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!

Feeling So Bleh

I am currently sitting at my kitchen/dining room table, surrounded by mess everywhere–on the table, on the floor, & everywhere else within eyesight (& beyond). We are at the point in our move-in process where most everything is unpacked, but not everything has a space yet. Coming from a larger space into a smaller one (with no outside storage) has presented us with the challenge of getting creative with our space &/or figuring out what to purge. Couple that with the fact that most every storage space in our home was left incomplete, it’s quite the endeavor (hence the mess).

Well, not sure about you, but I don’t always work well with chaotic mess surrounding me. It makes my mind too distracted to focus. I feel overwhelmed & anxious & just want to tune it out & avoid it. In other words… I definitely don’t want to be productive, even with my blog.

Then, here I am with another bad night of sleep last night & an impending cold I feel creeping in on me….

I basically just feel bleh. Cozy blanket & cozy pajamas & a cozy bed of sleep is all I want to think about right now. I love being here & having the honor of hopefully encouraging you each week, but some days I am just not in the mood because all I want to think about is ME & being more comfortable.

Just. Show. Up.

But, God made it clear when I began this blog journey over 4 years ago that despite my level of motivation, excitement, or good/bad attitude, He wanted me to show up & be consistent with this space… to be genuine, to show & share my weaknesses, & to just show up for Him… to demonstrate that He is enough in my lacking & worth it in my bad attitude about it.

I think I often make the mistake that if I feel I am not good enough for a task or don’t feel I have the right attitude or a strong enough will to do it… it’s best saved for another time or for someone else… but I’m not here because I have all the answers & handle every situation in a way that makes God “proud” of me, or because I am always chipper & ready to work… I’m here because even when I feel inadequate, fail, & just feel plain stubborn & whiney… He is worth showing up for.

He asks me to JUST. SHOW. UP. Warts & all.

It’s Not About ME

And not only is He worth showing up for, but this whole thing isn’t about showing you, “Hey, listen up everyone! I want you to see what a GOOOD Christian I am by doing this super “Christian-y” thing of writing this blog!” Ha. No.

It’s about saying, “Hey, I have flaws, too. I have days where my attitude is THE WORST. I have days where I think to myself, ‘I just don’t care because I want to just do absolutely nothing today instead. But God? He doesn’t mess up or have bad attitude days. He ALWAYS shows up & is present & ready to be our help, our strength, our joy, & our wisdom. I am weak… & that’s why I need Him. YOU are weak (sorry, not sorry)… & that’s why I show up… to point you ever to our constant source of HOPE–HIM (& to remind myself the same).”

I don’t have a great attitude right now. It’s not the worst, but it’s also not the best. I’m tired. I want to neglect this ‘showing up’ & just do nothing today. I want to choose comfort. That’s my true heart… my fleshly, comfort-idolizing heart.

But… God is worth showing up for… even at my not-so-great… even at my worst.

He’s Worth Showing Up For

So, yeah… God… He’s worth showing up for… even on my off days.

He made me, knit me together. (Psalm 139:13-16)

He loves me so much He sent Jesus to pay MY debt to Him so I would have a chance to be reconciled & forgiven. (John 3:15-17)

He sustains me & guides me & comforts me when all hope feels lost. (Psalm 142:5; Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

He is my light in my days of darkness. (Psalm 119:105)

He is my comfort when I cry out to Him when anxieties mount against me. (Psalm 94:19)

He guides me & directs me as I seek His wisdom. (Proverbs 3:5-6; James 1:5)

He cares so much about me & is so patient & faithful & gentle & forgiving & kind. (1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

I don’t deserve Him & yet He keeps giving & forgiving.

He’s worth showing up for.

Just Show Up… & Surrender to His Help Every Step

Let Him be your enough, too. Choose true joy, by living a life of surrender to Him—surrender to His strength, His forgiveness, His guidance, His comfort, His GRACE, His LOVE.

Shine HOPE by taking your NOT ENOUGH & showing up anyway, determined to cling to Him & honor Him & live a life to please Him by & through His help EVERY step of the way.

Because He’s worth showing up for.

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!!

Elise Bracelet (Peru)

Interlocking silver links create an intricately woven metal rope that forms the exquisite Elise Bracelet. Peruvian Artisans weave links together to create a rope-like design, truly creating a work of art. The Elise Bracelet is handcrafted in Peru in a workshop committed to empowering the next generation with traditional Artisanal skills training. Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in Peru.

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!

Surrendering to Hope

If you have ever faced tragedy, this is a question that could possibly have crossed your mind: “How am I supposed to hope in God when all feels hopeless?”

Lately, I have been talking a lot about the topic of surrender. (You can read those, here: “Surrender to God When His Plan Contradicts Yours” & “True Joy Comes in Living a Life of Surrender”). Well, this topic is really no different, but I want to share an encouragement with you to start off this conversation.

Let’s Start with Some Encouragement

Just like I mentioned last week, when I surrender to God on any given occasion, I am not numbing myself from what I want (to keep myself from hating God). Nor am I just tossing it to the wind as if to say, “Fine, whatever. I guess I don’t get what I want then,” hoping against all hope that maybe God will someday “change His mind.”

It’s not a surrender to the numbing. It’s not a surrender to the whatever happens, fine.

It’s an ENTRUSTING to an Almighty God who loves you so much that even knowing you wronged Him, knowing you could never do enough to “even the scales,” & knowing you could never hope to be good enough to earn reconciliation with God because of your fleshly sin nature… He made a way possible for that by sending Jesus, Who WILLINGLY paid your debt for you so you could receive forgiveness & reconciliation to God if you but put your faith & hope in HIM.

And it is no different when tragedy comes crashing through your life like a devastating tornado of destruction, ripping apart your hopes & dreams & everything you love… When everything turns hopeless.

How to Hope in God When All Feels Hopeless?

So, I ask again. HOW can you hope in God when all feels hopeless?

It’s a valid question from the perspective of human flesh. We can’t see what He sees. We can’t KNOW what He knows. And to us, to me (sometimes too often), it feels incomprehensible that a God who gave SO MUCH to express His love for me, through Jesus, could ever do anything or ALLOW anything that could crush me so deeply.

But He does. He does allow it sometimes.

And yet… He is still GOOD.

How can that be?

Obedience Breeds Trust

I have been down that path many times. Struggling with depression throughout most of my life, I have gone down some pretty dark paths & questioned this very thing many, many times before.

Do you happen to remember a post I did last year maybe? About how we ought to “Want to Trust God? Obey Him”? How I incorrectly tried to seek how I can trust God better SO I can obey Him better? How I thought that seemed a righteous goal to pursue, but later, God helped me to understand the distrust & the selfishness it displayed because it was a sort of “vetting process” where I wanted to know I believed God & understood everything to my comfort level before I would be willing to obey Him? I wanted the control.

How the Truth of it is that Trust is actually bred OUT OF obedience, because it is ONLY through a taking of God at His Word—before I have vetted it—& obeying first, that I can actually step back & see, “WOW, that made NO sense to me, but I did it because He said to & it actually WORKED!!”

I Have Asked Those Questions

The same is true in the midst of tragedy & devastation.

It is in those moments we often most want to scream for a way to trust God somehow, some way to get through this & when it stays hard & it doesn’t get better, we want to scream AT Him. We want to pull away in bitter hurt. We want to turn our back & give Him the silent treatment because our prayers seem to be falling on deaf ears & the more we pray, the more silence we feel in return, & the fear becomes, “if I ask one more time without relief from Him, I am afraid of what that will do to my faith or how I would end up dishonoring God with my anger, so I will just stop asking because I can’t handle more of it.”

Anyone else? Just me?

I have been through those dark days. I have craved an end to my life. I have been in a place that my deepest anger was the fact that I was too afraid of hurting others by ending my life because I wanted to just end it already. End the pain. End the struggle. End the hopeless, crushing weight that I carried.

I have been there. I have asked those questions. I have wondered how to hope in God when all feels hopeless.

Back to Surrender

And back again to surrender… to the entrusting… to the obeying first to build the trust we crave… where all the pieces slide into place….

How can you hope in God when all feels hopeless?

By determining to trust in God & His goodness & His love & His sacrifice for you–even when all hope feels lost.

You may not feel it. You may feel hopeless. But DETERMINE to cling to TRUTH, even when you feel it just can’t be.

Entrust the pain & circumstance to Him… to His goodness.

A Desperate Prayer of Surrender… to HOPE

Be willing to drop to your knees & say, “God, I get it. I live in a world FULL of sin because we all have sin. And as a result, I know that sin causes pains & hurts to plague this world.. But this pain is TOO MUCH. I can’t bear it. I’m too weak. I’m crumbling beneath the weight of this. I CAN’T HOLD IT ANYMORE! Help me. Please. I know, deep down, somehow some way… that You ARE Good. I don’t see it right now. All I see is my painful circumstances. But somehow… I know it’s true even if I can’t see it right now. Help me cling to You, Father. My grip is weak. PLEASE help me hold on. BE my strength. I don’t have enough. I need You. Please be my help. Be my shelter in this storm. Be my enough. Hold me. Help me to keep crying out to You & be my comfort through this valley of death & darkness. ‘Lord, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod & Your staff, they comfort me.’ (Psalm 23:4) Remind me that ‘You go with me & You never leave me, nor forsake me.’ (Deuteronomy 31:6) Keep my eyes on You as the storm rages on & don’t let me be swept away in it. Be my anchor. Be my steady, firm ground. Help me to praise You still, even when all feels lost. With You, there is always hope & I don’t see how that can POSSIBLY be right now, but help me to trust You with it despite all appearances. Help me to be obedient in my hope, even if I am not sure how yet to trust You in this. In Jesus’ wonderful, mighty name, AMEN.”

He Is with You Always, Even to the End of the Age

Don’t give up, dear one. Don’t let satan tear you to shreds through this trial or any to come… even if you have to cry in a whispered breath, “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

Put on your armor, GOD’S armor, as demonstrated to us in Ephesians 6:10-18.

DETERMINE to cling to the GOODNESS of God, even if you can’t see it right now.

Shine HOPE, by demonstrating hope in God even when all feels hopeless, knowing He is fully worth your entrusting of your worst trial to Him.

It is okay to not be okay. It’s okay to not be enough. That is why we ALL NEED 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!!

Caribbean-Coast-Bracelet (Haiti)

This ethically made green, turquoise, and light blue bracelet from Haiti features three genuine amazonite stone beads and coordinating glass beads accented with silver-plated accent beads. Designed to coordinate with the Willow Bracelet the naturally varying shades of genuine amazonite stone make each stretch-to-fit Caribbean Coast Bracelet unique! Every purchase provides jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty in Haiti and helps mamas keep their babies out of poverty orphanages.

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!

Surrender to God Brings Joy

Last week, we talked about how we ought to surrender to God’s plan when it contradicts our own will. (Read that post, here: “Surrender to God When His Plan Contradicts Yours”) But really, to find true joy in life, everything in our life requires surrender… every little bit of it.

The wonderful thing about that fact is the truth that as we surrender to God’s will & His help in every little thing, big or small, we begin to take so much of the weight & burden off our own shoulders & place it on His very capable, inexhaustible shoulders (Matthew 11:28-30).

Everything takes surrender, whether it be a bad attitude, feeling gloomy or frustrated or even days where you feel like rolling your eyes at everything… & even on a good day, when you think you have it all together & you’re just rockin’ it—because doing what seems right in our own eyes, no matter how righteous it seems, will ALWAYS fall short of deferring to God in any given moment. We need Him.

Let’s go through some areas that require daily surrender.

Rise & Shine? Or Waking Up with the Grumpies?

When I begin my day, it’s my morning attitude & sleepy grumpiness that I must surrender first. My alarm goes off & I confess, my initial response is NOT “Riiise & shiiine, & give God the glory, glory!!” (Anyone else have camp leaders sing that to your hall every morning… oh LORD, I needed to pray for patience & grace those mornings!)

But, NO, that is not my usual first feeling. Normally, I groan in disgust, pinch my eyes shut in annoyed defiance to the required wakeup time, roll out of bed slowly, unwillingly… & pray something like, “God, I’m sorry. Please forgive my bad attitude. I am SO tired I just want to go back to sleep! Please help me honor You today & help my attitude get in shape this morning. Help me not ruin my own day with my own bad attitude. Help me give You glory today instead. AMEN.”

Surrender.

God Asked Me to Do It, But _____________________

Sometimes the need for surrender comes in those moments where I feel an annoying little nudge-prompting from God to do something that intimidates me or something for which I feel ill-equipped. My heart rears back & I feel fear & defiance & anxiety take root.

It’s when I feel too busy to handle it… or too easily distractable… or too worn out… or too ________________________. Distractions & inadequacies & obstacles seem to come in every shape or form when I feel anxious about something God asks of me.

And then God whispers over my heart the reminder that whatever He asks of me, whether a habit I need to get to making, or an area of obedience I am avoiding, or a task to speak to or help someone… no matter what it is… HE will take care of the details & the how. I just have to be willing to say, “Yes, Lord. Show me how. You know this scares or intimidates me because I want to be honoring to You, but practically, I don’t know how to do this. But if it’s something that honors You, I need to remember that You WILL help me to do it if I just be willing to let You. Don’t let any obstacle or limitation keep me from trusting You can make it happen anyway. Show me how & give me the strength to do it… & I will do it. AMEN.”

Surrender.

Love & Pray for My ENEMIES?

Or, here’s a good one. You know the verse that says to “love our enemy & pray for those who persecute us?” (Luke 6:27-36) Sometimes someone is straight up RUDE to me & they know it & they just don’t care one bit. Or, they are completely & utterly CLUELESS to how their bad attitude is being directed at me & so don’t feel the need to apologize at all.

Is my natural reaction to love & pray for them? NO! A BIG no. I want to throat punch them & tell them to shape up. I want to DEMAND the injustice & unkindness be righted.

What I DON’T want… is to be gracious (remember, by DEFINITION, grace is UNdeserved.)

I have to take a deep breath, swallow my righteous anger (because really, I have a right to be angry, but God instructs us to be angry & NOT SIN. (AKA no hatred & yes to loving them & praying for them instead), (Ephesians 4:26-32) & I have to stop & pray: “God… GOD… You saw that. I know You heard what they said & that You feel the hurt it caused me. I want it made RIGHT! I want justice. I want an apology. I want to scream. But I know bitterness & grudges & bottling up my anger doesn’t please You. You want me to love them & pray for them. HOW?!? Help me forgive them. Help me give grace. Help me remember I am just as in need of grace as they. Help me to leave it in Your hands & trust You to handle it. Show me how I can possibly love them. Teach me how. Love them through me & teach me to pray for them versus stewing in it or slandering them over it. Please help me. AMEN.”

Surrender.

So Many Things Don’t Go My Way… & Surprisingly, That Always Ends Up Being a Good Thing

And then there are my plans & goals & dreams, like I talked about last week. Sometimes God says “no.” Sometimes He says, “not right now” & sometimes the “when”not right now” seems so far off or so unclear that you’re not even sure if maybe it’s actually a NO. And it hurts.

Maybe it’s lacking a relationship & you wonder if you’ll be single forever (been there), watching your younger siblings & friends get married while you are yet to have any true prospects (again, been there). Everyone else seems to be enjoying marital bliss but you.

Or maybe it’s a job or career path that ever seems to be slipping out of your grasp or you feel like you’re floating through life, still completely unsure of “what you want to be when you grow up.” Everyone else seems to have it figured out but you. (I can also relate).

Maybe it’s wanting children, but every month you are hit again with the realization that it won’t be this time around. And that happens over & over & over again & you wonder why it seems God won’t answer that for you. Everyone else seems to have a happy family with game nights & camping trips & time with cousins… but you arrive childless to every family gathering. (That was my heart hurt for MANY years, although God has grown me to appreciate the different plan He has had for us. Read about that story, here: “To the Barren Woman.”)

Maybe it’s a prolonged illness, a bad diagnosis, a terrible injury, a mental disorder, or a trauma that seems to haunt you on the daily. Everyone else seems capable & able to live life to the fullest, but you feel stuck, missing out & held back against your will.

I could go through so many maybes, but the truth is, sometimes life just doesn’t happen the way we so, SO want it to.

And that takes surrender. Surrendering to GOD’S will when it seems so opposite your own. DETERMINING to cling to Him & trust His GOODNESS, to trust HIM. No matter what.

True Joy Comes in Living a Life of Surrender

EVERY decision He makes, as absolute authority over heaven & earth is ALWAYS meant for BOTH His glory & your GOOD. Always. 100%.

True joy comes in living a life of surrender, whether it’s my attitude, or little choices in how I respond or treat a situation, or being obedient to Him even when I don’t want to or it’s hard, or facing the fact that God’s plan may not line up AT ALL with mine.

It brings true joy to surrender to Him in all things because STRIVING after & CLINGING to & DEMANDING to have your way happen or that you DESERVE to feel that way or react that way… when we do that, we hurt ourselves.

Let God take on that heavy weight. And let Him carry YOU. Let Him care for & comfort you.

Say, “God, I don’t like the way this is turning out & I want to be bitter & mad at You even. I’m sorry for that, but it’s the truth. I don’t understand why You would allow this to be my life. How can You say you love me & allow this to be my life? I don’t understand. But I want to trust You. I want to trust that You’re still good & that somehow You know what You’re doing & that You’re even ENOUGH for me in this plan I DO NOT like. Help me. I really want to believe You, but it hurts so much. Help me fall back on You & know that You will be there to catch me. Help me stop striving & to start abiding in You & Your comfort & Your enoughness. Show me how. Teach me. Help my broken, bitter heart. Forgive me. Amen.”

Surrender IS Hard, But It WILL Change Your Life for the Best

It’s called surrender because it means the giving up of your way of doing or handling things, of giving up the way you’ve always wanted things to go… of choosing His will over your own.

But that’s where true & lasting joy breeds… in a surrendered-always-to-Him LIFE.

It seems nonsensical that by giving up the way we feel things should be handled or how I want MY life to go… that it will somehow make things better? But we’re not just throwing it all away to chance & then hoping at least some good will come of it, resigning to just giving up or numbing ourselves to what we want so we can bear to carry on… no, we’re ENTRUSTING that difference & contrast to an Almighty God who LOVES us so very much & Who sent Jesus to pay your debts so you could be set free from your due punishment.

He wants what is best for you & He KNOWS what is best for you… even if you think it doesn’t look very much like how you would want it… That’s a GOOD thing when you consider Who is doing the planning!

So, shine HOPE in your life by determining to choose surrender in the big & the small every single day & let HIM be GOD of your life. 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 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!!

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!

It’s Hard to Trust Him When His Plan Goes Against Mine

Have you ever wanted something so badly that it hurts & yet your prayers seem to fall on deaf ears? You know God sees your aching heart & feels your hurt, & yet, He doesn’t answer the way you want?

Or have you gone through something so incredibly hard that you beg God for a solution or healing or an end to it… & yet none comes?

Why surrender to God when nothing is going your way? HOW can you?

Hitting a Crossroad… Sometimes Prayers Don’t Get Answered the Way That I Want

I feel like life is a constant progression of coming to these crossroads: Will I choose my will… or His when they’re very different?

First that I can remember was my depression era in high school, where I wanted to die more than anything else… I wanted the pain to stop but it just never would… like I was trapped in a broken, fractured mind that barraged me constantly with thoughts about how much of a worthless burden I was. I prayed for freedom from the constant onslaught of attacks, but none came… for two straight years, none came.

Then there was my romantic heart where any boy that was nice to me… well, I was already basically picturing what our kids would look like & what our life would be like if we ended up together. I wanted to be married more than anything else… I loved the idea of feeling completely & utterly loved… but traumas & fears caused me to run whenever it got serious… & nothing ever felt quite right… like I was chasing validation versus real, sacrificial reciprocated love. I prayed & prayed & prayed, but everything hit a dead end, watching my younger sister & younger friends all wed before I even came close… & it hurt… a lot.

And Hokkaido… the isolation… the loneliness… the culture shock waves that would knock me off my feet unexpectedly… the stress buildup that started ripping apart my threshold for stressors… snapping & crying & rage & despair & feeling trapped by the effects the stress was having on my life & not feeling able to stop it… & no one in my life seemed to understand, isolating me even more. I prayed for it to end, but it always seemed to just only get worse.

Surrender to God When His Plan Contradicts Yours

I have been through even more examples of times when nothing seemed to go my way (like not being able to get pregnant or fighting through traumas), no matter how reasonable or good intentions my pleading had, it never seemed to be enough… the agony didn’t end… the answer to my prayer seemed nonexistent… God was silent when it came to giving me what I so badly wanted.

Surrender seems the least obvious choice here. Well, maybe surrender to the despair or hopelessness… but not to God & the possibility that He may have a different plan than I do. When God withholds the way I want so desperately for things to work out, it doesn’t spark an eagerness to surrender to Him at all… it makes me want to hold on & fight, as if maybe I just need to BETTER convince God to hear me out & help me & answer my way.

When All Hope Feels Lost… Will You Surrender to Him AS Your Hope?

When you are stuck not getting what you so desperately want… the thing you ache & long for, whether it be the end of constant pain or the end of loneliness or freedom from constant stress… will you choose to cling to the end of that struggle above all else?

Or will you surrender to God & ask for His will to be done in your life, EVEN IF it is different than your own?

“God, You know I’m hurting. You know how desperate I feel right now… But I also know that You are God & You are good. You have a perfect plan in this. You are sufficient. If You choose to take me a different route, hard as it may seem to me, can You please show Yourself sufficient to me? Help me remember You want my good & that You love me & that You are always enough? Help me trust that You know what You’re doing better than I do... that You see the WHOLE picture that I don’t. Help me learn how to better trust You when Your plan seems so wildly different than what I so, so badly want. I have to trust that, even if it doesn’t go my way. Help me to trust You, to surrender to You, come what may. AMEN.”

Surrender to God’s Will ALWAYS–Even If It Means the Hurt Won’t Stop, It Means He Will Carry You through to an Even Better Plan Than Your Own

In my biggest battle with depression, where I had already listened to Satan’s lies so much that I had spiraled to a place so dark I didn’t even know how to find my way out anymore… I not only prayed but tried everything to pump joy into my life my way, only to find it progressively worsen. It wasn’t until I fully surrendered that I found freedom. I gave up every pursuit to make myself happy, to control my happiness input to ensure I would be happy, to instead say, “God, nothing else. Only You. Nothing else.” And only in the surrender of my pursuit of happiness to rest it all on Him no matter what, did I find that freedom… & not ONLY freedom, but the definitively clear dispelling of doubts I had carried my whole life, giving me an even richer freedom that I never knew could even be possible in my life.

In my longing, lonely, desperate heart of singleness, watching everyone else get married while I seemed to be on a path of eternal singleness, I was inspired by my aunt who had lost her husband & in that loss, she clung to God as her hope. I used to pity her, but after a long, unexpected car ride with just us, I saw behind the image I imagined & instead saw a woman who had such peace & assurance & inner humble confidence. I realized then that singleness was not a curse, but a blessing… if I would but surrender to God’s will over my own... His sufficiency & His love.

And then there was Hokkaido… where I didn’t surrender. I wanted to feel comfort. I wanted to escape the stress. So, I hid from it. I idolized comfort above all else, even above God. I avoided by tv binging & gaming & food. I didn’t learn from my past… that surrender leads to HOPE. I fought God’s plan to keep me in that stressful atmosphere rather than surrendering to that FACT that He would be ENOUGH for me IN it. I let bitterness against God take root & I didn’t get to see the hope that surrendering to Him brings.

Surrendering to God’s will seems THE LAST thing I want to do when life isn’t going my way, but it is in that surrender that I finally find that HOPE I so desperately search for.

God Can be Trusted in Our Surrender

God knows what He is doing. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, & perfectly, without-any-mistakes-ever WISE.

God sees the big picture: all the pieces in play, all unexpected turn of events, spanning through all eternity. He sees it ALL, while I just think I know what I see in my tiny fraction of it.

God can bring beauty out of ashes. No matter how impossibly hard something seems, it ALWAYS is appreciated when it is finally over when I choose surrender to Him in it.

God can be ENOUGH for me in the hard. He is NEVER lacking & how obvious it becomes when I struggle & feel at a complete loss & yet allow Him to be enough & see that He indeed IS.

It’s in the hard that we can see it’s not me or getting my way that will bring me joy & peace & fulfillment… No. It’s found in surrendering to HIS way where we find all that, even when His way seems the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of our most desired way.

Let God Have His Way–You Will Never Regret It

So, why surrender to God when His plan contradicts yours?

Because God is GOD. He can be trusted 100%. He is enough. And if you let Him, He will take your less than ideal & paint a beautiful, unique masterpiece out of your life, one where you will one day look back in awe & wonder & PRAISE that in the impossible, God made a way… & not just A way, but the most beautiful story you never could have imagined for yourself.

So, shine HOPE by learning the beauty in SURRENDER—even when nothing in life is going your way & even when God seems to want the opposite of your own desperate desires.

Surrender to Him… always.

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!!

Kavita Necklace (India)

Handcrafted by her fellow Artisans in India, this eye-catching necklace is named in honor of Kavita, who inspires women in her community and around the world to become heroes of their own stories! Naturally varying shades of raspberry, blue, white, green, black, and faded pink make this colorful design truly mesmerizing, whether you wear it alone or layer it with more of your favorite fair-trade designs! 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!