so He could be our once-and-for-all perfect sacrificial Lamb, giving HIS life to redeem OURS. (1 John 1:9; Isaiah 53:4-6; John 1:29; Matthew 1:23)

But… How?

You don’t have to get cleaned up first… that would take eternity & still not happen 100%.

You don’t have to be good enough or earn it… because none of us are & none of us can.

All you need is a humbled heart that says, “Lord, I’m sorry. Please forgive me for all of the ways I have wronged you, big or small. Forgive me. Please, Jesus, cover my sins for me. Thank You for paying my debt FOR ME! Amen.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:22-24)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

It is the gift of God. Have you accepted?

Am I Going to Hell?

Do you know for sure? Have you made your peace with God? Have you surrendered your sin to Him in exchange for the gift Jesus offers?

Don’t be content just trying to bury that question… SQUASH it.

Be SAVED from your own sin-debt to God. Let Jesus cover you in everlasting, assured HOPE.

It is definitely true that Satan will try to derail & decommission even a Christian by harassing them over a mistake they have made, whispering “are you really saved?” But, JESUS paid for that, too—so don’t let yourself or Satan forget that!

Shine HOPE by taking your sin to the feet of Jesus & asking Him to cover your sin… to be your Savior… to be your HOPE.

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”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Liberty Necklace (East Asia)

This beautifully feminine necklace is made by women rescued from brothels in East Asia. Every Liberty Necklace is totally unique with real dried purple flowers displayed in clear resin and set in a round silver tone frame. Every purchase helps support a sex-trafficking survivor in East Asia with safe housing, health care, trauma counseling, job skills training, and dignified income.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Who Is Jesus to You?

Have you met Jesus?

Maybe you have heard others talk about Him. Maybe you know Him as a “good teacher” or a “nice person who did good things a long time ago.” Maybe you know Him as someone in history or believe Him to be the fictional imaginings of those who want something to cling to on their darkest days… a crutch.

I know Him a little differently than that. And you can, too. He is not dead & He is not a fictional imagining & He is not just a good person or teacher. He’s a lot more. A whole lot more.

Maybe you grew up hearing about Him at church or maybe through a friend you had growing up… maybe you only ever hear about Him at Christmas through Christmas songs or phrases such as “Jesus is the reason for the season.”

Maybe you think of Him as just another ‘god’ that some people choose to worship to feel good about themselves… their “god of choice.” Or maybe you consider Him to be another hokie “Christian-y” thing.

No matter what you believe or how you think of Jesus, I want to introduce you to Him today.

Jesus Is More

Jesus is so much more than we could ever wrap our minds around.

He is God, before time began… Who came down to earth as fully man, fully God, condescending Himself so that He could fulfill the law of God.

You see, before any of us were born, before the world even began, God was. And He made the world & everything in it… & in His PERFECT wisdom & knowledge, He intended for us to simply steward His creation as we walked with Him in loving harmony, trusting Him with the cares of the world & letting His peace define our lives… letting HIM be God. (Genesis 1-3)

We ALL Miss the Mark

But… sin (sin means ‘missing the mark,’ or basically anything that dishonors, displeases, disrespects, or disobeys God). Sin separates us from God because He is PERFECTLY HOLY & His holiness cannot intermingle with unholiness. We all sin & fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Adam & Eve, as the first humans, decided that ‘just’ trusting God wasn’t enough. (I definitely act sometimes as if I think this way, too!) They were tempted & lied to by Satan (who continues to do this with us even to this day) & they made the CHOICE to disobey the very singular rule they were given—not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil.

They were tempted to know for themselves, to make their own judgement call, to vet maybe anything God led or decided in their lives. They wanted to be equal to God in that way & have that control. That was the first sin. (I am definitely guilty of this! I get uncomfortable when I don’t know where God is leading & I want to know first before I follow.)

God Never Gives Up on Us

Because Adam & Eve sinned in that way, that sin passes down to every one of us. We are BORN sinners. We are BORN wanting OUR way over anyone else’s.

But God did not stop loving us. He did not ever give up on us.

So, God gave Moses the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17), that if we followed His law, now that we wanted to choose for ourselves & make our own judgement calls… then we would be okay.

But, He knew not one of us could ever keep it perfectly.

So, God gave the sacrificial instructions to the priests so that by killing an innocent animal, our sins could be forgiven (showing the severity of sin & God’s hatred of sin—because it always hurts us & others & He knows it & He wanted us to take sin that seriously). (Exodus 29)

But again, God knew our sins would always end up outweighing that of the sacrifice. More sins would come & we would never be fully covered, no matter how many animals we were willing to kill because of our continual sin.

But AGAIN, God did not stop loving us. He did not EVER give up on us.

From the Beginning, It Was Always JESUS

So, throughout all time, even from the beginning, God had a plan to express His great, unending, inexhaustive, unconditional love for us… JESUS.

Jesus.

God knew from before time that the ONLY way we could be redeemed would be JESUS. And guess what… even knowing that… He made us anyway. That’s how much we are loved by Him!

Jesus came to make peace between us & God… to pay OUR debts that we could never sufficiently pay through animal sacrifices or in TRYING to be perfect… to end the bloodshed of innocent animals to cover our wrongs before God—(you would think having to kill an animal every time you sinned because of how terrible a thing sin is, that it would be motivation enough to stop, but boy are we prone to wander, aren’t we? I can’t even judge them on that one, no matter how terrible it sounds in hindsight for us).

But God sent Jesus. Jesus came willingly, out of love for us… out of love for you.

We Deserve God’s WRATH, But Jesus Brings Hope in His GRACE

He saw our lowly state, our inability to save ourselves from our own deserved punishment, had compassion on us… & came to pay our debts by giving His own life on the cross.

The cross was not an easy, quick death. It was long, drawn out, humiliating, gut-wrenching agony. And He was so anguished leading up to it that He sweat BLOOD.

And yet, He went through it with such grace & humility—being GOD, who could have swept in & just killed everyone in righteous WRATH for their disrespect & dishonor to the ALMIGHTY–HIM.

But instead, He went like a sheep to the slaughter, without a fight or resistance. He went willingly to suffer a humiliating, excruciating death… for you. Because His love for you demanded that He do something to save you.

Have You Met Jesus?

Have you met Jesus?

Jesus wasn’t just a good man. He was a perfect man… God in flesh. He condescended Himself from His heavenly, eternal throne to be rejected, despised, spat on, humiliated, whipped, stripped, beaten, & HUNG because He loves you.

People like to say, “Well, why would a good God send anyone to Hell? I don’t want to serve a God who would do that anyway!”

But let me ask you this, the real question is this: “Why would anyone CHOOSE Hell over a GOOD God Who condescended Himself as Almighty GOD to humble MAN to pay YOUR debts because HE loves you THAT MUCH?!”

And He offers that GIFT of GRACE to ANYONE willing to accept it.

Jesus ROSE

But Jesus didn’t stay dead, praise GOD! He ROSE AGAIN, victorious over death AND our sin! Hallelujah indeed!!! (Matthew 28:5-6)

“IT IS FINISHED.” (John 19:30)

People say He was just a good teacher, but He is the All-Wise, All-Knowing GOD Who created all life! When the Bible says “FEAR GOD” (Proverbs 9:10) it is a reminder that HE is GOD & YOU ARE NOT.

Jesus was not just a good Man. He was our perfect, sinless, spotless Lamb Who put Himself on the alter as our once-and-for-all sacrificial offering for our sins.

Jesus–A Gift for All Who Will Receive Him

And guess what? He doesn’t ask for anything to earn it or be good enough for it.

Just. Faith. In. His. Payment. That is ALL.

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

To come face to face with your sin, admit it to God as SIN… that you wronged Him & hurt Him with your disobedience to Him. And say, “God, forgive me. Please forgive me. I cannot save myself. I need You. I need Jesus. Take my sin. Help me to turn from my way of life to Yours. Teach me Your way… in the way everlasting. Take my sin & heal me… forgive me… make me whole again. Jesus, please be LORD of my life from now on. I need You. AMEN.”

Confess your sins to Him. Admit your wrongs against Him. Accept that you will make mistakes but allow God to prune your life to ever be more pleasing & honoring to Him. Accept Jesus as your LORD… as your REDEEMER before God.

Thank You, Jesus

Have you met Jesus? I would like to introduce Him to you… because He has loved you with an everlasting, unconditional love before you were even thought of… & He made a way for you to be right with God once & for all, through His blood, sacrifice, & LOVE.

Shine HOPE by sharing our only true source of HOPE with EVERYONE you know.

Life is short. You are not promised tomorrow.

But Jesus is waiting today… for you.

Will you meet Him?

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 newly added FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts”!***)

This blog/website has been running for over FOUR 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!!

Emery Saddle Bag (India)

Discover beautiful Artisanal style inside this smooth palomino genuine leather bag from India with screen-printed, peach poppy flower designs throughout its tan 100% woven cotton lining. This ethically made Emery Saddle Bag is handcrafted in India with a unique round bottom and stylish front flap that’s finished with a decorative tassel and a magnetic snap closure. Keep your valuables organized and safe in the zippered interior pocket and interior slip pocket. The removable strap allows you to choose how you wear this must-have bag – as a shoulder bag or as a clutch! You can even wear this Emery Saddle Bag as a crossbody with the Emery Crossbody Strap (sold separately). Every purchase creates safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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!

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!