A Hardening Heart Toward God

If I’m completely honest with you, I have noticed my heart hardening toward God over the last year or so.

It’s not that I don’t pray. I still read my Bible before bed every night. I go to Bible Study with other ladies. I keep up with my blog to honor Him even on days I’d rather be lazy.

I still see Him work in my life. I still ask for His help. I still feel Him near me, caring for me… even when I fail… a lot.

But I have grown cold. Selfish. Hard-hearted. Coveting of spending time the way I want or eating what I want or staying in the bubble of my comfort zone… Living my life for me… & not for Him.

I see it. I feel it. And yet, I don’t want to change it.

I Need to Diligently Spend More Time with Him & Seek after Him

There’s even a nudging on my heart as to the cause of it… a beckoning & a welcoming whisper to the security, safety, peace, & joy I felt when I spent more time with Him. In fact, the more time I spent talking with Him & seeking Him through reading & studying the Bible, the more those things seemed to define the state of my heart.

And I know I need more of it. I know my lack of pursuit of Him is what is slowly draining the joy & peace & eagerness out of my heart.

I need to seek Him more. I need to submit my heart to Him & spend time in His presence, through prayer & reading His Word, the Bible. I need to make HIM my daily focus… Not Me.

But I don’t want to do anything about it.

When My Life Is All about Me & Not about Jesus

It makes me feel ashamed even to admit it out loud that I have started to make my life more about me & not so much about Him.

Consider my anxieties that flooded my life when I heard we’re moving next month. Or the anxiety I feel when I think someone might ask something of me that may take away from my preferred use of free time.

Selfishness has begun to replace a pursuit of holiness.

Those anxieties should have been replaced by humbled willingness to see how they can be used to shine His light & honor & please Him, but all I could think about was the hassle & not having things go my way.

And I know it. And I feel no desire to change it, even though my heart aches & pleads for me to do so, to redeem the heart of peace & joy & love I felt when I did pursue Him more.

I Would Rather Have Hard Times with Him

I feel like the only way God is going to get through to me again is by letting me go through something hard. I feel trapped by the sinful, selfish hard-heartedness I seem to be clinging to.

It’s true that going through hard things is, well, hard. But if it gets my attention back on what matters & shakes me out of this selfish pattern of self-destruction, then I welcome it.

I wish I could recognize that reality, allow that to be all I need, & change course before it happens so I can experience that joy again without the trial first, but I just don’t want to change & I would rather hurt facing a hard lesson & readjust, than keep on this trajectory of self-absorbed destruction.

A Prayer of Repentance

“Lord, forgive me. I am so selfish & self-absorbed. I want my life to be about me, where I am the main character & everything happens to benefit or please me. I want everything to go my way & be comfortable. I don’t want things in my life that don’t cultivate comfort for me. Please forgive me. I don’t know why You even put up with me at this point. How many times must I learn this lesson? How many times do I need to be reminded that You are beyond worth losing literally any & everything? Why must I always cycle back to needing this lesson again & again? I don’t understand Your level of patience & forgiveness & grace & love. I must have long ago used up my ‘deserved’ amount. Please forgive me. Help me find my way back to the peace & joy & eagerness to pursue You in everything I do. Forgive me for making ME the main character, when the main character is, was, & always will be You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Shine HOPE by trusting that God will continue to pursue you, even when you stop pursuing Him, & by knowing you can always turn around back to Him & find Him waiting with open arms.…

Don’t hesitate to run into those arms.

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 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!!

Journey Backpack

This genuine leather Journey Backpack is handcrafted by Artisans in India who wash, tumble, & vegetable-tan the leather to create a vintage well-loved look & feel. With its versatile, hands-free design, varying neutral shades of weathered cognac brown, & double-stitched reinforced construction, this backpack is a must-have fair-trade “carry-all” for anyone!

Get one for yourself & empower women artisans in India out of poverty. <3

How You Can Help:

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! Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Are We Bearing Consequences We Could Have Avoided If We Had Sought God First?

Have you ever considered the consequences of seemingly inconsequential decisions to just act as most do on something versus stopping to ask God first?

Maybe your decision or solution is simply that of what generations of people have always done in that situation–like going to the doctor when you’re sick… maybe it just seems logical & reasonable like seeking an ally in battle… maybe it doesn’t seem any serious offense like pride, arrogance, or rebellion against God.

That’s how it typically goes for me anyway. I don’t think of it as being prideful or distrusting of God–I’m just acting on what I know to do from past experiences or the advice of those before me.

I don’t think of it as pride to go to the doctor when I am sick. I don’t think of it as turning my back on God when I ask for a friend’s help in crisis. It’s just what what one typically does in those situations.

My Hope Is in the LORD! … Do I Act Like It?

But then this little verse in 2 Chronicles 16 just has to throw a wrench into everything I believe to be reasonable.

“Because you have relied on the king of Syria, & have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand.” (2 Chronicles 16:7)

Now. I don’t believe God’s intent with this statement was to throw a temper tantrum of rage, but rather to say, “I could have helped you, but you didn’t even ask me… you went somewhere else for help instead, & because of that decision, you won’t get the help you so desperately sought from other sources.”

God is our hope. Not just our SOURCE of hope… He IS our hope.

He wants us to come to Him as our solution, as our top priority, as our first inclination right off the start.

He knows He can help us & He wants us to know it & seek Him for it as well.

Accepting Sin or Accepting God’s Help for Change?

This also rings true in regard to our sinful habits, ones we think are “just who we are.” Sure, if we act on that assumption (that it’s “just the way we are”), rather than trusting God’s way as best & Him as our help, we won’t find anything else to be true, as we rot from the inside out because of our sin patterns that He passionately wants to help free us from.

But, if we stop to think that although, from our very core, we feel our gut instinct inescapably true, that maybe just maybe the God who created the universe might just MIGHT know better & we stop to ask for HIS way & will & help knowing HOW…. We’ll find the solution we seek in Him.

He Needs to be My First Go-To

God alone knows everything & God alone knows every solution, so why is my gut instinct not to go to God first for everything?

Before I search online for answers.

Before I ask a friend for their thoughts.

Before I ask my parents for advice.

Before I go to a doctor or any professional for help.

Before anything, my first instinct ought to be to seek God’s help, wisdom, & direction.

God Knows What I Cannot See

Maybe He knows I will be ripped off by the person I am inclined to seek help from… maybe they won’t have the skill needed to detect &/or prevent an impending health concern… maybe they are just best-guessing based on previous evidences…?

But God? He only does for my good. He knows exactly who I need to go to. He doesn’t have to guess. EVER.

So why is He not my first go-to for help?

How many times has my life been negatively affected because I did exactly what King Asa of Judah did in 2 Chronicles 16 in going to someone or something else before or instead of going to God?

WAIT on the LORD

Those verses to “wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14)… to acknowledge Him [as GOD] in all I do (Proverbs 3:5-6)… to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17)… to be still & know that He is God (Psalm 46:10)…

They all beckon me to not just pray as an extra measure or as a last resort, but to sit in prayer, to sit in it & wait on Him, knowing I can go elsewhere, but with HIM, I can be certain… that I ought to wait on Him.

I think a big reason I do everything else before consulting Him is the wait. I see a need & think it must be solved now. My gut instinct is not to see a need & WAIT, even knowing a wait for God is more effective than a quick maybe solution.

God has perfect timing & even His wait is because He knows the circumstances that need to line up just so & that rushing it will not allow for that.

Maybe He guides to go to the hospital, but He doesn’t tell you right away because the doctor who will know & see the real cause/need isn’t working the day you ask God for help & God waits so you see the right doctor… we don’t know.

But we can know that HE knows. And He alone KNOWS—even the TIMING... Even when the wait is frustrating &/or scary.

Trust Him in the wait.

Shame on Me

Shame on me for thinking any other person, even a professional, could trump an all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful GOD ALMIGHTY.

Shame on me for just jumping to fix it myself as if He doesn’t know better & have perfect timing in all He does.

Shame on me for making myself higher than Him in my heart, as the authority in those decisions–even those decisions not to wait.

My Prayer

“God, I know You get it. You know I am so limited in understanding just how powerful & great You are. I know You are patient & long-suffering. But please forgive me for thinking I might be able to fix it sooner/better than You-for making You lower than You are. I’m sorry for making myself god over seeking You first. Please forgive my pride & foolishness. Please forgive me & help prompt my heart when I am doing it so I remember, ‘oh yeah, pray first.. let GOD.’ Help me change my patterns to stop & consult You before anyone else. Help me recognize that You offer Your wisdom to those who ask & keep asking (not asking a lot to “activate” it, but asking a lot as in a determination to KEEP trusting You even when it doesn’t happen when I think it should). You alone are God. You alone know. Please forgive me & help me grow in awareness & humility… & help me change this bad & prideful habit. In Jesus’ loving & powerful name, Amen.”

“Because You Sought ______ Versus Me….”

Is God your go-to? Is He the One you instantly think to go to first?

Is He the first One you trust to have the answer? Even in timing that isn’t your own? –the ONLY One you trust to have the perfect, RIGHT answer? Even above professionals?

Or is He supplemental or a last resort?

How do you treat the need for the help of God? Is it an “ABSOLUTELY” or a “sometimes”?

Take a moment to take stock of those times & lay them before Him in humble repentance, asking for His forgiveness that He is always so quick to give. And ask for His help to humbly do better at seeking Him first in ALL things.

Remember King Asa & Seek the LORD

Remember 2 Chronicles 16 next time you are faced with an opportunity to see a doctor or seek help in some other way. Will you seek your hope in Him? Or will you pay the consequences of missing out on His wisdom, direction, & aid as told in 2 Chronicles 16?

Will you choose to trust Him, or will it be said, “Because you sought ________________, versus Me…”?

Shine HOPE by making Him your first choice & your first instinctive go-to when you need anything in life, big or small. Because He alone KNOWS.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

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 almost 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!!

Northern Lights Studs

These studs hold labradorite stone, displaying multiple captivating colors that vary in different exposures to light, just like the Northern Lights themselves.

The women we partner with in India do so much more than just create beautiful products. With every purchase, women have the opportunity to earn an income, attend financial management classes, & receive education & healthcare. These women are now able to give their family a promising future because of your purchase!

Purchase these studs & empower a woman in India!

How You Can Help:

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

I Wanna Do It

It’s not easy for me to stop & be still & just know that HE is God.

When I am faced with something difficult, my trust is not so easily placed in the hands of God… I want to fix it… I want a say… I want to help (so it goes my way—as if I can make it happen that way).

I have realized lately just how much this reveals a lack of trust in God… that it’s easy to know I ought to trust God in all things… & quite a bit more difficult to actually rest in that trust when hard things come my way.

I Know What to Do… But That Doesn’t Mean I Necessarily Submit to Doing What’s Right Every Time

We Christians receive a lot of flak for being hypocrites… & often for good reason.

There are areas of my life where I have seen God work in situations I felt were impossible, teaching me to further rest in Him when similar circumstances arise… but when I am faced with something new, for some reason, my gut response is not to recall all of those other circumstances & thus rest in God’s ability, care, & resources… but for me to start anew by trusting myself first.

It’s Terrifying Sometimes to Entrust Someone Other Than Myself

Trusting God can feel terrifying sometimes because it feels that if I don’t do enough, everything will fail… or at least fail by not going the way I want it to.

Why do I put so much stock in my own efforts & care, even when God has proven Himself faithful & much more capable than I countless times?

More Faith in Him… Or Myself?

This journey of embracing my limitations, while simultaneously embracing the limitless nature of God, is no easy task. It requires me placing more faith in Him than I do myself—& with all the many times He has proven Himself capable while I have often failed, you would think I would be much quicker to jump to God for help.

Learning to Trust God’s Plan More Than What I Can See

My current situation is no different. We are moving to Guam, with little option to bring our cat of 9 years (aka our furbaby) with us.

I want to rest in God & know He has a perfect plan in it all, but instead, all I often feel is worry, afraid that His answer will be something I won’t like & wanting to step in & fix it myself just in case that happens to be so.

How little I trust God!

God Knows What I Don’t—And All He Does Is for Our Good

Even in times where His answer was the exact opposite of how I asked Him to help in a situation, in hindsight, I eventually ALWAYS saw His plan as exceedingly better than mine—no matter how hard it was to trust & follow His way at the time.

For example, when I long ago had to say goodbye to my first love in order to follow God’s leading on my heart, it was the LAST thing I wanted to do, but I see now that my heart wanted someone I was not fit for & that my husband now (who, at the time I didn’t even know existed or whether he would ever come into my life at all) ended up being such a better fit for me & I for him.

God KNOWS what He is doing, even when in MY ”wisdom” He is doing something I want to fight back against.

God KNOWS

God doesn’t have to “best guess” it. He doesn’t have to trial & error it. He just KNOWS.

I know I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. I know every single person has at least a small area where they hold back or try to self-solve, self-shield, or self-soothe in their own limited wisdom, thinking it’s up to them…. as I do….

But I also know I need to not let that become an excuse & that holding onto this control for myself just leads to unnecessary anxiety, fear, stress, & overwhelm… that it keeps me trapped in the facade that I have any true control over my life, ever on the hamster wheel of trying to maintain what’s not up to me to maintain… instead of learning the true rest that comes from trusting God to KNOW.

God Is Patient… God Is Kind

It’s a process. It’s a failing forward.

I don’t always get it right… I most often DON’T get it right the first however many times.

But God is patient & God KNOWS what to do when I am finally willing to come rest at His feet for help… to place the situation in His hands versus gripping onto false control for myself.

A Journey of Embracing My Limitations

If you met me in person, I am sure my highlight reel would be a tempting perspective of me… but I am no different than anyone else… I get it wrong… a lot… I forget to pray for help & usually just act on instinct first instead.

And I am on a journey of ever learning how to embrace my limitations so I can better rest in the limitlessness of God Almighty & His gracious, capable love.

Shine HOPE by learning to accept that God knows more & better… that He can where you can’t… that He wants your GOOD… that even if His solution seems scary or hard, you can rest in knowing that He has a plan, that He knows what He is doing, & ultimately that it’s even for your GOOD. Amen & amen.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

This blog/website has been running for 4 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” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, 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, 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! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Long Chain Necklace (India)

Love long chain necklaces? This is the necklace for you. This silver-tone link-chain design is handcrafted in India & is totally on-trend! Wear alone, double up, or layer together with other chain necklaces from our One World Collection, like our Long Chain Necklace – Gold.

Every purchase provides fair trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India.

How You Can Help:

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 to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Back to the Tropical

Much to our surprise, my husband & I will be moving again this Summer—back to Guam.

People keep asking me how I feel about it, & the best answer I can give them is, “I go back & forth.” Now don’t get me wrong, Guam is a beautiful & magical place to visit, but my personal experience living there wasn’t entirely positive.

Part of my experience there had to do with the demanding work schedule my husband was on, where he was gone so much I felt mostly alone on the opposite side of the world. Another part was that most people our age were so busy that they didn’t have much space for us in their lives—not at all their fault—just the way it was back then.

I felt pretty alone there. And the idea of going back sort of makes me feel like I had finally beat a really hard level in a video game only to have the game glitch & make me replay the level.

A Rough Time Re-Visited?

Maybe these reasons seem silly &/or lame to you, but for someone who didn’t grow up military, lived near family her whole life, had long-time friends, to move to the other side of the globe, with an opposite time zone & no smart phones at the time… it was pretty rough.

When my husband first announced his happening upon this new job, I honestly just felt dread. Anxiety swished around in my brain & I felt overwhelmed & anxious. I didn’t want to re-live the rough time I had there before.

Journal My Thoughts, Face My Fears, & PRAY…

Normally, when anxious thoughts swirl around in a whirlwind of thoughts, I have found that taking out a journal & listing them all out really helps me to face the source of my fears, naming them versus faceless swirls of anxiety.

So, I did just that. I got out a journal, & began just pouring out the anxieties on my heart so I could face each one & let God dispel the fear & encourage my heart to pray over the different things that worried my heart so much.

But, as I did so, most items on that list were things that perceivably just won’t be changing any time soon… & the more I wrote…. The more I thought & prayed over the points on that list… the more anxious I became. So much for that idea!

Rejoice in Affliction??

And I cried. I felt bitter & frustrated & resistant toward the whole situation, wondering why our planned “2 more years in Japan & then back to the states” idea had to change so suddenly.

And as I cried & prayed… God whispered over my heart the words “rejoice in affliction.” (Romans 5:3-5)

That was not at ALL what I wanted to hear from God. How in the world, when I am feeling such turmoil of emotions, am I supposed to have JOY & REJOICE in AFFLICTION?!

My Attitude Check

At first, I was just like, “well, thanks for nothing,” but reluctantly, eventually I apologized to God for my initial bratty response, & asked Him, “God, okay. I’m sorry. You know best… better than me… but how am I supposed to have JOY in affliction? HOW can I REJOICE in affliction? I don’t even see how that can be possible for me so how am I supposed to do it? Please show me & teach me how because it feels impossible to me right now. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Guess what His whispered-over-my-heart response to my prayer was? Two words: “Even if….”

Will I… Even in the ”Even If”?

Even if. Will I choose to praise Him even if He DOESN’T answer me the way I want… even IF He doesn’t wrap up all the details with a pretty bow for me… even IF He doesn’t make it easy for me first…?

Will I praise Him even if…? Will I trust Him even if…? Will I follow His lead even if…?

Maybe you’re thinking, “well, of course you submitted & said sorry & everything got fixed….”

Except, my response went more like: “I’m going to need a few days to think about it.”

I Wanted Everything Wrapped Up in a Pretty Bow for Me

Over the next few days, I was determined I wouldn’t let it go. I was frustrated. I didn’t want an EVEN IF situation! I wanted a solution, a fix, a pretty wrapped-up-in-a-bow deal.

But that wasn’t God’s answer to me. His answer to me remained that two word question: “even if?”

And so began the cycle of crying in frustration upon being reminded of His response, apologizing for being so resistant to Him, to asking for His help AGAIN with the whole “joy in affliction” thing.

They Didn’t Wait for the Fire to be Put Out First

As I prayed, God reminded me of Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego, how, when they were told to dishonor God or else be thrown into a fiery furnace (to the death), they chose to honor God no matter the cost. (Read the full story in Daniel 3.)

And they didn’t know God was going to rescue them. They didn’t know the “one who is like the Son of God” would meet them in the furnace & keep them from even SMELLING like smoke.

And even before knowing any of that would happen, these mens’ response was: “EVEN IF!”

They didn’t wait for God to put out the flames first.

Their response was: “EVEN IF!”

He Has It Under Control & He Has a Plan… Even If

How convicting. How humbling. How not-at-all-what-I-wanted-to-hear.

It hasn’t been easy for me moving forward with this move, but just in being willing to hear Him out & seek His help in the “even if” & the “joy in affliction” parts, I have seen Him grow in me a peace… not an eveything-is-going-to-work-out-the-way-you-want-anyway peace… but an “Okay God, I get it. Even if. You have it under control & You have a plan… even if.”

Life doesn’t always go the way I plan (big surprise there, huh?) & doesn’t always even go the way I want (anyone else?)… but God has a plan in it, so I can rest in that.

I’m a Work in Progress

I’m still a work-in-progress, but I can trust my anxieties & fears & unmet expectations to an all-knowing, all-powerful, LOVING God.

“So, God, here I am. I’m sorry I am not jumping to trust you in the no-matter-what’s of life, but thank You for being patient, gentle, & long-suffering with me & with all of us. I don’t deserve You, but I am so grateful that I can lean on You when life doesn’t go my way. You have a plan. You are enough. You have it under control. You are loving… even in the “even if….”

Shine HOPE by asking Him to help you know HOW you to even have joy in affliction & how to trust & follow Him, even in the “EVEN IF….”

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

This blog/website has been running for over 4 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” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, 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, 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! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Infinity Earrings

These pure silver infinity hoop earrings with a subtle hammered-metal finish are handcrafted in Guatemala & are designed to coordinate with many of your other favorite styles from our Living Tapestry Collection. Each earring features a pure silver charm at the top of each infinity hoop that’s embossed with the fingerprint of the woman who made it!

—>Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in Guatemala.<—

How You Can Help:

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 to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Learning New Ways

To be transparent with you all, I have been struggling lately. Not an all-the-time thing, but most likely as a result of removing many of my coping mechanisms I had built in order to handle my depression that were harmful in other ways (time draining or bad food).

Rebuilding heathier habits—as far as my coping mechanisms are concerned—has been a challenge for me & as a result, I have not so easily navigated my depression.

I Don’t Have a ”Why”

With my depression, I am not spinning out of control at this point, but am much more fragile & fall prey to Satan’s bullying much more easily. It has been emotional & confusing because when people ask “Why” for my random cry sessions, I often don’t know how to even answer because I honestly don’t even know an answer for myself.

I also find myself anxious for no reason when out shopping—I’m not nervous about the crowds or anything like that + I really enjoy shopping, even errands… but I find myself having to pulse my grip on my purse strap to keep myself from feeling panic that makes zero sense to me.

I typically, for the last few months, have felt the need to sit in my car for 10-15 minutes whether before heading into a store or even before going back inside once home, watching a few videos on my phone to bolster the motivation to even exit my car.

It’s been weird & hard to explain & without any noticeable reason for it. It’s hard to share because it can’t really be platitude(d) away, & it goes against any logic or reason.

The Secret Tears

Because of these reasons, I was afraid to talk about it, while pretending to smile through episodes so I don’t have to answer questions I don’t know how to answer. Smiling & making excuses to leave the room for “the restroom” or to ”grab a cardigan,” so I can escape to cry it out for a few minutes in private before taking a deep breath & continuing on with my day.

I’m not saying all this for pity, but to let you know that it’s okay to not be okay. God is enough for you both. ❤️

That’s When God Showed Me What I Needed

And when I took some time & prayed for help, God whispered over my heart that His Word is like nutrition for my soul. It may seem like a supplemental snack, but it’s my soul’s nutrition. And I have been consuming a saltine cracker’s worth each day, expecting to have the emotional strength to fight the battles that come through my life.

My heart got the message. I am stubborn & lazy with how I treat God’s Word in my life… acting as if I don’t NEED it.

But I do need it, whether I realize it consciously or not.

God’s Word Is Our Soul’s Daily Nutrition

I often think of God’s Word as an encouragement or even a chance to get to know God better or to know what honors Him or what I ought to be relying on Him for as my help.

But God’s Word, although it ”simply just” seems to be those things—basically a blessing that encourages & teaches us—it is so much more than that. It is our soul’s sustenance. God’s Word is our soul’s daily nutrition.

It’s not an optional, supplemental thing… it’s vital & necessary.

God’s Word Is Vital

Being in God’s Word, the Bible, is not just to get a dose of ”Jesus Loves You,” but also teaches us how to discern the lies of Satan, so we’re not as vulnerable to his lies, harassment, & bullying. It strengthens & bolsters us against his attacks so we can stand strong.

We may have our weaknesses, aside from the attacks of Satan, BUT, Satan is always on the lookout for how to exploit those weaknesses & kick us while we’re down.

And when things in life may go wrong (when does that ever happen?) being consistent in God’s Word keeps us firm & planted, reminding us to fall into the grace of God, through the help of the Holy Spirit. It is our soul’s healthy dose of nutrition.

Are You Malnourished?

If you feel like you’re always running on empty, short-tempered, low on patience… it is most likely a red flag alerting you of your need for more time spent reading & thinking on God’s Word, & talking to Him about anxieties, worries, fears, stressors, insecurities, & anything else.

When we struggle & feel battered by Satan’s kicks while we’re down, it is definitely a good time to take a self-check & some time in prayer to God for help & discernment to see whether or not it’s because we are malnourished with our daily intake of God’s Word.

So, take a moment to ask God for a quick check up to see where your vulnerabilities & weaknesses are currently under attack & ask for His help in being more consistent in reading & dwelling on His Word to help you stand strong when the strong winds of life blow.

My Prayer of Repentance… & for Help

“I’m sorry, God, for my pride & for thinking I have what it takes without Your Word as daily food to strengthen & grow my soul & to protect & guard me against the wiles of Satan’s cunning attacks. Please help me better grow this habit of spending time in Your Word & to honor You with how I consume Your Word—regularly & consistently. Help me better cling to Your strength & Your truth over my own. Thank You eternally for Your faithfulness & goodness to me despite my lacking any deserving for it. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Shine HOPE by understanding that it’s okay to not be okay… & that you NEED the nourishment of God’s Word DAILY in your life so you are ready when both the downs of life & the attacks of Satan may come.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

This blog/website has been running for ovre 4 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” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, 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, 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! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Northern Lights Studs

These studs hold labradorite stone, displaying multiple captivating colors that vary in different exposures to light, just like the Northern Lights themselves.

The women we partner with in India do so much more than just create beautiful products. With every purchase, another woman is empowered out of poverty to be self-reliant! Women have the opportunity to earn an income, attend financial management classes, & receive education & healthcare. These women are now able to give their family a promising future because of your purchase! 

Purchase these studs & empower a woman in India!

How You Can Help:

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 to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

We’re All Broken in Our Own Way

For me, it’s always been easy to look at the highlight reel of other ladies’ lives on social media, especially those living to proclaim the grace of Jesus, & forget that they are broken humans just like me.

You may feel like ”broken” is a strong word, but their brokenness may be from wrong choices, rebellion from God, trauma of their past, etc., but every person has a form of brokenness… just like me.

Maybe you observe me & see my smiling face on my videos or my weekly blog posts, running for the last 4 years (how has it already been 4 years?!) & you mistakenly believe I am the something to strive for… as if I am the finished product & you’re the broken, work-in-progress.

But I assure you that it couldn’t be further from reality. We all have areas we’re stronger in than others & it’s easy to see those strong, already-grown-in-areas in others & forget that they also have weak areas, too.

God Helps Me in My Weaknesses & Human Brokenness

I may have stuck with this blog for 4 years, but not without a lot of procrastinating, kicking & screaming & then eventual submission to God’s help on my part.

And aside from my I’d-rather-just-skip-it-&-be-lazy tendencies, I have so many scars & hurt areas of my heart that God has had to lead me through.

Like we talked about last week, I had to be willing to submit those hurt areas to Him for help, but I wasn’t always willing.

The Pride of Refusing God’s Help

You would think if I was hurting, that I would quit my way for His, but oftentimes, I find comfort in my bitterness because it feels like it’s deserved. It is hard to trust my hurts to someone else, even if that someone else is God.

I want to feel angry when I’ve been hurt. I don’t want to let it go because it feels like I am letting the offender off the hook when I do.

Because of this stubborn pride, I created some of my own scars, just from refusing to be helped by God.

Some of My Many Scars Where God Helped Make Me Whole

I have been sexually assaulted by a friend whom I trusted.

I have struggled in the past with feelings that I was too fat & ugly to ever be loved.

When I was younger, I felt my identity was as “The Flirt” because I felt it was how I fit in… Trapped by a fear to never let my guard down to show the real me or risk losing my friend group.

I have gone through such loneliness that I refused to pray anymore because I was so bitter & angry that God didn’t make my discomfort go away, versus trusting Him to be my enough in it.

I have had to walk away from & break the heart of someone I loved because God clearly said NO, when I so desperately wanted Him to say yes, feeling the harsh sting of heartbreak.

I have felt lost & swimming through life, not knowing where I fit in or what my purpose was, not feeling clear direction in any certain way.

I have faced 2 years+ of depression in my past, where suicide thoughts were daily & I felt like my very existence was a burden on those I loved.

I have been betrayed by friends whom I trusted with my everything.

I could go on & on, but one very important fact must shine out to you from all of that—God has been faithful through every bit of it.

But, GOD IS FAITHFUL

I don’t have my life all together. I fail & choose wrongly way too often. I choose my “wisdom” over God’s more often than not. I am selfish & proud towards God, & have given Him far too many reasons to just quit on me & move on for good….

But God is faithful. He is patient & kind. He takes my brokenness & He makes me whole.

Every time I have faced any of those things, no matter how long it took me to come to Him—when I did, He was faithful & forgiving & all I needed through making me whole despite whatever it was.

I am where I am, running this blog & a social media community not because I am the prime example, but because despite my brokenness, He makes me whole.

He heals. He forgives. He restores. He gives purpose. He strengthens. He comforts.

He makes me whole.

God Makes Me Able

So, when you see some Christian woman leading a group to encourage women toward Jesus, even much more successfully than my humbly small little group, don’t look at her as the prime example either.

See her as a fellow human with broken parts made whole by the power & love & grace of Jesus, empowered & led by Him to serve Him as she does.

Every week, ashamedly, is a battle of the wills for me—Obey God or lay on the couch scrolling random videos on social media. Obey God or watch tv with snacks. Obey God or waste my time away doing literally anything else I can think of.

Do I submit typically? Yes. But not immediately, not without His help & sometimes not even willingly.

My Prayers Usually Sound Something Like:

“God, I’m sorry I don’t want to do this. I know it would maybe encourage others, if they even read it. I know maybe it points to you even though it feels no one cares. I know it’s important to be consistent & to keep showing up, to show that You are faithful, even when I fail. But I don’t wanna. I want to be lazy & selfish & have an easier time without work I don’t even get paid for. I don’t have a boss to answer to. I could just quit. I’m sorry for only wanting to think about myself & my ease. I’m sorry for such shallow motives. Please forgive me. Help me submit to You more readily. Help me do this. Help me to show up for You. HELP ME. I’m sorry I am so selfish. Please forgive me & please help me. My weakness for Your glory, always. In Jesus’ name, I pray: AMEN.”

Nothing Is Beyond His Reach

No matter how broken I have felt in my past, nothing has been beyond His reach… Nothing has been beyond His ability to heal & to turn to my good.

God is faithful. He loves you. He knows your broken parts & He can help make you whole.

Offer those broken parts of yours up to Him. Don’t shoulder them as ”just the way it is.”

Let Him take you broken parts & make you whole.

Don’t Hold God Back from Taking Your Broken Parts & Making You Whole

Do you feel trapped or controlled or limited by your broken parts?

Do you feel it’s “just the way it is”?

Do you look at others as “the finished product” versus a fellow work-in-progress?

Let God heal. Submit your weaknesses to Him & ask Him to work through them for His glory.

Ask God to help you trust Him more than “the way it is.”

Ask Him to help you see others through the lens of HIS glory through their human weaknesses versus their own supposed strength/glory.

And shine HOPE by trusting that God can take YOUR broken parts & make you WHOLE for HIS glory.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

Thank YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, 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, 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! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Zoya Earrings

Zoya means “shining, life” in Hindi. These stylishly stunning gold-toned earrings are handcrafted in India, featuring genuine freshwater pearls on a delicate linked-chain design. Every purchase provides fair-trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India.

How You Can Help:

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 to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

God Is Able… So Why Do I Resist His Help?

First of all, we all know, deep down or otherwise that God is capable of it all. He is infinite in His power, wisdom, & resources… so when I determine to respond to life in my own power & fall short in that while refusing His help, that is my sin fleshed out in my pride.

God’s been convicting my heart of this fact over the last few years—that when I refuse His help even for healing trauma/hurts—it’s actually sin.

Sometimes it’s easier to not ask for God’s help. Even when I hate the pain, I sometimes hate the idea of “letting someone get away with something by moving on” even more, or I find comfort in feeling justified to not let something go… & I sometimes even begin to wrap my identity around it, thinking, “Well, I’m just not the type of person to _______.”

I resist His help because I oftentimes think I am handling things “just fine” or “as well as can be expected.”

Hurts… Well… HURT

We all have hurts, whether it’s scars from bullying at school that we sort of subconsciously internalize in the back of our minds as adults, or whether they are hurtful words someone we care about once said recklessly that we now rehearse whenever an event triggers those hurts, or whether we make choices based on survival mode in reaction to something wrong or painful done to us or that we were subjected to.

And when all those types of things happen, it is only natural for me to develop a trigger response to help protect me from getting hurt again, disappointing others, embarrassing myself further, feeling like I don’t fit, or whatever the fear may be for that particular circumstance.

Hurts hurt & when they do… I do what I know to protect myself from further hurt.

The Natural Response Versus the Response with God’s Help

And it feels natural, these responses, because they are my natural defense mechanisms, often subconscious even… I am not consciously aware of & choosing to do it my way over God’s or anything like that… my brain just comes up with whatever feels like the best safety protocol & does it without much thought on my end.

This same sort of defense mechanism that we all employ in one way or another, doesn’t feel sinful or rebellious.

And, in some cases, in a way—it isn’t… It’s what we do with them that matters.

When We Learn God’s Way, We Have to Make a Choice Regarding Our Natural Response Versus His Help for His Way

But then, we learn God’s Truth about a matter. I hear Him say not to hold bitterness or whatnot & then I have a choice to make at that point—do I continue just reacting in my natural response to the situation?

Or do I take God’s commands/Truth & submit my response to His help & healing?

That’s where the sin generally becomes solid sin in those situations, because while I didn’t mean to be sinful in feeling bitter about a situation—it was just my natural, gut response to the pain trigger—once I hear from Him that I shouldn’t be bitter & that He is able to heal the brokenhearted, I have to choose to let Him… to do things HIS way over my gut reaction way.

I Often Choose Wrongly

So, how does that look in reality?

Typically, whatever my gut response is happens first, out of habit.

Then, I feel His nudge & a reminder of His Word about how I ought to handle it.

And then, I usually fight it, feeling justified in how I feel I want to react about it.

And eventually, I realize my way just seems to make me more miserable & I desperately ask God to help me see a different way… to help me do things HIS way, even if that may seem impossible to me in that particular circumstance.

My Triggered Response Often Becomes Mingled with My Identity As “Someone Who Just _____”

Sometimes my trigger responses become part of my identity & it seems impossible to change because “I am just that way,” or “that’s just how my heart handles that type of thing,” or, “that’s just what I’ve found helps me.”

It becomes so engrained in my gut response that it seems inseparable from ME. I begin to identify as a person who does whatever it is in that type of situation.

So, coming across God’s Word about whatever such things, can sometimes feel like a personal attack against me—like I can’t be ME… like I have to be FAKE to please God… like my NATURAL response or feeling is WRONG–& it is, because it’s led by my human flesh versus the wisdom of God.

But my identity is not in how I have subconsciously trained myself to deal with whatever trigger or trauma may present itself… it is in trusting God to know better than I do & that He can handle it better than I can–if I let Him help me His way.

I Need to Let Him Decide Because He Never Gets It Wrong

When God makes me aware of a poor way of handling something or of the fact that I am forming my identity around something that doesn’t actually need to define me, I feel attacked because it throws into question everything I think I know about myself & how to handle hurts.

And when what I know seems under attack… my comfort zone… that is usually where the rebellion & refusal to admit a need for change happens—the sin of it—because my pride tells me “that’s just who I am & I can’t help it,” while God says I shouldn’t determine what I should be, but rather let Him decide instead.

Our Benevolent King of Kings

But God always & only wants our good. Everything He does & commands centers around His love & goodness toward all of us. He is a very benevolent, almighty King—it may not always be the easy or comfortable choice—but it is most definitely always for our good.

I shouldn’t question or doubt Him. I shouldn’t rebel & make my refusal to accept His help turn into a sinful response.

I SHOULD just OBEY Him.

It’s not easy for me, I admit. I want to vet everything He asks of me, checking it out before I obey—pride is the root of every sin we commit, because it essentially says we think we know better.

I need to be willing to take my gut response, my “identity” that I have established, my trauma triggers, etc. & be WILLING TO SUBMIT THEM TO HIM.

A Prayer of Repentance & for Help with a Willingness to Accept His Help:

“God, please forgive me. I’m sorry that I cling to “my identity” or the “it’s just who I am” thoughts versus trusting You 100% ALWAYS know better than me. Help me submit those reactions to You. Help me not wrap my identity around anything besides what You created in me—Your Truth versus how I feel it ought to be. Please forgive me for refusing Your help sometimes & going on my gut versus Your limitless wisdom. Help me to better submit to Your help. Help me be more aware of when I need to make that choice. Help me choose to trust You to help me & to be willing to BE helped versus staying in my “understandable” bitterness or other wrong choices. You know best. Always. Help me to better trust that & to better submit to Your will, Your way, Your help, & Your healing. I love You. In Jesus’ name, I pray: AMEN.”

Ask Him for the HOW & for the HELP to Do It

So, if you feel trapped by a sin that “you can’t help or control,” when God says to do otherwise… don’t refuse His help.

Ask Him to help you see HOW to change & to walk you through it, trusting His will over your own.

Don’t let Satan deceive you into thinking you have to be that way, knowing that it’s God who can take your brokenness & make you whole.

Shine HOPE by letting God in & letting Him help you through whatever it may be.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

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 almost 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!!

Darling Charms Set

This set of six pairs of versatile & colorful ethically collected bone, clay, & metal charms are handcrafted in India by Artisans who are committed to fighting child marriage & providing opportunities for women to become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. Designed to mix & match, create a new look each time you wear them with our Customizable Gold Hoops (shown) or your favorite bracelets & necklaces!

Every purchase supports vulnerable women in areas of extreme poverty in India.

How You Can Help:

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Is This Fair?

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, & yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

I used to think this verse seemed unfair… that I could get it all right & yet make one mistake & it’s as if I committed every sin there is. I used to think it was an overly dramatic & ruthless response to one sin. I used to think it illogical—that, if this were so, what’s the point in trying to avoid other sins if one makes you guilty of them all anyway?

But all of that was really just indicative of the fact that I didn’t really understand what sin was in the first place.

The root of sin is the same for every sin—thinking we know better than or trying to put ourselves above God.

Sin Shows Where We Trust Ourselves or Our Desires… Over God

When we crave something God tells us to avoid, & we give into that craving… we are trusting our desire over God’s wisdom.

When we act out of a gut, knee-jerk reaction, where God tells us to turn to Him for help in it instead… we are trusting our feelings over God’s wisdom.

When we go to or do something God tells us to avoid… we are trusting our logic & reasoning over God’s wisdom.

When we avoid something God tells us to do… we are trusting our fear & insecurities over God’s wisdom.

Why Is It That One Sin Equals All?

So, why is it that one sin equals all? Because anything we do that is considered sin stems from a subconscious (or outright) belief that maybe we know better than God or see something He doesn’t or need something He can’t handle or provide.

No matter how small or infrequent our sin may seem to us… every occurrence reveals an area where we think we may know better than God Himself.

This is why, even though one sin is as if I did them all, I should avoid just doing them all, even if I committed one sin already. Because I need to be moving in the direction of MORE trust in God, versus LESS.

God Is Both Loving AND Forgiving–He Made a Way Where There Is No Way

And this Truth of one sin being as if I committed them all does not make God unkind or unforgiving, but quite the opposite because even if one sin equals doing them all—we can’t save ourselves anyway! AND, JESUS offers His payment on our behalf to ANYONE who accepts it.

So, when God tells us in James 2:10 that one sin is as if committing them all, He is revealing to us the true nature of sin—putting ourselves above Him in one way or another–& THAT is why even the “littlest” sin is such a terrible thing… but, JESUS.

Take That “Little” Sin to Jesus

So, if there is a sin you are justifying because it feels secret or little or easily justifiable because of the circumstances… recognize that that one “little” sin is the same as doing them all… Recognize that that one “little” sin hurts God (& you) just as much as them all.

–> And repent. Admit it to God & admit you need His forgiveness for it–& ask Him for that forgiveness! <–

Work to not allow ANY sin to be excused away in your life, but strive to live a life that is wholly pleasing to God, honoring Him in all things… WITH HIS HELP.

And shine HOPE by not excusing away that “one little sin.”

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

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 almost 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!!

Long Chain Necklace (India)

Love long chain necklaces? This is the necklace for you! This silver-tone link-chain design is handcrafted in India & is totally on-trend! Wear alone, double up, or layer together with other chain necklaces from our One World Collection, like our Long Chain Necklace – Gold. Every purchase provides fair trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India.

In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable Artisans in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members.

Purchase this necklace & empower an Artisan in India!

How You Can Help:

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Do Traditions Trump Recognizing Jesus?

Easter is such a special time, no matter how much I take it for granted every year.

Deep down, I know it’s about Jesus… about Him coming to His Earth as a man, willingly dying to cover the debt of my own sin, rising from the grave as Conqueror over that sin & death. I know it’s about His love & sacrifice for me… for you….

And I may not be big into Easter bunny traditions, making my excitement about candy stashes & such, but I STILL find ways to overshadow the true reason we ought to celebrate Easter–Jesus.

Not Just a Nod

My challenge to you, & to myself, is that we look for ways to thank Jesus every Easter, not in a “let’s remember to thank Jesus!”…. “Thank You, Jesus!”…. “Ok, let’s get dressed up, do our church thing, eat a lot of food, & eat a bunch of candy after we go see the Easter Bunny!”… But really MAKE IT ABOUT JESUS.

That’s harder than it seems sometimes, for me.

I grow complacent pretty easily.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I do the whole, “Thank You, Jesus,” but more out of, “I know I ought to thank Him—it’s EASTER, after all,” rather than any real bowing of my heart in gratefulness to His sacrifice on my behalf…. More out of “Christian necessity” rather than a surrendered heart of gratitude.

Jesus Gave It All & None of Us Deserve It

Without Jesus, I would get Hell & have no other option.

I could try, as many do, to be a “good person” & do all of the right “Christian-y things,” but without Jesus, I would get Hell… every single one of us would.

God says: “For whoever shall keep the whole law, & yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

God says: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

God says: “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)

God says: “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one;’” (Romans 3:10)

God says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23)

God says: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

But God also says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Do You Numb Over It As Easily As I Do?

How is it so easy for me to numb over all of that? To give myself so much credit that I forget the weightiness of this gift that we are meant to remember & celebrate on Easter?

I need to learn how to be intentional in making Easter about JESUS—specifically, exclusively about JESUS.

I am not saying fun traditions are evil or necessarily wrong, but we need to be so careful not to, even unintentionally, overshadow the weightiness of this beautiful gift we have been given through Jesus.

We deserve Hell. I deserve Hell.

We can’t earn otherwise. I can’t earn otherwise.

But… JESUS. Let me not forget that!

But… JESUS

“But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25)

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,” (1 Peter 3:18)

But, JESUS.

How Can You Intentionally Make Easter About Jesus?

How do you make Easter about Jesus?

Do you talk about Him? Share about Him with people who matter to you? Do you stop to consider your daily “little” sins of trusting your own wisdom over God’s & thank Him for taking your deserved punishment on Himself so you can live daily by grace instead of guilt?

Do you make Easter about JESUS?

An idea God gave me several years ago was to make quiche as my Easter dinner versus a feast. A meal where the eggs are cracked open, broken, & poured out to provide me with a nourishing, delicious meal–much like how Jesus allowed Himself to be broken, pouring out His love & life to give me life.

Or maybe, talk about Easter eggs representing Jesus being broken for our sins, to give us a wonderful gift, much better than the candy even that we find inside our Easter eggs.

Even take some time of renewal, if there are sins you hold back or try to hide or justify… bring them to God, in prayer, asking forgiveness & thanking God for Jesus’ covering over that, too. Take it as an opportunity to refresh your hope in His grace over your sin.

Whatever you choose to do, make efforts to make Easter all about Jesus.

Accept the Gift of Jesus That We Celebrate Every Easter

And if you haven’t accepted Jesus, if you have rebelled “beyond forgiveness,” realize that NO ONE is beyond forgiveness with Jesus. Just take those sins… those “I know better than You, God” actions… & admit them to God, ask for His forgiveness, & ask for Jesus to cover those on your behalf, knowing He is the ONLY way back to God & restoration/redemption. He is our Redeemer & He died so that we may live & He now lives so that we may live in Him!

Jesus doesn’t stand in your way, determining who does or doesn’t deserve His free gift of covering our sins—because not a single one of us CAN deserve it—He offers it freely to ANYONE who will believe ON HIM as that solution of redemption & grace before God. So, ask Him now.

And shine HOPE by letting whatever you do, in reflection or in tradition, even if you need to first ask God for ideas… work to make Easter (& every day) about Jesus.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

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 almost 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!!

Zoya Earrings (India)

Zoya means “shining, life” in Hindi. These stylishly stunning gold-toned earrings are handcrafted in India, featuring genuine freshwater pearls on a delicate linked-chain design. Every purchase provides fair-trade jobs in areas of extreme poverty in India.

How You Can Help:

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Are You Ever So Angry You Don’t Want to NOT be Angry?

Silly question, here, but… have you ever been angry with someone? How about SO angry that you don’t want to NOT be angry with them? Because, well, “they deserve it!”

Yeah, me too.

When I am low on sleep, (especially but not exclusively), I tend to be short-tempered. Not short-tempered in the sense of screaming & throwing a fit & road rage, etc. but more like smile while seething type of short-tempered.

Have you ever done that? Get so mad at someone, but you don’t want to show that you’re completely losing your patience, so you just grit your teeth until you can scream into a pillow later?

I have.

And when I am in that anger, there is no where else I would rather be. I sometimes don’t want to NOT be angry.

I Justify My Anger… But God Beckons Me to Entrust It to Him

No really, I know I cry & whine in my head about how much they are aggravating me or testing my patience & oh how I wish they wouldn’t put me through this turmoil… but really, deep down, I feel a gentle nudge from God that I want to justify away & into the oblivion.

God beckons me to trust Him in my anger. To ENTRUST it to Him. To ask for His strength & peace & for Him to hold me steady & sure with His faithful love. And to ask for His help in forgiveness & long-suffering, bear-with-one-another LOVE toward the other person (see also, “love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you.”) (Luke 6:27-28)

Well, that is usually the EXACT OPPOSITE how I think those situations ought to be handled. NO. Someone has to pay for their wrongs! They have to apologize & never do it again! They have to recognize THEY HURT ME & feel for me! I DESERVE TO BE ANGRY WITH THEM!!!!

Yeah, ^^^ a little glimpse there into that “nonexistent” short-temperedness I was talking about.

But God asks me to entrust it to Him. To let HIM handle it. To forgive.

God Wants to Help Me Through It… If I am Willing to Entrust My Anger & Hurts to Him

I’m not so great with the whole “be gracious & quick to forgive & love your enemies & pray for them” stuff. I often (okay, USUALLY) fail at bowing those hurts & that short-tempered anger to God for His help.

I know He wants me to find peace & rest by coming to Him with it. I know He wants to strengthen me & be my calm in the storm. I know He wants me to ask Him for help in forgiveness & patience & all that.

But I usually don’t quite feel like giving Him that.

I honestly thought for a good long while that I was justified in that. I mean, I can’t HELP that I feel that hurt & anger. I don’t TRY to be hurt or angry. It just HAPPENS.

But in the middle of that anger (or inner boiling rage depending on the time of month), God beckons me to trust Him with all of those bad feelings & to entrust it to Him for His help in it & through it.

Be Willing to Wave the Flag of Surrender (to God) When You Want to Raise a Battle Cry Instead

But I have to be willing to lay down that cry for battle, unclench my fists, take a deep breath & humble myself for God’s will & way over what I am feeling is deserved in any given moment.

If God lived by emotions, I would go straight to Hell. So would you & everyone else.

But thank God for JESUS—am I right? Thank You, GOD!

If anyone has a right to be mad at anyone, it’s God with us…. And yet… JESUS.

And as much as I sometimes HATE to admit it… Jesus died for other people’s mistakes, too… even the ones I really, really hate.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Let God Handle It

God tells us in Romans to leave room for HIS wrath (Romans 12:19), because He alone is the righteous Judge over heaven & earth… to let HIM handle it when others wrong us versus going vigilante on them in reality or your imagination.

I’m not good at it. I want them to see the pain they caused me when it happens. I want them to feel it & feel sorry & apologize, but that is selfish & oftentimes, wish as I may, that will never happen anyway because sometimes people are just clueless or just plain don’t care. And then that anger & hurt breeds into bitterness that begins a slow (or very rapid) rot in our hearts.

And God knows this.

He also knows that when WE hold on OURSELVES, that inevitably, we begin to build walls of self-protection, that prevent us from being vulnerable & gentle & open to others, distrust having built a moat around our willingness to serve & love others.

So, I need to learn to let God handle it.

A Prayer of Surrender

So my prayer is that God help me lay down my banner for war. That He help me unclench my fists & jaw. That He help me be willing to lay it all down at His feet & say:

“God, I know You know this already, but that really hurt me! I just want to scream & angry & hold in anger for them. I want them to see what they did in their reckless words or slander or whatever else. I want them to understand how wrong it was & apologize. I just feel so hurt & angry right now. But you tell me to be angry, without sin (Ephesians 4:26). You tell me to love my enemy & to pray for those who persecute me. I just feel I can’t, so please help me trust You in this hurt. Forgive them & forgive me for wanting to hold onto the rage myself versus trusting You with it. Help me to submit those hurts at Your feet & to be willing to receive help from You. You know best. You care for my hurt heart. Help me to know Your love can fill the hole they made, if I but let You. Help me trust You better. Amen.”

Am I Willing to Let Go of My Anger & Entrust It to God?

Are you quick to forgive or do you stuff it or rage or let bitterness simmer under the surface?

Are you willing to let God into the situation? Into the feelings of hurt & anger & ask for His peace, wisdom, strength, care, & help loving whoever feels like (or is) your enemy in the moment?

Ask yourself: Am I Willing to Let Go of My Anger & Entrust It to God?

Let God in. Ask for Him to step in. Ask for help in loving that other person. Let God’s love, through Jesus, WIN.

Shine hope by not justifying seething in hurt or angry feelings, but rather entrusting those feelings to God for His help in & through it.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

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 almost 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!!

Ellora Necklace Set (India)

This set of two adjustable gold-toned necklaces can be worn separately or together. Mixing classic styles together by layering freshwater pearl & a golden coin pendant make these delicate necklaces on-trend.

In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable women in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to healthcare, education for their children, & care for elderly family members.

Purchase this necklace & empower an Artisan in India!

How You Can Help:

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!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!