God Breathed

God created us to worship Him… & not in a selfish, arrogant way, either, but simply because He IS. He is our whole existence. He is the reason we are. He created us & gives us life & made all the resources we need to survive.

Thinking back to the Garden of Eden, life for us was meant to be simply tending to what He already had made. Enjoying His beautiful & bountiful creation. Walking alongside Him in the garden. Trusting Him while we carry no worry or fear.

Life was meant to be simple, carefree, peaceful, FILLED with beauty everywhere we looked. No shame or awkwardness. No insecurity. No stress or worry or anxiety.

Just peace. Just beauty. Just love & trust in the God Who formed us.

But… sin.

Self-Asserting over God

Sin is a breaking away from God’s way for our own. Sin is thinking we know better. Sin is distrust & self-seeking. Sin hurts.

God gave us His Word with His commands, not to control us, but because He designed the world & everything in it & He knows how it all best fits together, even when it doesn’t seem to make logical sense to us in our limitedness. That’s why He made sure to tell us, because He knew it wouldn’t be something we could perfectly piece together.

But… sin.

Sin doesn’t trust God. Sin wants to figure it out. Sin wants to make sure we’re covered & cared for our way. Sin wants to double check God. Sin wants to see for itself. Sin wants to take care of self. Sin wants to trust self over the God Who made us.

Sin wants to believe: “my life is about me.”

This Is His Story

I am not the main character in my story, in my life. I am a supporting character. So are you, I’m afraid.

This story is about GOD, not you or me.

The whole Bible, with all of the flawed humans written about in it… they’re to constantly & consistently point back to GOD, not the people. GOD’s faithfulness, GOD’s power, GOD’s grace, GOD’s love toward us who don’t deserve it.

They fail… He perseveres.

They are weak… He proves strong.

They can’t… He can.

They mess up… His faithfulness stands true.

They lack… He sustains.

They sin… He forgives.

They get in trouble… He rescues.

They get it wrong… He is sovereign.

They are limited… He is Almighty.

They are fearful… He is capable.

They die… He remains from generation to generation.

They sin… He redeems.

They are human… He is GOD.

Every story in the Bible… & in our life… is actually all about HIM, not us.

Living Your Life for ____________________

You get up, get ready, go to work, care for the kids, study, shop, run errands, do chores, do vacations, go to church, relax, enjoy hobbies, etc. etc. etc. & it feels very deceptively like this life is about YOU. YOUR world. YOUR activities. YOUR hobbies. YOUR responsibilities. YOUR family. YOUR job. YOUR skills. YOUR money. YOUR LIFE.

But it is NOT.

We are FOOLED into thinking our life is about us.

We are lulled. We are deceived. We are short-sighted.

All of this is going to pass away! Years from now, no one will even likely remember you existed! This life is NOT ABOUT YOU.

This is all temporal, fleeting, inconsequential.

Your job won’t matter after you die. Your hobbies won’t matter. Your cares & anxieties… Your responsibilities… None of it will matter anymore.

We’re fooled into thinking our life is about us.

God Is Eternal…

We need to WAKE UP.

The ONLY thing that will last beyond our lifetime is God, His glory & His grace & His power & His sovereignty & His LOVE.

He is ETERNAL. He has no beginning & no end. He knew your great great great grandparents that you probably don’t ever give a thought about. He KNEW them.

He will know your kids’ kids’ kids, long after you’re dead & gone. Your existence may never even cross their minds… But God knows them, too.

What in your life will matter after you are gone? Decades later even?

What Will Matter When You’re Gone?

When on your death bed, will you be able to look back & say that you lived your true & only real purpose? To give God glory? To make Him known? To live in worship of Him?

What matters to God should matter to us.

Who does God put in your path each day? A spouse… kids… coworkers… boss… cashier… passerbys… beggars… family… friends… neighbors…?

Do we care enough about our neighbor we may only occasionally see in the driveway? Knowing they spent however long living next door to someone who knew THE way to forgiveness from God? Because they will have to answer to Him, too, even if they don’t believe in Him. (We don’t get a free pass for our sin against God because we claim not to know better. God reveals Himself to us in so many ways, so we are without excuse.) (Romans 1:20) Have you told them?

What about the cashier at your grocery store? Do you seek to strike up conversations with them, to show them they matter more than just as a means to an end? To grow opportunities to share hope with them? To see them as a person with a NEED?

*If you died tomorrow, would you regret not telling someone you had the chance to warn of their need for repentance & hope through Jesus alone?*

We are God’s AMBASSADORS. Do we live like we are? Or are we fooled into thinking our temporal, fleeting life is all about US?

We’re Fooled into Thinking Our Life Is About Us

Our life is about HIM. Do you live like that? Do you live with an eternal focus? Of what matters beyond your lifespan? Or are you consumed with the NOW?

How are you living? Who are you living for? Who does your lifestyle imply you’re living for?

I don’t mean to say you can’t ever have fun or enjoy shopping or enjoy your job. God gives us good things to enjoy, doesn’t He? We can see that in all the extravagantly creative beauty of nature, as well as in His sending Jesus to die for OUR sins.

But do you recognize yourself back in the Garden of Eden? Enjoying all of the good gifts from the Lord, but also trusting Him in all things & letting Him guide the steps of your days, trusting Him fully & peacefully? Letting HIM be God in your life?

Where Is Your Focus? What Is Your Priority?

Do you praise Him for all of His faithfulness, grace, & care? Worship Him? Lean into Him for peace when your world swirls out of control? Bow your heart before Him? Go to Him first in troubles or anxieties? Ask for His leading in decisions? Trust He knows more than you when you can’t decide on something? Know He will empower you as you seek to obey Him? Repent & trust Jesus’ payment for a forever clean slate with no shame hanging over you? Love others sacrificially, knowing it all comes from Him & He will supply? Call out to Him for rescue? Use your job or errand interactions as platforms to be an ambassador for Christ, as if God was pleading through your life for them to be saved? (2 Corinthians 5:20) Talk about God’s work & growing in your life with friends to encourage them as they also seek to live for Him? Lead children to trust & obey God? Obey God even when it doesn’t seem to make sense to you?

Who are you living for?

Who is your life about?

Are you fooled into thinking your life is about you?

Shine HOPE by bowing your all, your life & everything in it, to the very One Who made you & gave you all things. PRAISE GOD, through the saving work of JESUS CHRIST!

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Hope Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Create hope for human trafficking survivors in the Dominican Republic when you wear your Hope bracelet! This adorable friendship-styled bracelet beautifully represents our partnership with these young women, who were once trafficked themselves, and who now earn a dignified income in a safe working environment by creating this Hope Bracelet. Each stretch-to-fit bracelet features blue-grey, faceted crystal beads and silver-tone letter beads that spell out “Hope”.

***Purchase this handmade bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below, to support a safe house in the Dominican Republic that provides rescue, housing, education, legal services, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking.***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

The Times I Ask: “God, Where Are You?”

One of, if not THE hardest thing that causes me to wrestle with my faith is this: that sometimes God doesn’t take the pain away.

Whether it is the seasons of depression I struggle with or periods of maddening sleeplessness, or, like this past weekend, 4 hours of needing to actively fight against throwing up due to motion sickness on a flight–& not being able to get off the plane for some fresh air relief… when the pain keeps going, I begin to whimper… “God, where are You?”

It is most difficult for me to realize that sometimes God wants more for me than just the end of my suffering… He wants me to know Him as sufficient in all things… He wants opportunity to be glorified… He wants people to see that the peace He has to offer is not dependent on everything being comfortable & easy.

And that’s HARD.

It’s Always So Important to Look Back

I don’t know about you, but I do not like suffering one tiny eensy little bit. And when I am actively suffering, whether it’s emotional/hormonal imbalance or whether it’s physical… all I can think of is “MAKE. IT. STOP! PLEASE!”

But, looking back is the best reminder to keep on trusting God in the storms, because every single time, He has proven Himself faithful to me… that He had a plan all along… that He does not waste a single OUNCE of my suffering.

There are SO MANY examples of this that I have written about over these past almost 7 years. I couldn’t even name them all if I tried… there are just too many. God has always been faithful. God has always shown to have a plan. God has never once wasted an ounce of my suffering. No matter how hard it may seem, He proves faithful, sufficient, all-knowing, sovereign, gracious, kind, & wonderful every time.

Let’s Look Back Together

Depression for 2 years in high school, where I thought about suicide almost every day & cried alone in my closet more days than not? God showed that though He had stripped everything away that I counted on or trusted in or relied on for my identity or reputation… that even if I were to lose it all, if I had Him, I had ALL.

Not finding a job for MONTHS when I was desperate for money? God provided through odd jobs here & there every time before a bill was due, allowing me also to pay off all my debts to my parents as well, showing me HE WAS MY PROVIDER AS I trusted in HIM & HIS leading.

Sleeplessness for 2 months straight? God showed me He could BE my strength even when I had NONE, when I was willing to repent of my distrust & ask for His help. He WAS my strength in the hard!

Loneliness over a 6-year period, despite active efforts? God showed me that even though I handled that time progressively worse & completely failed Him & gave up on Him & resented Him… in all of that SIN & distrust & failure… He STILL worked through my life, showing me it’s not about ME being worthy, but about HIM being worthy.

I could go on forever about my undeserving & failure & falling short & distrusting Him & suffering… all with the same outcome: God showing Himself to have a plan, to never waste my struggle, & to be faithful through it all despite my unfaithful heart.

Yes. God can be trusted. Even when God doesn’t take the pain away.

God Didn’t Make Me All Better

On Sunday, I was sitting in my seat on the plane feeling so miserable. Motion sickness was tormenting me so much I couldn’t even reach for my bag to get meds without risk of vomit. I had to keep my head steady & concentrate actively on slow, steady breathing. Trying to catch the airflow from the vent to stay cooled. Trying to distract myself with randomness in my mind. PRAYING for relief & help. And staying very, very sick for the last FOUR HOURS of our flight.

Did I mention the PRAYING for relief & help? Well, I guess I never threw up, so that’s something… but the extreme constancy of discomfort didn’t ever let up. And there is no stopping a plane so I can pull over, get out on steady ground, & breathe fresh air until my tummy settles. Can’t exactly do that on an airplane….

And I PRAYED. Whimpered. Begged. Cried. I was so desperate to feel steady & have my tummy settle. But it didn’t… because sometimes God doesn’t take the pain away.

Rehearsing in My Mind What I KNOW to be TRUE… Even When It Doesn’t Exactly Feel Like IT

So, I have to look back… to remember His past faithfulness… to remember His always eventual displayed goodness when it wasn’t so readily visible in the struggle itself… to remember He will use this somehow, too.

God is good. Even when He doesn’t take the pain away. God is good.

He is faithful. He can BE your strength when YOU have NONE.

I think of the blind man… the people asking who sinned… his parents?… him?… And Jesus’ response? Neither (not that they were sin-free, but that their sin was not the cause), but that God could be glorified–so God’s power may be seen by the people. (John 9:2-3)

Because that man had a need, he was able to experience God’s provision, through Jesus. AND onlookers were able to witness the POWER of GOD, through JESUS.

If Ever Tempted to Doubt God’s Goodness…

And guess what? Our GREATEST need allows us to experience God’s provision, through Jesus, too.

We all fall short. We don’t have what it takes. We’ll never be enough, not REALLY. We’ll never measure up. We will always fail & fall short & get it wrong.

We can’t save ourselves. We can’t be sufficient. We can’t ever be good enough for God.

But… JESUS.

Can we just take a second to relish in that? To meditate on that TRUTH? We fail Him every single day in small ways & big ones, whether it’s distrusting Him in our struggles or anything else… we don’t deserve Him… BUT, He gave His Son to DIE for OUR debt ANYWAY.

I saw a quote yesterday that is so sweet & profound & it went something like, “He came to pay a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay.” Hallelujah, PRAISE GOD!

Sometimes God Doesn’t Take the Pain Away

God is sufficient in our NEED! God is GOOD! God is FAITHFUL!

He may not always answer the way I want Him to, but He ALWAYS answers to my deeper need: learning to let Him be God over every ounce of my life & being... to see Him as truly sovereign AND sufficient.

Perfecting me. Growing my faith in Him as sufficient in all things. Pruning me…. Making me more like Jesus.

Where do you question Him?

Where do you need to repent of distrust?

What need do you need to allow Him to fulfill?

His Son on the Cross for Our Sin

If ever tempted to doubt God’s goodness, we need not look further than His Son on the cross for our sin.

God wants you to know His goodness. He wants you to be confident to rest in Him. He wants you to draw near. He wants to be your sufficiency for all your need. He wants you to know Him.

Shine HOPE by trusting God’s goodness, provision, sufficiency, plan, faithfulness, & love… even when sometimes God DOESN’T take the pain away.

THANK YOU for your patience in the delay of this post being published. That 4 hours of “motion sickness” on the plane ended up being some sort of stomach bug that stuck around 4 FORTY-EIGHT hours. In other words, it got so much worse & yesterday I was just so weak & nauseated that I didn’t do much more than stay in bed. I am feeling much improved today & God held me through the worst of it. Happy to see the sunshine at the end of that dark tunnel. Today is a new day.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Peace Bracelet (EAST ASIA)

Help women escape brothels in East Asia when you purchase the Peace Bracelet! This blue-toned phoenix stone and hematite beaded bracelet includes the word “PEACE” for a fun, fair-trade look! Easy to dress up or down for daily wear, the Peace Bracelet is the perfect bracelet to add to your bracelet stack.

***Purchase this beautifully handmade Peace Bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below, to create jobs supporting sex-trafficking survivors in East Asia with safe housing, health care, trauma counseling, job skills training, and dignified income.***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

God Is Love

“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

God gets misunderstood quite often. It’s understandable, really, because not only is He so far above our comprehension… there’s also an enemy actively seeking to twist & distort everything about Him.

For one, it is really hard to comprehend someOne who is completely set on Justice, while simultaneously being completely merciful. He never will sacrifice one for the other—they exist in tandem for Him.

He Literally Knows What Is Best… He Doesn’t Have to Guess

He made everything. He has absolute power & authority over what He made. He alone gets to determine what is right or wrong. And there are consequences to breaking that.

But imagine knowing literally everything there is to know… to its absolute core… because you made literally everything in existence… imagine with me that our little creatED brains cannot even come CLOSE to all He KNOWS. We can somehow kinda sorta begin to see that that our “knowledge” & our “wisdom” doesn’t even scratch the SURFACE.

AND, He didn’t leave it at that, did He? Nope. He GAVE us a book to teach us how He made things to work. He didn’t leave us to guess at it, inevitably screw it all up, all so He could punish us.

NO. He GAVE us His Word!

Then, imagine with me again that if He knows literally everything there is to know about the natural order of things, our thoughts, our intents, every ripple effect throughout all of time… even to our subconscious… that He also knows what is absolute best, whether it makes sense to our creatED minds… or NOT.

God Redirects Us

“For the Lord corrects those He loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:12)

AND, knowing ALL of that… GIVING us His Word… He says that the consequences of our “missing the mark” (aka sin), is DEATH. Because not only does He KNOW… He also WARNED us. So, for us, with our little creatED minds to have the AUDACITY to think we know better than the One Who MADE us… & then to do what WE THINK over what He KNOWS… it will 100% of the time cause harm to ourselves & to others, which He ALSO KNOWS. So, there are major consequences….

He is not punishing you for not assimilating. He is punishing you because He KNOWS everything, MADE you, GAVE you His Word… & because disobedience to God means you will every single time hurt yourself AND others AND Him.

The GOD Who CREATED the universe gave you EVERYTHING you need to succeed (His Word & this world & HIMSELF) & when your response is essentially “… nah,” even at the risk of hurting others…. There are major consequences.

He gives His Word out of love for us.

God Shows His Love through All He Created, Including His Vast Expressed Creativity

He made this world, in all of its extravagant beauty out of love for us. He could have made everything one color, one shape, one size, all uniform, all bland, all flat. But that’s not the world He made for us, is it?

Ears to hear the lapping waves on a shore, waterfalls & rivers rushing, breezes through tall grass & the leaves on the trees, a kitten’s purr, a baby’s laugh, kind words.

Taste buds to taste fresh hot apple pie a la mode, your favorite meal, a sweet treat.

A nose to stop & smell the roses, kitten fur, baby skin, fresh air, something baking in the oven, perfumes, fresh cut grass.

Skin to feel the warmth of a hug, the softness of a blanket, the comfort of soft fur, the rush of water on bare skin, the breeze across your face.

Eyes to see a rainbow, kittens, tropical fish, a sunset, a beach, a smile from a friend, flowers in bloom, mountain peaks, the green grass on rolling hills.

God didn’t skimp out on us when He made this world for us, did He? Not one bit. What a LOVING God He is!

He Showed Us His Unimaginable Love through JESUS

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

And not only did He give us His Word because He cares about our wellbeing & knows He sees beyond what we’re capable. Not only does He hold accountable those who are reckless in their destructive sin to protect them & those they hurt with their recklessness. Not only did He lavish His excellence on us through His creation….

But, JESUS.

Jesus is the ABSOLUTE embodiment & display of God’s love for us.

We Could Never Earn It… So, Jesus Paid It

Guys. Even IF we determine to live up to God’s standard & trust His Word & live by it… we still fall short of it every single day… honestly probably every single moment.

And yet… He could have said, “well, too bad, huh? I gave you this world. I gave you My Word to live by. You STILL screwed it up? That’s on you.”

But instead… JESUS. I mean… WHAT?!?

He looked down at all our screw ups & the feeling He felt toward us was not hatred or resentment… but COMPASSION. Like, all our lack is just filled in with HIM.

God Condescended Himself FOR US

God CONDESCENDED Himself from His THRONE to come be born in fleshly state & be rejected & scorned & mocked & beaten by those He loves & came to die for. (Isaiah 53) And His response? “Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

GUYS!!!?

Love came DOWN to US!

Believing on HIM BECOMES OUR righteousness! Grace, by definition is UNDESERVED!

What LOVE!!

AND… God doesn’t even stop there!!!

Creation, His Word, Jesus, & Now, the Holy Spirit… Love Is ALWAYS His Motivator!

After we have trusted on His death for our sins & His raising from the dead conquering that sin… God offers us HIMSELF. He promises us the Holy Spirit to indwell us, to guide us, to be our helper & counselor & comfort.

In other words, we no longer have to even try to obey Him or live for Him in OUR OWN strength, but through HIS!

A consistent laying down of our lack & a requesting for His ALL.

A consistent life of letting Him shape us to look more like Jesus to this hurting world around us.

Please understand this, in all the misunderstandings there are out there about God: Love is ALWAYS His motivator.

Shine HOPE by sharing the love of God with others… His Word, His creation, His sacrifice, His ALL… His LOVE.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Flora Bunny Decor (NEPAL)

LIMITED EDITION – While supplies last! How fun is this Flora Bunny Decor that creates jobs for women in Nepal! This adorable wool bunny hanging decor is perfect to add a little springtime fair-trade fun to your decor! Each Flora Bunny is handcrafted using traditional wool-crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations.

***Your purchase, using the “Shop Here” link below, provides a woman in an area of extreme poverty with a safe job and fair wage.***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

No Really, I Am

Well, this is a fun topic to talk about, isn’t it?

It’s true that I run this blog/website, volunteer at church, etc. but at my very core, I really am a self-seeking brat.

How can the two realities coexist? Because I understand that what I feel like on any given day should not usually determine my actions.

I like ease, comfort, status quo.

I thrive on my routines & measuring my time so that I don’t ever get overwhelmed or overstimulated.

I like & prefer living for ME, in all honesty.

But God did not create me to live for myself, as much as I often crave to do so.

I have to be willing to SURRENDER—there’s that word again—all my selfish, self-seeking desires & wants, to be willing to lay those down in order to bring God glory & to serve & love others as He calls me to do.

I’m a Self-Seeking Brat

Some days it comes easier than others. Other days, I am a lot more whiney about it. Sort of an inner stomping of my feet with crossed arms. “I WANT to go back to sleep, NOT wake up early to help out with that.” “I WANT to go straight home after work to relax, NOT go back out to serve when I’m already tired.” “I WANT to save face, NOT share all of my inadequacies & shortcomings & failures with all the internet to judge me.” “I WANT to binge tv, NOT spend hours editing.” “I WANT to eat whatever I want, NOT steward the body God knit together.” I want, I want, I want.

I’m a selfish person at heart. I’m a self-seeking brat. Sometimes I wake up feeling so groggy & so wishing I could have gotten a couple hours more of sleep & I just want to scrap it all for the comfort of slipping back into bed, pulling up the covers, & relaxing back into sleep (that sounds REALLY good to me right about now, actually). NOT making choices that honor God over self.

But, God.

When I Want __________________… I Need to Trust Him to be More Than Sufficient

I want to serve Him. I want others to know Him. I have to trust Him to be what I need when I crave serving my desires my way.

When I want rest, I want to trust He can provide & be that rest FOR me.

When I want comfort, I want to trust He can provide & BE my comfort.

I don’t want to live for what I want so badly. I want to learn to trust that He is BETTER.

I don’t want to be trapped by my bad attitude. I want to point the world to Him.

I don’t want to be limited by my own limitations. I want to trust He can provide where I lack.

He is worth showing up for, even when I am just not in the mood… even when my fleshly selfishness seems to be winning. He’s worth laying down my life for Him to be known.

A Prayer from a Bratty Me to the Forgiving, Faithful God

“God, forgive me for my self-seeking, bratty heart. Forgive me for being so drawn to satisfy myself over You. Forgive me for my longing to look out for myself first. Please help me to continue to shift my perspective, to continue to lay myself down. Please help me always to remember that You are MORE THAN worth it every single time, & that You are MORE THAN capable to fill in the gaps for me, even on the days when I really am just a self-seeking brat. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

*Self-Check*

Where are you denying God your all because it’s just too much? Too hard? Too much time? Too exhausting?

What do you lean into in place of God? What do you desire most?

What do you need to lay down? To ask His forgiveness? To ask for His help supplementing where you lack… even if that lack is a lack of a right attitude?

What do you need to entrust to Him so the world around you may see & recognize that in all of your lack & wrong attitude & potential bratty-ness… that He is WORTH showing up for no matter WHAT?

What is it for you?

Shine HOPE by determining to lay yourself down in order to lift Him up on display in your life… even on the days where you feel like me… a self-seeking brat.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Ardent Necklace-Golden (INDIA)

Create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India when you purchase the Ardent Necklace! The design of the Ardent Necklace makes it uniquely customizable, featuring its twisted cord, elegant metal finishing and an adjustable golden bead for easy wearing. This necklace is easy to pull over your head and adjust to your perfect length. The gold-tone pendant is an organically shaped pendant with a freshwater pearl.

***Purchase this beautifully handcrafted necklace, using the “Shop Here” link below to help empower women in India out of extreme poverty!***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

God Is Not Intimidated

“Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

“Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.” (Psalm 2:1-3)

Why is it so easy for us to think we know better than the One Who MADE us?

America, the Beautiful… Needs to Return to God

America seems to be plagued at the moment—plagued with a sense of self-importance, self-actualization, self-declaration, self-promotion, etc. etc. etc. SELF.

The arrogance I see amongst so many people blows my mind. It also makes me brace myself a little because God will not be mocked. (Galatians 6:7) He WILL have the final say. He WILL be proven to be in control & Sovereign. Nothing anyone may try to do can stop that from being reality.

God Is SEATED-He CanNOT be Moved

“He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” (Psalm 2:4-8)

God is SEATED. He is not swayed at all by the “intellect” of man or the whims of our culture. God is seated. He’s not worried.

Whatever our world thinks it is to accomplish against or outside of His will quite simply will fail every single time. God is Sovereign to the absolute. In fact, He LAUGHS when culture does its very absolute best to abdicate Him from His throne & Godship. He owns it ALL. Everything.

He is not intimidated.

We Cannot Win When We Go Against the God Who MADE Us

“You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ” (Psalm 2:9)

Culture & “progress” cannot win against God. He is outside of time itself, eternal.

Do not set yourself up against God. Do not presume to know more than Him. He MADE the very mind you may use to come up with wills against Him! (Psalm 139:13-16)

“I was BORN this way & He tells me it is wrong!” Then LISTEN to Him! He is the very One Who MADE you! Don’t ever tell God how He made you. How foolish!

We Were Born in Sin, Wanting to Satisfy Our Flesh… We Must be Born Again to Live to Satisfy the SPIRIT

We were born with a desire for satisfying our fleshly desires. We were born with a draw for our way. We were born in a world defined by SIN. We were born INTO sin.

That is the very reason why God says we must be “BORN AGAIN” of Him, setting aside the wills of the world & flesh to now desire His will & way, through putting our trust in Jesus Christ instead of in ourselves. (John 3:1-21)

He didn’t MAKE you HAVE to sin. But we are born into sin. And the only way to break those devastating & suffocating & deceitful bonds is HIM, the One Who made you & Who didn’t stop there. He sent His only Son, JESUS, to condescend Himself from His throne in heaven to willingly DIE for that proclivity toward sin, to set you FREE from their bonds forever!

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

REPENT & Turn to Him!

But don’t be fooled… if we resist Him & reject the One Who gave us life… He will not be mocked. He is patient & long-suffering with us, to the point where it seems He can’t or won’t do anything… but if you persist down that self-path, you will personally discover the wrath of God firsthand, & you will fall.

“Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.” (Psalm 2:10-12a)

This is not a sense of coercion: DO THIS OR ELSE! But rather a warning that EVEN IF you don’t believe Him nor want to do it His way, His way IS the ONLY way. He WILL prevail. He CANNOT be thwarted. He CANNOT be moved. He is Sovereign to the ABSOLUTE.

Not a Threat… A Promise.. You WILL NOT Win Against God, in ANY Scenario

So, even if you think you still want your way & you can’t get past your rebellion, wisdom says you should bow. Surrender. Understand you can’t win & that you SHOULDN’T win, no matter how badly you WANT to or think you SHOULD win.

He is GOD… & you are not.

These past few verses are not a threat or coercive instructions… they are FACT. Fact that you WILL lose if you come against the One Who made you… God Almighty.

He Is the Very Place You Will Find the Rest You So Desperately Seek

“Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” (Psalm 2:12b)

And the truth is, a funny thing will happen when you decide to submit. The blessings you fought so hard to get YOUR way are actually found in HIS way.

Your way, your wisdom, your intellect, your plans, your ideals… they all PALE in comparison to HIS.

You discover that He is what you were searching for in all of it… you just didn’t realize or understand it. You were fooled. You were blinded. You were deceived.

But now you’re FREE from all of its hold on you… once you finally submit & put your trust in HIM over YOURSELF.

God is not trying to be Sovereign over you to control your life like some maniacal dictator so He can ruin your life into misery.

He IS Sovereign & He IS in control & He wants to set you FREE from the misery you already live in.

Turn to Him & Find the Rest You Seek

You may feel like you’re being “progressive,” but God exists outside of time itself & sees into eternity future. He already knows where our “progressive” “ideals” lead… & He knows they will fail & fall short in the end. We cannot outthink God. We cannot outwit or outsmart God. He IS.

God is SEATED. He canNOT be moved.

So, what are you holding against God? What are you holding back from Him? What are you shaking your fist at Him about? Where is your rebellion? Your rejection?

Will you submit to the One Who made you? Will you submit to the One Who holds time in His hands? Will you submit to the One Who sent His Son to die for your wrongs against Him? Will you submit to the One Who loves you more than you could ever comprehend?

What are you holding back from Him?

Shine HOPE by turning to God Almighty, & by living in the blessing it is to put your trust in God more than you place it in yourself.

(DO NOT BE DECEIVED: Romans 1:18; Romans 2:5; John 3:36; Revelation 20:11-15; 1 Peter 2:21-24)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Hope Mail-March 2025 (INDIA)

These uniquely beaded Vera Earrings create necessary jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty in India, allowing them to leave the slums and become financially independent. These intricately hand-beaded earrings feature a stunning floral mural showing off the finest craftsmanship of our Artisan Partners. Make a fair-trade fashion statement when you style these stunning earrings!

Each Hope Mail comes packaged in a handmade Sari Pouch, to create a thoughtfully curated look.

***Purchase this month’s Hope Mail, using the “Shop Here” link below to help create safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

How Much of Your Life Do YOU Control?

“… in all your ways, acknowledge Him, & He shall direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:6)

Let me ask you a question, & I want you to be really honest with yourself here: Do you really acknowledge God in ALL your ways? ALL of them?

I can’t honestly say I do that. (Far from it, in fact.)

Thinking back to the fruit of the knowledge of good & evil back in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17), I think a major reason God forbade eating from that tree is because He knew this very thing would happen to us—that we would try to become our own problem-solvers… that we would try to steer the ship of our own life… that we would try to take the place of God to BE “god” of our own lives.

Except… we’re NOT God. So, you can imagine how well that works out for us.

We Were NEVER Meant to be the One in Charge

In other words, Satan enticing Eve (Genesis 3:4-5) by telling her she would be LIKE GOD was only partially true, just as everything else he uses to try to entice us… LIKE God in taking charge of our lives… NOT like God in that ONLY God is ALL-wise, ALL-knowing, ALL-capable, ALL-powerful, outside-of-time GOD… & well, we are not ANY of those things.

We do a botch job every single time. Even when we THINK we have really hit it good this time… well, the problems in it will reveal themselves eventually, even if just in the form of those nagging little unsettled feelings we try so hard to stuff down & pretend aren’t there. But they’re there regardless of our tireless efforts to avoid, cover, numb, or excuse them away. Aren’t they?

But, God is in the business of restoration, isn’t He?

Thank GOD for that! Really… thank Him!

God Restores the Brokenness We Create

God sent JESUS, Who came WILLINGLY to die to restore us. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. (Romans 5:8)

So, back to it, then… in our little lives of playing “god,” how often do we stop & acknowledge HIM as sole holder of that position in our lives?

Do you live as a BONDSERVANT to God, as is a title often claimed by followers of Jesus throughout many Bible passages? (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; James 1:1; 2 Timothy 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:20) Do you see yourself that way? Really?

Or do you have YOUR routines, YOUR job, YOUR roles, YOUR hobbies, YOUR free time, YOUR habits, YOUR schedule, YOUR house, YOUR family, YOUR preferences, YOUR comforts, YOUR possessions, YOUR passions, YOUR dreams, YOUR ambitions… etc. etc. etc.? Who do you live to serve?

This isn’t to say those things are BAD! But do you give them more control in your life than you allow God?

We Need to Ask Ourselves

Now, let us get one thing straight right now. I am NOT talking about this today because I am the one who has gotten it all figured out. Nope, nope-ity, nope, NO.

I have so far to go in this it’s embarrassing really.

BUT, that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize how much this NEEDS to be the outlook in my life, regardless of how far I feel it being from my current reality.

Do I really acknowledge God in ALL my ways? Do I treat myself as a BONDSERVANT of GOD? Do I see this as HIM being the main character of HIS story, while I am just a supporting role vs the lead character in my life? Do I see HIM as the One Who RULES my life? Do I really consider Him to be & treat Him like He is GOD?

Do I?

Oh how convicting this thought is to me.

Which Is Scarier Though?

I understand how scary this sounds to some people… but honestly, how much scarier it is to consider someone running my life who only sees in part, only understands in part, only knows in part, is limited & frail… as I take control from the One Who made the world & everything in it & then, even before I screwed it up, sent His Son to die for MY sin. Which is the scarier option in this scenario for control over my life?

So why do we fight Him for control then? It’s something we really ought to consider. Why do we do that?

For me—fear. I’m afraid God will make me do something uncomfortable.

For me—doubt. I doubt God’s perfect will in my life.

For me—pride. I think I know best what I want.

How Sovereign Over All Is He Though?

But He MADE me. KNIT me together in my mother’s womb, He says. (Psalm 139:13-36)

He made the WORLD. WITHOUT my help. (Genesis 1)

And as I read through the Bible more & more times, I see just how SOVEREIGN & CAPABLE He really IS… DESPITE the many times the people in the stories completely mess it up & get it wrong… God IS. God’s perfect work prevails even still. His grace prevails even more so.

He sent JESUS. Do you really stop to consider the weightiness of that fact? The SON of GOD, ON HIS THRONE, robes FILLING the throne room, being worshipped audibly continuously day & night of His GLORY, MAJESTY, HOLINESS & WORTHINESS… willingly stepped down, was born on hot mess earth, with all of its sin & ugliness & pain… was lied about, slandered, hated by the very people He MADE & allows to live… was beaten, stripped, & murdered horrendously… to DIE FOR US… for US!

How can we doubt Him after that?! How can we STILL doubt Him?!?

And it didn’t all end when He died. He ROSE AGAIN, VICTORIOUS over sin & death.

He. Is. GOD.

How can we doubt Him?

Do You “Acknowledge God in ALL Your Ways”?

Do you acknowledge God in ALL your ways? Do you really?

Is He LORD of your WHOLE life? Or just some parts?

Is your life before Him about going to church on Sunday in your Sunday best, singing Christian-y songs, trying your best not to curse, saying a prayer before a meal, giving your 10% to support your church… do you do the bare minimum in living your life for Him?

Are you all in?

Do you count on Him when you’re in a bind? Stressed? Worried? Hurt? Need answers or healing?

Or does He have your WHOLE heart, your WHOLE mind, your WHOLE soul, & ALL your strength?

How much of your life do you hold back from Him for yourself?

For your job? For your family? For your routines? For your free time? For life your way?

Do you acknowledge God in ALL your ways?

Who Do You Primarily Live For?

Do you take time to acknowledge HE alone is in control, that He alone knows what’s best, that He alone sees your day before it begins, that He alone has a plan beyond & above your plans for yourself or your day…?

Whose agenda are you working for in your day-to-day life? Yours or His?

Do you think He doesn’t understand your responsibilities?

Do you think He doesn’t know your needs? That He can’t supply them like you can?

Let me tell you something: we can trust Him a whole heck of a lot more than we can ever trust ourselves.

Do you believe that?

Shine HOPE by LETTING God be GOD in your life–ALL of it, by acknowledging Him in ALL your ways, letting Him have the reins in every area, every moment of the life He gave you. You can always trust Him more than you can ever trust yourself… because He MADE you.

So, tell me… do you acknowledge God in ALL your ways…?

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Renew Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Every Renew Bracelet supports a safe house in the Dominican Republic that provides housing, education, legal services, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking. The stretch-to-fit bracelet features beautiful peach moonstone beads varying in color and a single freshwater pearl bead in the center.

***Purchase this beautiful sandy-toned/earthy handcrafted bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below to help empower women in the DR out of poverty!***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

Grace, By Definition, Is Undeserved

Being gracious does not come naturally, does it? Because, by its very nature, grace is undeserved.

Even if you may feel it not a weakness, I definitely struggle with it.

You know, if it’s something small or if I can tell nothing was meant by it, I can sometimes easily brush it off & move on… but when it was intentionally meant to hurt me or they recklessly hurt me, followed by zero remorse or compassion… yeah… not so easy for me then.

But today, I want to cover 4 people in the Bible whose demonstrated graciousness has really challenged me in this area: the slave girl, the prisoners, the betrayed brother, & the Lamb.

The Slave Girl

At church yesterday, our pastor spoke on the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-16). Naaman is described as: Commander of the king’s army, a great man in the sight of the king, highly regarded, a valiant soldier… but he had leprosy.

But we’re not here to talk about this “great man of valor.” We’re here to talk about his wife’s slave girl. She is described as: taken from her home by raiders, held captive, & now a servant of Naaman’s wife.

Now, if it were ME we were talking about, I would find out my master’s husband had leprosy which he would most likely eventually die from, & think he kind of deserved it & that maybe it could even lead toward me finding a way to be released from captivity so I could go home.

But that is not how this slave girl responded to her unfair, hurtful circumstances that dragged her away from her home & family.

She surprisingly responded with GRACE. We know this because it was HER idea to tell Naaman’s wife that a prophet of God lived in Israel & could, through God, heal him of his leprosy.

Her Grace Led to His Healing, in More Ways Than One

And guess what??! Desperate man that he was, under all of his high praise titles, he LISTENED to her & WENT. And long story short, Elisha (the said prophet of God in Israel) did not show any recognition whatsoever to Naaman’s prestige, which greatly offended Naaman… because God wanted Naaman to see that it wasn’t JUST his physical malady He wanted to heal, but his heart & soul as well… & God KNEW Naaman needed to be humbled first, to be put on the same playing field as everyone else so to speak, & reminded that at his very core, Naaman was just simply a person like everyone else.

And through the urging of his servants to look past his offended pride & anger, he did indeed follow the instructions given by Elisha & he was indeed HEALED of his leprosy… & through all of that humbling, his heart was able to recognize the glory & splendor of the God Who had healed him!

He surrendered his life to God because a slave girl saw past her unfair circumstances, looked through the lens of grace, & had compassion on her master.

Was That Grace Easy for Her? We Don’t Know…

We aren’t told what went on in that young slave girl’s heart. Maybe she wrestled with wanting to let him suffer… maybe she had to bow down her natural inclinations to allow God’s perspective to override her feelings on the matter… or maybe she abided with God so closely through talking with Him (prayer) & reading His Word (Scripture texts), that she knew already how God would will her to respond. We don’t know.

But regardless of her process to get there, respond with grace she did. And her master will be grateful for her compassion & grace into all eternity.

All because a slave girl was gracious to a man named Naaman who wasn’t at all deserving of her grace.

The Prisoners

The second challenge to my struggle with graciousness is the story of 2 men who were “stripped, beaten, & severely flogged…” & then taken to prison because they freed a slave girl from the control of a demon & it made her masters FURIOUS because her fortune-telling made them heaps of money at her expense. (Acts 16:16-34)

The response of these 2 men—Paul & Silas? … “Praying & singing hymns to God as the other prisoners listened to them.”

In the middle of the night, earthquakes SHOOK the prison & caused the prison doors to fly open & all the chains on the prisoners to be loosed!

But you know what they did? The jailor came RUSHING in, SAW all the doors wide open, drew his sword & was ready to kill himself (the punishment for losing prisoners on your watch was SEVERE)… but then, a voice calls out….

Paul shouts out: “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:28)

Their Grace Led to Hope for a Jailor & His Whole Family

The jailer was humbled to his CORE & was trembling as he asked, “What must I do to be SAVED???”

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.” (Acts 16:31-34) (WOW, it’s hard not to get choked up at that response!)

We don’t know how uncomfortable prison was for them, how wronged or hurt they felt… we know they were beaten & stripped & humiliated. And yet, they chose to worship God & trust God even in the midst of ALL THAT. And God used their time in prison & their attitude of graciousness to reach the heart of a particular jailor & his WHOLE family.

All because 2 prisoners saw beyond their uncomfortably poor circumstances & showed GRACE undeserved through it. Wow.

The Betrayed Brother

And then, this story, this betrayed brother that I have talked on so often in the past almost 7 years of doing this blog… Joseph, betrayed by his brothers. (Genesis 37-50)

They wanted to kill him, but then decided they could profit better from the situation by selling their own brother instead to passing slavers.

But you know what? Joseph, in being threatened to be killed by his brothers out of jealousy, being threatened to be abandoned to die of starvation or thirst in a hole by his brothers, being SOLD by his brothers to slavers, being bought, being accused wrongly because his new owner’s wife wanted him & he refused her honorably, being thrown in prison from false accusations, forgotten & left behind after helping someone in that prison, etc. etc. etc. The Bible says God BLESSED everything he did because he would strive always to do his best, even when it wasn’t earned by those demanding it.

What a life of GRACE he demonstrated, huh? I don’t know if I could have done it, outside of MUCH prayer & sobbing for home.

His Grace Led to Saving His Whole Family During a Time of Terrible Famine

But, in the end, God showed Joseph that what others meant for evil, God meant it for GOOD, because all of these HORRIBLE circumstances led him to be in a position of impressing the PHAROAH of Egypt so much so that this Pharaoh gave him power over his entire kingdom! AND, because of that gifted power, Joseph was in a position to provide food to his whole family when YEARS of famine struck all the land.

GOD KNEW… Joseph was faithful & gracious…. GOD PROVIDED.

(***You can read Joseph’s powerful story in Genesis 37-50. One of my FAVORITE stories. And it’s a TRUE one at that! God is so GOOD!***)

The Lamb

But then, we are at Person #4, who challenges me the most out of all 4: the Lamb.

More particularly, the Lamb of God… Jesus Christ.

Jesus is GOD. Imagine with me the ROBES that FILLED the throne room… the GLORY & MAJESTY like you can’t even begin to imagine….

And His love for US… it COMPELLED Him to step down from His heavenly throne when all of humanity’s efforts failed. The perfect garden with His presence? Wasn’t enough for us…. The 10 Commandments? Couldn’t keep ‘em. The sacrifices? Didn’t stop the sin.

So, Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice… a once-for-all type sacrifice… as the Lamb of God.

His Grace Brought Us HOPE

We sin & we sin & we sin & we sin & we have no hope. We are naturally OWNED by our sin nature.

BUT GOD. God had compassion. God showed grace. God had His ONLY Son JESUS to pay our price FOR us. And Jesus, although overwhelmed by the weight & pain of it, willingly condescended Himself on our behalf. Talk about undeserved GRACE!

Aren’t you so incredibly GLAD that God did not leave us to our own sin & deserved punishment in Hell? That He provided an OUT? That He offered HIMSELF?

The perfect Lamb. Our perfect Sacrifice. Our SAVIOR.

What Does the Bible Say About Jesus?

“Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”” (John 14:6)

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, [Jesus] Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [Jesus] shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

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

“All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.

[Jesus] was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
[Jesus] was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So [Jesus] opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6-7)

Graciousness, as Told By: The Slave Girl, the Prisoners, the Betrayed Brother, & the Lamb

Who else is challenged in the area of GRACE today?

The slave girl, the prisoners, the betrayed brother… the Lamb…. Because they were willing to extend grace undeserved, God was able to change lives through their graciousness.

Praise GOD for GRACE.

May this urge us all to live in the perspective of grace. To live beyond & above our awful, difficult, unfair circumstances….

… To see ALL circumstances of unfairness as God-appointed opportunities to be, as our pastor termed it: “Messengers of Mercy.”

Shine HOPE by living a life of graciousness in moments of unfair treatment/circumstances, so that you can live as a “Messenger of Mercy” to this broken world owned by sin, to be redeemed by God’s GRACE.

(***Read more about grace undeserved in some of my previous posts: “An Undeserved Grace,” “Living Hard Things with Grace,” “Care More About the Person Than the Hurt,” & “Just an Average Person Used by an Almighty God.”***)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Ardent Necklace-Golden (INDIA)

Create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India by purchasing the Ardent Necklace! The design of the Ardent Necklace makes it uniquely customizable, featuring its twisted cord, elegant metal finishing and an adjustable golden bead for easy wearing. This necklace is easy to pull over your head and adjust to your perfect length. The gold-tone pendant is an organically shaped pendant with a freshwater pearl.

***Use the “Shop Here” link below to purchase this beautifully handcrafted necklace & help create job opportunities for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

The Most Important Type of Surrender

Well, this is a big question, isn’t it?

I talk about surrender a lot, mainly because it is something I have seen as a necessary vein that runs through every part of our lives. But, it’s also very uncomfortable sometimes to think about, isn’t it? That’s what makes it surrender.

Surrendering to God starts with a surrendering of our sin & a surrendering of trying to live our way & a surrendering of thinking we can pay our own way to heaven, accepting that our sin is too great, our trying to live our way dishonors God & really is to our detriment, & that we could never even hope to come close to paying our own way to heaven.

That’s the first & greatest surrender of our lives. It’s a decision I made at just 5 years old & even these 36 years later, was notably the best decision I have ever made.

Be willing to pray: “God, I am a sinner. I have wronged You in so many ways. I cannot save myself. Please forgive me of my sin & please, Jesus, cover my sin. I no longer want to live my way, but Yours. Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross to cover what I could never pay. Please be LORD in my life from now on. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

(***Read more on this topic: “Have You Met Jesus?” & “Am I Going to Hell?” & “Before Life Began, God Had a Plan for Grace”***)

A Life Defined by Surrender… & That’s a Good Thing

But the surrender doesn’t end there. Yes, surrendering your life & sin in exchange for forgiveness because of Jesus is the only surrender that gains us God’s grace & forgiveness, & an eternity in heaven, but there is still so much more surrender awaiting us as we strive to live our lives pleasing & honoring to God—which ought to be our overarching, ultimate goal in life.

A life of surrender means taking our wants, our beliefs, the “even ifs,” & all of our self-effort to His throne & laying it down for His will, His way, His plan, & His help.

Surrender to God also looks like doing His way over your way. It is a trusting He knows more than you do, sees more than you can, & can fit the pieces of life together better than you could ever even attempt to do.

I Want What I Want…

We want a lot of things in life, don’t we? Whether it’s hoping to be liked & accepted by peers. Whether it’s getting your dream job. Whether it’s getting married… having kids… having a dream house. The list can literally go on forever.

But the things we want aren’t just the big things, right? They’re the little day-to-day things. Like having things go the way we feel is best, like getting a break when we want it, like being recognized for a job well done, like feeling appreciated.

But live just a little while & you will already see that we don’t always get what we want, do we? It can be easy to feel disappointed or discouraged or invisible even at different seasons of our lives.

God wants to hear about it. God wants you to tell Him all about it. God cares for you. But God also doesn’t want it to control you. He wants you to trust that He can be enough for you in its place… even if you don’t get what you so badly want.

Surrendering Our WANTS to God

So, what does surrender look like then? It looks like taking your requests to God, but trusting that if He chooses not to allow what you hope for, that you will choose to trust Him more than you trust that desire you have for whatever it is.

It’s a laying down of that thing you want, whether it’s wanting a comforting word when you got a harsh one instead… wanting a break, but getting an interruption or another task… wanting a spouse, but getting singleness… wanting recognition, but getting ignored… wanting a child, but ending up childless… wanting a good day, but getting a hard one.

Trust God’s perfect timing. Trust God’s perfect plan. Trust God’s perfect foresight. Trust God’s perfect wisdom. Trust God’s care for you in all things. Trust God’s perfect sufficiency in all things… even when you don’t get what you want.

Be willing to say to Him: “God, I want ________________ soooo badly it hurts. I feel like it’s right for me to want it. I feel I need it. I feel like I can’t be happy & live without it. But, God. I know You are sufficient in all things, even when I struggle to feel it. Help me trust Your plan, Your will, Your sufficiency. Help me not to make _____________ into my idol. Help me trust You more than my feeling I need ______________. Help me to trust YOU. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

(***There are some “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides made available if you are struggling to even WANT to pray with a heart of surrendering it to God. You can check those out on the “Resources & Recommendations” tab on my website: “Prayers of Surrender.” Currently available topics include: Childlessness, Singleness, Financial Struggles, & Depression/Anxiety.***)

What You Believe Vs. What God Says

The next common area of surrender is in what you believe to be true put up against what God says is true.

Maybe it’s identity, sexual preference, gender confusion, believing something feels too good & innocent to be sin while God says it is.

Whatever it is that you believe so intensely in your heart of hearts, that you feel you would defend to your grave… consider Who made you.

Consider Who made this world.

Consider which of you has perfect & complete knowledge, understanding, & wisdom… & which of you only sees in part.

Consider which of you has ultimate & almighty, limitless power & authority over this world.

I’ll give you a hint: It’s not me… & it’s not you either.

If We Disagree with God… We’re the Wrong Ones

A big part of surrender is taking all of your ideals, understandings, & beliefs… all of the world’s philosophies… all of culture’s whims & whimsies… all of everything… & laying that down at the King of king’s feet, recognizing that He is God… & we are not.

To say, “God, I don’t get this. THIS feels SO REAL & TRUE to me. And soooo many people AGREE WITH ME. So how can it be “wrong”? I don’t get it. I don’t like it…. But… YOU made this world… I didn’t. Help me to trust that if You made this world, then You alone know & get to determine how it was made to be… not me… & not anyone else You made either. Help me learn to trust YOUR way over what I feel so strongly about. You are God & I am not. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Surrender can be so hard sometimes, can’t it?

The “Even If” Type of Surrender… When the Storm Clouds Seem to Linger Too Long

The next piece I want to talk about, with regards to SURRENDER, is one I probably talk about the most, especially with my lifelong wrestling through different seasons of depression: it’s the “EVEN IF the hard doesn’t stop” surrender….

I talk about this one A LOT, mainly because I feel like it’s the one I struggle with most noticeably. Yes, I am sure, though more in subtle ways that are more difficult to recognize, I struggle just as much with surrendering my wants & beliefs… but this one I actually FIGHT against sometimes.

My main idol is ease, easy, & comfort. Anyone else? I do not like to struggle.

I Don’t Like It… I Don’t Want It… But God, Help Me Trust You Anyway

Lack of sleep? Sickness? Allergies? Asthma? Depression? Heartache? Struggles with others? Super typhoon? Tragedy? Physical pain? Isolation? Trials? Tribulation? Witnessing a loved one in pain? Injury? Loss? Financial struggles? Hurt from a friend? Hardships at work? Arguments at home?

Nope, nope, nope, & an extra big helping of NOPE from me.

But unfortunately, I do not get to control whether or not hardship or struggle waltzes into my (at times) calm, peaceful life.

So, when God allows it to continue, even after MUCH prayer on my part… I have the tendency to feel like God must not care that I am suffering. But the TRUTH is, He wants me to recognize that His sufficiency is not at all dependent upon everything in my life working out just so. He is quite all I need come what may.

Surrender with the “even ifs” when in pain hurts the most for me.

Hindsight Is Our Best Friend Sometimes

I can come to the understanding that what I want can be an idol & that God knows better. Like with children. I hold no grudge against God for my lack of children. He has shown me He has a different plan for me than that. I have accepted it. I love it actually, because I get to pour into other peoples’ lives more regularly because of it—which is what I absolutely love to do. (Previous post: “To the Barren Woman.”)

And beliefs? I can accept that despite strongly believing it… well, I am not God.

Like when I struggled as a huge flirt when I was younger, thinking that was the only way I could make friends being the chubster I felt I was. Believing SO STRONGLY that it was “just who I was.” But when I finally realized GOD made me, so GOD ALONE got to determine HOW He made me, I turned that over to Him in surrender & asked for His way over my way. And He did. Thank GOD for that freedom.

(Previous post: “…Trusting God, Losing Friends, & Finding Myself”; “…God Made Me, I Didn’t”.)

“Just Take the Pain Away…”

But hurts not quitting? Pain extending? Troubles abounding & flourishing? Waters & waves crashing around me figuratively? People refusing reconciliation? Isolation worsening versus improving? Seeing someone I love continue to suffer?

No, no NO. Just take the pain away.

I don’t want it. I want it GONE ASAP. I don’t want to surrender. I want it to stop.

But, again, that is the very reason it is called “SURRENDER,” isn’t it? A laying down of demanding you get it your way & trusting God above anything & all else.

To say, “God, Your ways are above my ways. Your wisdom is above my wisdom. Everything You do & everything You allow is ALWAYS, 100% for my good AND Your glory… never one without the other. You NEVER waste my pain & struggles. Not once. Help remind me. I believe, LORD, help my unbelief. Help me keeps my head above the waves. Be my strength when I have none. Be my sufficiency when I can’t even hold myself up. Help me remember You are enough… that You love me… that Your plan is perfect… EVEN IF. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

LIVING As If I Need Him… Because I DO

And then there’s one area of surrender I think we all often are too quick to forget… the need to surrender to His help.

Self-effort seems like the most Christian, God-honoring thing we can do, but it is laced with the lie that God needs our help.

That to please Him, we must try harder, be better, work more. But He doesn’t need our help.

When God asks of us, He asks of us knowing He is the Vine… aka He is the supply. He enables. He strengthens. He gifts us with what we need. He provides. He leads. He knows what to do & how to best do it.

He doesn’t need your help.

Whether it’s following His call or whether it’s in the day-to-day obedience of living the ways He says we ought—having His Word ever on our lips, meditating on His truth, serving & loving others (even our enemies), speaking truth in love. It doesn’t matter what it is. He can help you live it if you are willing to surrender to His help.

It Takes Abiding. He Is the Vine, We Are the Branches… Apart from Him, We Can Do Nothing

It takes an ABIDING in Him. If we are submitting to Him, talking with Him, taking concerns to Him, seeking His wisdom, getting to know His Word, & trusting Him evermore every day… that is abiding in Him, & as we abide in Him, He supplies what He calls us to as we rely fully on Him in the work.

It doesn’t mean a not doing. It means letting Him do the leading, the equipping, & the empowering. HE does the work to help you as you live for Him, as you abide in Him.

It’s like living through life with Superman as your best friend & striving & straining what Superman could do with just his pinky finger. And God is so much more powerful than he! We need to live like that’s true!

God’s All-Sufficient Role in Our Growth Can Make Us Feel Ashamed… But Jesus Paid for That, Too

I have gotten annoyed/uncomfortable responses to this discussion, & I get it because I have felt it. It takes ALL excuses out of the equation when we begin recognizing God is the answer & sufficiency in ALL of our lack that has kept us from daily &/or big obediences… & it can make us feel like we failed God in our shortcomings by not going to Him through ALL of them.

But God gives grace upon grace. Jesus already paid for your past, present, & future. There is now no condemnation because of Jesus. There is no shaming because Jesus takes our shame. There is only failing forward now. Because you will still get it wrong sometimes. I have 36 years of proof of that.

But, are you willing to stop avoiding, stop neglecting, stop excusing inactivity to surrender to His help? Or is it more comfortable to have an excuse to fall back on when you mess it up?

To say: “Lord, I am awful at obeying with ________________, because I feel like I’m lacking in ______________, but if it’s something that honors & pleases You, I can be fully assured that You WILL help me if I am willing to ask of You. So please help me to be willing to ask You & to trust You can help me if I am willing. I don’t want to give up or settle based on my own shortcomings. I want to trust that You’ve got what I don’t… that You can do what I can’t… That You know & see & understand it all where I don’t. Forgive me for any area of lacking obedience that I have excused because it felt too hard for me, forgetting nothing is too hard for You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

(Previous post: “Self-Empowerment or Self-Surrender?”; “How to Do the Things We Know We Should Do but Just Can’t”; “…God Can Help Us Obey Him”)

5 Areas of Surrender-What Does Surrender to God Look Like?

So, of these 5 areas of surrender, which area are you struggling to surrender in your own life?

What does surrender to God look like? Do you need to surrender: Something you want? Something you believe? An “even if”? Avoiding something or doing something yourself, forgetting He can supply? Or maybe the best surrender imaginable: turning your sin over to Him for forgiveness through Jesus Christ?

Trust He really is enough. Trust He really can sustain you. Trust His care for you is really real. Trust Him even in the even if. Trust He can help you where you lack. Trust Jesus.

Shine HOPE by choosing to surrender. By living a life of surrender, in every way imaginable. Because He’s worth it. Every single time. He’s worth it.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Defender Necklace (INDIA)

For every Defender Necklace purchased, a baby bottle of formula is donated for an orphaned elephant in Kenya! Wear this necklace knowing your purchase made a difference! Each Defender Necklace has a silver-tone chain and a gold-tone charm with the image of an elephant on it.

***Purchase this necklace, using the “Shop Here” link below to help create safe jobs for women ending poverty cycles in India and vital care for a baby elephant.***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

Anyone Else Wrestle with Regular Plaguing Doubts?

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

From an early age, I struggled with doubts. I grew up trusting in Jesus, but the obviousness of it didn’t seem to click with so many people I respected & cared for, so it didn’t make sense to me why that was.

Honestly, I think another part of the doubting was the good ‘ol sin nature we are all born with. My inclination was to self-seek, & with a “take up your cross & follow Me” mandate in the Bible… well, the two don’t exactly mesh well.

As I was reminded in my devotional time this morning, working through one of my longtime favorite studies—“Lies Women Believe, & the Truth That Sets Them Free,” by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Romans 7 tells us Paul had the exact same type of struggle: spirit vs flesh, wanting to obey God, but tempted toward wrong.

(***You can find the link to the “Lies Women Believe” book/study on my Resources & Recommendations page, under “Bible Studies,” located: here.***)

But, regardless of its source, the doubts were strong in me. I wanted proof, evidence, if you will, about what was true.

Muddied by the World’s Worldly Perspective

I really do think that not all of my doubts were born out of a desire to prove them wrong so I could live the way I wanted without guilt… Some were genuinely just confusion born out of the overt confidence of the alternative from people I loved & respected. I was being influenced.

“For thus says the Lord,
Who created the heavens,
Who is God,
Who formed the earth and made it,
Who has established it,
Who did not create it in vain,
Who formed it to be inhabited:
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:18)

And, seeing as how only one side could actually BE correct: Only One TRUE God (Isaiah 45:18; John 14:6) vs “many ways to heaven,” & seeing as how both sides were believed by & preached by humans… coupled with the fun little phrase of “to err is human,” well, I wasn’t quite sure how to prove one over the other… even to myself.

I mean, deep down, I knew I was set free from my sin because of Jesus, but then I let the satan lure me into doubting God just as satan did with Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:1-6)

“I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)

The Dizzying Loop of Doubting

And most all of my life, as soon as I read something in the Bible that made ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE with how I understood the world, or it went COMPLETELY against what I “knew” to be true about life… well, that threw me for a dizzying loop every single time. It was EXHAUSTING.

I used to pray SO OFTEN that God would clear me of & free me from my plaguing doubts, the poison that kept finding its way back into my heart, muddling the simple faith I had over & over again.

***Well, spoiler alert: He DID answer that prayer & in a MAJOR way. You can read all about that in my previous blog posts: “…Trusting Like a Child… Until the Doubts Began,“ “…The Dungeon of Depression-A Journey to Truth,” as well as my most recent retelling: “…The Doubts I Let Take Over,” & “…Losing My Battle with Depression.” ***

One of My Favorite Verses-“Lord, I Believe… Help My Unbelief”

But honestly, in the frailty of my faith, one little verse was like a beacon of hope to me. It was one I repeated more often than I can count. One that kept comforting the whirlwind of confusion & doubts in my heart: “Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)

WOW. What a powerful prayer!

To me, this summed up the entirety of my inner struggle!

Deep down, I KNEW that God was it & that Jesus saved me as I had so easily accepted at 5 years old. I GREW UP knowing that in my heart.

But the hurts & cares of the world, the differing beliefs from others, & satan’s craftiness was working to tear the ground out from under me at every turn.

And so, I kept coming back to this prayer: “Lord, I BELIEVE. Help my unbelief!”

I Knew & Yet I Doubted

I KNEW & yet I DOUBTED. I didn’t know how to reconcile those two things. But I knew God was the One to help me get it sorted. & boy, did He ever.

“You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

He wants to be found. He wants to be known. He wants you to be SURE, STEADY, & CONFIDENT in HIM.

I love a little chart I see pop up from time to time. On one side, it lists things that satan does: rushes you, confuses you, shames you, lies to you, hurts you, worries you….

And on the other side of the chart, it contrasts all those things with how God interacts with us: He calms us, He steadies us, He forgives us, He convicts our hearts to come back to Him vs away from Him, He tells us the truth, He settles us, He heals us, He gives His peace to us, He protects us, He leads us.

If you have already accepted Jesus’ sacrifice as covering for your sin, God doesn’t even need to guilt you, because He knows your wrongs are already covered by the blood of Jesus—THANK GOD! But He beckons us always to come back to Him when we have done wrong, to seek His help to lead us better than we lead ourselves.

God’s Way Is Always Perfection… Even When We Don’t Get It

Do you have little nagging doubts? Or big ones maybe?

Do you maybe read something in the Bible that just rubs you the wrong way & you don’t know how to reconcile that?

I still remember reading all the passed judgments (aka VIOLENCE) from God in the Old Testament, even against sins we consider as so small—like COMPLAINING, & thinking, “God, from a PR standpoint, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING INCLUDING THIS IN THE BIBLE!?!? It makes you look cruel & violent & short-tempered! Couldn’t You have left that out? You look so CRUEL. I don’t understand.”

But then, when I continued praying over the unrest that I felt reading about this cruelty over even “little sins,” I felt God whisper an answer over my heart that I both didn’t expect & that convicted my heart in how easily I justify my “little” sins, “I needed to show how wicked sin really is, the severity of it, & why Jesus needed to die for it.”

It’s not that God is this tyrannical God. It’s that we all too often WAY underestimate the wretchedness of our own sin! PRAISE GOD FOR JESUS’ LOVING SACRIFICE!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

God Sees You, God Is Near You, & God Cares for You

Do you feel He has forgotten you or is up in heaven laughing, or for whatever reason, worry you maybe can’t trust Him?

I began to believe this one as well. I thought maybe He was real, but not present. I doubted His presence & care for me personally in my life.

But God cleared this one up for me real good, as seen in the extra blog posts I tagged for you previously.

If we seek Him with all of our heart, we WILL find Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29)

That’s why variations of this little quote God put on my heart has been ringing beautifully in my heart for years now, as a reminder, “Everything God does, everything God commands, everything God allows, is ALWAYS, 100% for BOTH His glory AND my good. ALWAYS, even when I can’t yet see it, even when things stay hard, even when I don’t understand. ALWAYS.”

Don’t Let Satan Fool or Lure You Away from the ONLY Place You Will Find Lasting, REAL Hope

But maybe you’re not there yet. Maybe you can’t see it yet. Maybe the cares/hurts of this world, the “problematic” Bible verse, the opinions of others you love & respect, the lies of satan, or even your own sinful nature/drive have driven doubts about God into your heart & you just don’t know how to ever get rid of them.

Ask… it will be given. Seek… you will find. Knock… the door will be opened to you. (Luke 11:9-13; Matthew 7:7-11)

“But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Deuteronomy 4:29)

“The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. “I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11)

The Beautiful Wrecking Ball

God may wreck your world, as He did mine. But it will be the most beautiful wrecking you could never imagine, like renovating a building by first taking a wrecking ball into it. Painful, messy, not the slightest bit enjoyable… but when it’s done, & the dust settles, & the renovation is complete… chills will cover you, awe will fill your heart, & humble, repentant PEACE will fill your every inch.

He knows what He’s doing. He knows what needs to be done, & He loves you enough to do it… like how resetting a bone may hurt, but is necessary & much better than leaving you as is.

But sometimes it starts just with a meager, uncertain, simple, whispered prayer: “LORD, I believe. Help my unbelief.”

If you’re living the whirlwind torment of doubts plaguing your life… maybe you are holding onto faith by a thread or maybe you have already walked away. God will show you the way back… if you’re willing to trust Him for the way, the truth, & the life… through Jesus Christ alone.

Shine HOPE by taking every doubt to the God Who already knows them anyway, being honest with Him about them, & by asking for His peace to know how to trust Him still, even in the doubts brought on by satan’s lies, our sinful flesh, opinions of others we care for & respect, & the hurts/cares of this world… by saying with me in those moments, “LORD, I believe. Help my unbelief.”

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Ardent Earrings-Golden (INDIA)

Create dignified jobs for women leaving the slums of India when you shop these elegant Ardent Earrings. Featuring a gold-tone ellipse oval shape with a freshwater pearl dangling, these lightweight earrings are classic and timeless. Perfect for everyday wear, the Ardent Earrings create lasting change for families in India.

***Purchase the beautiful golden Ardent Earrings, using the “Shop Here” link below, to help empower women in INDIA out of poverty!***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!

Are You Living It or Just Rehearsing It?

A trend I have noticed over the past decade has brought me to an interesting topic I’d like us to discuss this week: that quoting Scripture is not the same as living Scripture.

Maybe you’re pretty good at trying to memorize God’s Word, the Bible, tucking His truth away in your heart on a regular basis—that is amazing!

We need God’s Word. In fact, the Bible says we ought to crave it as newborn babies crave milk. (If you’ve had kids, you know the desperation.) (1 Peter 2:2)

We also ought to consider God’s Word to be necessary nourishment for our soul. (Jeremiah 15:16; Matthew 4:4) Like, we will be malnourished followers of Jesus without it. I have seen this, too, because I used to think I was “just fine” without it (other than the occasional applicable, quotable verse or passage), but boy did I realize how much I had been missing when I did eventually make it a daily habit. I hadn’t even realized how spiritually malnourished I had been most of my life before that habit was installed into my daily routine.

(*Oh, & just to get this out of the way first thing, all added emphasis in verse quotes are mine.*)

Not Just Hearers, But Doers… Is Not JUST What You Think It Means…

But, in James, there is an interesting little verse there that warns us not to be just hearers (or readers) of the Bible, but also DOERS. (James 1:22)

Now, most of my life, I thought that just merely meant the general idea of obedience or loving/serving others type thing… but how often is the reality of this necessitated command also so much more subtle than that? As in, not just the “big” things, but ALL things. Let’s consider that a moment.

Do We Actually “Cast Our Cares”? Or Just Remind Ourselves We Ought To?

How often do we quote: “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you,” (1 Peter 5:7) for example? That’s a GREAT verse! But, when you are struggling with many “cares,” do you simply rehearse this verse in your heart until you feel better, reminding yourself of His care for you… or do you actually DO what this verse is TELLING YOU TO DO—CASTING those cares ON HIM?

Do you rehearse the verse FIRST & THEN take a moment to prayer dump all of your cares at His feet, asking Him to help you trust He can take care of them better than you can & asking for His help in them? Do you indeed cast those cares on Him or just rehearse the verse-truth that you OUGHT to do that?

Do You Actually “Acknowledge Him in All Things”? Or Just Remind Yourself That You Ought To?

Or, here is another one I am guilty of, for sure. “Lean not on your own understanding… but in all your ways, acknowledge Him & He shall direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Nice truth to quote, for sure. We need this reminder every day, don’t we? I do.

But do we take it from rehearsing the verse to LIVING this verse? Reminding yourself through it that you ought to take all you think you know to Him & say, “God, You are God. I am not. Please guide me. Give me wisdom here. Not my way, but Yours. Not my will, but Yours. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Do We Lean into Him for Strength? Or Just Recite How We Ought To?

Then, the often-lacking-context verse of: “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13) which is MEANT to say that whether you have plenty or lack or whatever situation God allows you to face, He can be your strength through it. (NOT that whatever YOU want out of life YOU will get WITH His help… if you trust Jesus to give you strength—no—He is not your wish-granter. He is GOD.)

When God brings you through tough circumstances, whether it be poverty or the temptation to trust yourself in wealth, or sickness or anything, do you really trust Him to BE your strength when you have none on your own?

He Is Your Refuge & Strength & Very Present Help in Time of Need… Do You Quote It or Live It?

The Bible also says He IS our refuge & our strength, a very present help in time of need. (Psalm 46:1)

Do you quote that or live that? Do you slump into Him when you are weary & beaten… when sickness or injury has taken you down… to trust Him AS your strength, *even if* He doesn’t allow YOURS to return to you?

I struggle always wanting to pray AWAY the struggles, but sometimes the struggles remain. And I really believe that oftentimes, it’s because God wants me to remember again that He is enough even when I see I am not. Even if things DON’T get better.

Will I trust Him to truly be my refuge? To be my strength? To be my very present help in time of need? To move forward through it asking God to be my strength, knowing as I pray that He will?

Or do I just rehearse the verses that say so, in place of actively leaning into Him in it, as if it is the Truth that it actually is?

Give Thanks to God in All Circumstances… the Call to Worship… the Call to Praise… Quoted or Completed?

Or what about all the many verses that remind us of the importance of giving thanks to God? Of worshipping & praising Him? Do we recite those over & over? Or actually DO AS IT SAYS? Do we recite the verse AND THEN list out what we know we can thank Him for? Recite it & THEN actually take some time to lift Him up in worship & in praise?

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
    for His steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (Psalm 7:17)

“… in everything give thanks [to God]; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Are we actually taking time TO thank Him? TO praise Him? TO worship & adore? Quoting Scripture is not the same thing as living Scripture.

The Bible Isn’t Just Any Book

Now, if you don’t know enough verses to be able to rehearse them to yourself as the Holy Spirit brings back to mind what you have learned when you need it… that is definitely a first step. You NEED His Word—it’s a non-negotiable to prevent malnourishment.

Tuck that truth in your heart so when Satan, in all of his subtle, crafty deception tries to come at you with whacks of discouragement, betrayal, hurt, temptation, etc., that the Holy Spirit can pop in one of those verses you have studied & you can stand FIRM on the TRUTH.

It’s way too easy to be deceived for us to not be equipping ourselves with God’s Word in our heart. I know from personal experience. Jesus-believer/follower for 35 years & I STILL find myself falling for it. BE PREPARED.

God’s Word Is MORE

But don’t leave it there. Don’t stop at the knowing. Don’t even stop at obeying God on the “big” things through His Word… God’s Word is not just encouraging advice, guys. It is TRUTH.

So don’t just be content quoting it, reminding yourself of what God can do as encouragement during tough times. DO WHAT THE VERSE SAYS TO DO.

Can you think of any other examples of this? Of being quick to repeatedly rehearse a verse while never actually doing what the verse says we ought to do?

Quoting Scripture Is Not the Same Thing as Living Scripture

CAST those cares.

ACKNOWLEDGE Him.

ASK for His strength to follow Him.

TRUST Him to BE your strength when you have none.

THANK Him.

PRAISE Him.

WORSHIP Him.

Don’t just TALK about it, reminding yourself of what the Bible says to do. Actually DO what the Bible says to do.

Shine HOPE by LIVING the Word of God, even in the simple verses that are so easy & encouraging to quote that we sometimes forget to move beyond quoting it to actually LIVING it.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Kairo (Lava Bead) Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Each stretch-to-fit Kairo Bracelet features a striking combination of grounding black lava beads, warm brown wooden beads, and a dainty gold accent bead at its center. The natural textures and earthy tones make it a versatile piece for any style. Pair it with the Katie Bracelet for a complete fair-trade look — both meaningful and timeless!

***Purchase this beautiful bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below, to support a safe house in the Dominican Republic, providing education, legal services, safe housing, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking. Empower women on their journey to healing and restoration!***

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

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

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 living for His glory in all that you do!