God Is Greater Still

God is so patient with us, isn’t He? And so humble about it.

Of anyone, He alone has full right to be arrogant, & yet… His character can be defined by the purest humility.

How He (Jesus) willingly left the glories of Heaven to be born as a man, in all of our fleshly-ness, & be rejected by those He created… to be beaten & killed by them… to serve them. What a wonderful God we serve.

He loved me when I rejected Him. He died for me while I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8).

And yes, I get that He died many years before I was born, but the fact remains that He did it for me, it was finished & made available to me before I even accepted it.

His love came first.

His Love Secures

And He didn’t stay dead. He rose again, victorious over that sin of mine. He paid in FULL.

Because of that–all of my falling short… I can be assured is paid for already, too.

I miss the mark every day. I fall short every day. I am not unaware of my many shortcomings & even failures.

But He gave His life for that, so I could live in & claim freedom despite my sinful flesh ever-screaming for control in my life.

His love secures.

Keep My Focus

I can’t tell you how often I am tempted to live as pleasing to men (humanity)… to look better according to what they seem to believe I should be like… to fit the mold better.

I will say that even on my darkest days, where heaviness rests on me like a wet, weighted blanket… I can feel God holding my hand in it & through it. I can see He is at work, even though I can’t sometimes see the work. I can feel secure when my life doesn’t feel secure. I can feel grounded when the ground seems to crumble beneath me.

Because my hope is not secured to things going my way, to me feeling emotionally stable, to me feeling like my world is going right.

My hope is secured to the One Who loved me before I knew to love Him.

I Don’t Enjoy Pain, but I Can Rest in the One Who Holds Me through It

Do I selfishly long for the pain to stop on my hard days? Do I selfishly wish I never had to feel weak ever again? Oh, certainly YES!

But I am human. I can expect to feel weak... to come to the end of myself.

But His mercies are new every morning. He keeps showing up. His sufficiency remains when mine depletes.

I want so desperately to rely on my storehouse, my provision, what I can SEE. I want to feel in control.

My Daily Sufficiency–His Mercies Are New Every Morning

And sometimes I feel like the Israelites in the desert, craving to take in more than what God provides each day so I can rely on MYSELF.

But God wants me to see that I don’t need that flimsy hope… That it is just a mirage anyway. That I can’t (& don’t need to) depend on myself as my hope.

His daily bread supplies my need. His new-every-morning mercies supply my need.

I don’t need to feel strong, but to rely on HIS strength to supply my need.

I don’t need to feel liked or approved or seen, but to fix my focus on living to please & honor HIM.

His mercies are new every morning.

A Foggy Brain… But a Sufficient God

Last week, I talked about what I have learned working in prison ministry… how I am on the schedule now to teach this new segment on God’s JUSTICE. (Read that post: “Us vs. Them? What I’ve Learned in Prison Ministry.”)

Well, I have been practicing my lesson (& more importantly, PRAYING over it) since August, when I had the potential to begin teaching. And now it is NOVEMBER. (We have to remain flexible with prison ministry because sometimes they’re all-hands-on-deck & cannot accommodate us coming or weather prevents it, & so on.)

So, lots of months preparing for, praying over, & practicing one lesson… just in case… but when I went to finally teach it this past Thursday, my mind was foggy & tired after a very long & hectic day.

My Preparations Failed Me… But He Didn’t

Worried I couldn’t quite find my words like I had practiced so much already, I wondered how I was going to get through it successfully & was feeling disheartened that my much practice was seeming insufficient in my time of tired brain.

So, I prayed about it. I asked God to tell me what to do… how to get through it. And I also prayed: “God, if part of Your plan is to show me as fumbling & ill-prepared despite my MONTHS of preparation because You want to show Yourself somehow through my weakness… then so be it. Just let me be faithful to Your plan in this, even if it ends up making ME look bad. AMEN.”

I don’t know how it appeared to them, but to me, my brain fog seemed to get in the way. And that’s okay. God doesn’t need me to be perfect. He needs me to show up & do my best & let HIM take care of the rest.

Because really, it’s not about ME looking good—but about bringing HIM glory.

Let Him be Seen in Your Weakness

And sometimes, in our weakness, others can see—“oh, maybe her life isn’t all perfect & maybe she’s not doing this because she’s so great at it… maybe she chose to do this not for THOSE reasons but because this is really important to her to share about this God… this JESUS.”

I don’t know… I’m just speculating… but I know that even if I don’t come off as all that great… my job is not to come off as all that great anyway. My job is to show how great HE is… not me.

His love for them matters more than how good I look telling them about it.

I want to be willing to look a fool, to show Him as my supply, as my sufficiency, as my HOPE. To show it’s all Him.

Do You Know JESUS? Do You Promote Him or Yourself as Your Sufficiency with Your Actions?

Where in your life are you desperately feeling the need to LOOK LIKE you have it all together? To LOOK LIKE your life is swell at all times versus promoting God as your sufficiency in your lack? To rely on YOUR storehouse versus God’s provision?

And do you know Jesus? Because He is the key. God says, in the Bible, that Jesus is THE way, THE truth, & THE life… & that NO ONE comes to God except through HIM (John 14:6).

Are you praying & feeling unheard? Are you wanting peace that never comes? Are you wishing you felt hope secured but your life always feels unsteady? You need to know Jesus. He is the KEY.

He ALONE can make you right with God because He ALONE can pay your debt for your shortcomings before God. Do you know Jesus? Do you promote HIM as your hope?

Shine HOPE by being willing to look a fool for Him… by showing up & pointing to Him, even if you don’t feel you look your best… by letting His glory shine through the cracks of your imperfections… & by allowing Him to be your daily sufficiency in all things.

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!!

White Doodle Ornament (NEPAL)

HOLIDAY EDITION – While supplies last–(also available in red & black doggos)! Create safe jobs with fair wages for the women in Nepal who handcraft the White Doodle Ornament through this dignified partnership. Adorn your Christmas tree with an adorable White Doodle Pup crafted using 100% wool and traditional wool crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations.

(***Purchase this cute handmade ornament, using the “Shop Here” link below & empower women in Nepal 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!

God, Where Do You Want Me to Serve?

Last year, I prayed over where God wanted me to plug in & serve at our church. I remember the wise words of a former Sunday morning class teacher, who said that it’s sometimes a good idea to serve somewhere completely out of your comfort zone, because it forces you to rely on God’s leading & help instead of your own confidence, comfort, &/or expertise. Stretch your faith a little.

So, I try to make a habit of praying where God wants me to serve instead of only focusing on those things I love to do—ie. leading ladies’ Bible studies, accountability, discipleship & such.

Well, God’s answer came as a little bit of surprise to me—PRISON MINISTRY.

How WilI Relate to Them?

I know that the Bible talks about remembering prisoners as if in chains with them. (Hebrews 13:3) (Which is a verse our guest speaker at church this morning actually referenced!) And, while I believe this specific verse is maybe referencing fellow Christians who may have been imprisoned for their faith… I think the Bible makes it clear enough throughout that we’re supposed to be generous in our love toward others, even those we feel may not deserve it.

But to me, it seemed a little intimidating as the “unknowns” of going into a prison were daunting.

How could I possibly relate to them? How would I know what to say? What if they asked something I didn’t know how to answer? Was it scary there? Would I be in danger?

I think especially as a woman, we’re often taught a sometimes more than healthy fear of danger from childhood—”Keep a key between 2 fingers in case someone tries to attack,” “Check the back seat before getting in your car,” “Pretend you’re on the phone if you think someone is creeping on you….” “Don’t talk to strangers.” You get the idea.

Without much consideration, I developed a fear of people different than me… especially if they were of the criminal variety.

Would I Have Done Differently?

But, one Sunday, the story of the “good Samaritan” was presented (Luke 10:25-37), & in the mentioning of the religious person moving to the other side of the road upon seeing the bloodied & beaten-up man on the side of the road who had been robbed & left for dead… I couldn’t say I would react any differently. See danger… avoid danger.

But that man was left for dead. He needed HELP. He needed someone to have the courage-through-their-fear to see him & help him.

And I probably would not have. “Don’t talk to strangers.” “What if the robbers are nearby still?” “What if this man was the attacker who got “what he deserved” & would come for me if I tried to help him?”

But then, that Samaritan man, a man whose culture screamed to avoid those of the beaten man’s culture, crossed the cultural barrier taboo & just saw a man hurting & in need of HELP. So, he HELPED.

An “us versus them” scenario & instead that generous & kind man looked past all that to seeing someone just needing HELP... so he HELPED.

Only One Thing Separates Us… Only One… & His Name Is JESUS

And back to prison ministry… “us versus them”? Criminals versus non-criminals? Stay away from “those” people?

But what is it that separates us from “those” people? Me from “them”?

Jesus.

That’s it. Jesus. That is the only thing separating us.

I heard from a pastor years ago that without Jesus, we are all just as prone to the worst of sins as anyone else.

Think of so many of the revered men of the Bible with many wives, disobeying God’s one-man, one-woman command. Think of David not only sleeping with another man’s wife, but ALSO having her husband killed when the man was too honorable to sleep with his wife while his comrades were still on the battlefield… aka David’s planned coverup scheme failed (2 Samuel 11-12). Think of Rebecca tricking her husband so her preferred son could get his father’s family blessing instead of his brother (Genesis 27). Think of Paul not giving John Mark another chance when Barnabas suggested it, even though it was because of Barnabas’ suggestion that gave PAUL a second chance (Acts 15:37-39; Acts 9:26-27).

We are ALL just as prone to wander, to sin, to think we can do it our way or find a loophole or justify it… to be “them.” Because, when we take our eyes off Jesus, we are just as human as “they” are.

There is no us versus them. We are all sinful flesh in need of our Savior—Jesus Christ.

We’re All Just People in Need of Jesus

And God was convicting my heart of this illusion I had developed. He was calling me to see them as just as much people as anyone else–people in need of Jesus.

So, I joined prison ministry. I’ve been doing it for a little over a year now. And I’m glad I did.

Are there some ladies who join us that seem to maybe consider it their penance to somehow just alleviate their guilt? Sure.

Are there some ladies who might think as long as they say “sorry,” they’re “all good”? Yes, probably.

But are there some who seem to GET it? Who come & soak it up? Who cry because they relate to the song of brokenness we may sing, lifting up that there is hope when we come to Jesus? Who have accepted & believed on Jesus & are now using their sentence to draw closer to Him, as if in incubation before release, trying to learn as much as they can & sharing it with their families when they get visits? YES.

God is at WORK.

And I am not saying I can judge each heart rightly, & it’s not my job to do so. My job is to be faithful to the task, to seek to honor & please God… to sow the seeds & let God handle the rest.

Where Can God Stretch You?

Where can you get involved that feels out of YOUR comfort zone… an area God can use to stretch your faith, to draw ever nearer to Him & lean further away from reliance on yourself?

Maybe prison ministry? Nursing homes to read poetry or Scripture or play board games? Visitation at hospitals to paint nails or bring balloons or something to bring cheer? Writing a prayer for a widow & sending it to her? Baby-sitting for a young couple or single mom?

Where can you show the love of Jesus to someone hurting for it? Hurting for hope….

Each Thursday, I join a group of college girls & several other adult women & we sign in, walk to the gate, are let in, have our stuff inspected with a simple pat-down, assembly-line hug each of the ladies who show up greeting them with a smile & a  “hello, thank you for coming, so good to see you,” have someone pray, sing some worship songs, & then someone leads us in a lesson—we sometimes end it by breaking up into small groups & praying together.

It’s not as intimidating as it feels at first. And God supplies where it is.

Spiritual Warfare & How God Helps Us March Onward

And, I would like to also add that doing prison ministry & breaking the “us versus them” barrier WILL bring spiritual warfare. I spent my first maybe SIX MONTHS feeling extremely tired, stressed, &/or just an overall “I just want to go home & be in pjs—I don’t WANT to GO…!” But would always go anyway & never ONCE regretted it.

Then… I started being proactive in praying for my will to change & for resistance to lessen… & repenting of my bad attitude… & God helped with just that! Now I hardly ever feel resistance to going. It’s always a blessing.

God is at WORK.

Us Vs. Them? What I’ve Learned in Prison Ministry

So, I ask again—where can you serve… even including those areas you don’t think you would at all be good at or enjoy? Letting GOD pick….

Shine HOPE by erasing the “us versus them” mentality, seeing everyone different from us as a fellow person whom Jesus died to save… as a person who needs Jesus just as much as you do.

And please… remember to pray for me, as I have the honor of leading the lessons at prison ministry over the next couple coming months–& we will be covering the topic of God’s character trait of JUSTICE–Right words, open hearts, lives changed for God’s glory. Amen!

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for SIX 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!!

November 2024 “Hope Mail” Set (NEPAL & INDIA)

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of November! Subscribe today to send or receive a Hope Mail package every month!          

Enjoy free shipping on your November Hope Mail package that includes the exclusive Gingerbread Ornament, Merriment Bracelet from India and the Present Sticker!

***Purchase this handmade set, using the “Shop Here” link below & empower women in India & Nepal 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!

My Ways Are Not God’s Ways

I had a plan for my blog today. I have been writing & editing in my head a lot of today, preparing for the time when I would sit down & let the words flow as I typed them out for you. But then… I go to do it & nothing is coming out quite right. Everything is falling flat. It all feels forced, like it’s not what God has for me to say today & yet I am trying to make it happen anyway.

So, here I am… an hour later… starting over with no plan.

Well, God, what do You have for me to say today?

A Trigger I Didn’t See Coming

I have been attending the Monday evening ladies Bible Study at my church—which I need to leave for in a little over an hour as I sit with this almost blank page in front of me now & a blog post deadline in 3.5 hours.

The topic of this Bible Study has been “Emotions“—& to be honest, I have been tempted to just stop attending—not because I think I know everything on this topic & therefore don’t need help with this… quite the contrary—but because I have felt it sometimes over-simplifies the topic maybe in a way that triggers me, quite frankly.

Why does it trigger me, you might ask…. Because of the large amount of negative responses I have received in my lifetime dealing with my own personal big emotions. People have not always seemed to respond well to them, unless of course, the emotions felt “understandable.”

As per my last blog post: “Why Are Deep Emotions So Often Equated with “Being Emotional,” you can probably see it has stirred some frustrations in me. But it has also given me a newfound confidence I haven’t really known before—embracing my lifelong, “sometimes feels like a curse, but now realize the true bring-me-to-Jesus-reminder blessing it can be”—“emotional-ness.”

There Is a Difference

The book just honestly reminds me of some naivety I had after my time with deep depression for 2 years back in high school. Almost a high, if you will, of “this happened to me, but God taught me through it & now I’m all good as long as I can hold on to this thing I learned!” As if… fix it & you won’t have to feel hard feelings anymore–maybe that’s not what she intended… but you have to be careful of where the line is drawn between addressing the emotions themselves & the idea of allowing them to be used as an excuse for sin–because there is a difference. Emotions don’t equal sin.

Now, sometimes she does distinguish between emotions & the spirals that can potentially follow, but a lot of times it just seems to lump all together as just emotions seeming to almost be the enemy–which, they aren’t.

Hence last week’s topic.

I Want to Allow Myself Permission to be Emotional

You know, being emotional can actually be a really beautiful thing. Aside from it serving as a prodding reminder of my very real & constant need for something outside of myself–AKA Jesus, it also allows me to more fully engage with the world around me, to soak it up & to experience it more vividly.

But it can also be uncomfortable… & make other people feel uncomfortable. And because of this, I learned to hide my emotions… to pretend… to feel them when I am alone only… to never let people see me cry.

But now, I look at someone break down in tears & fall into the embrace of someone they love & trust, willing to be vulnerable & weak with someone whom they know cares for them & I just think—“I want to have the courage to believe someone would let me do that, without judgment & not have to feel it alone.”

Emotions Aren’t the Enemy–Our Wrong Responses Are

Emotions have long been made out to be the bad guy. I hear things like, “you are always so emotional…” “stop being so dramatic…” etc. But feeling deeply is not wrong–unless used as an excuse for wrong.

I get that some people may use strong emotions because they’re starving for attention & that’s the only way they know how to get it. I know that some people may decide it’s easier to trust Satan’s lies & move further away from God & deeper into a spiral. I know some people will lash out at others & blame “that time of the month” as an excuse. But emotions don’t MAKE you do those things… You have a choice in how you respond to your emotions–even though your right response may not guarantee said emotions away.

Sometimes I Feel When I Feel I Have No Real Reason to Feel

I’m asked why oh why do I feel so strongly about something that’s not even really that big of a deal… & sometimes… I feel deep heaviness on my heart with no recognizable reason to offer as good reason for it.

I have had times, even without the extra time-of-the-month hormones at work, where I feel deep heavy sadness almost… like a heavy weight on me… & I don’t even know WHY. Like, I can search my heart & thoughts & not come up with a single thing stressing me out or worrying me or hurting me & yet it hurts SO MUCH anyway. Makes zero sense to me. And yet… is.

And people want an answer. They want a justification. It makes it easier to understand… to maybe be able to help…. Maybe they’re wondering if I am just being dramatic “again”?

I don’t know.

But in those times, I can have sobs flowing out, with no cause I can see for the heaviness weighing on me, & I talk to God in it. I ask Him for help. I ask Him to help me keep trusting Him in it even it He chooses not to remove it. I remind myself that God never allows anything without a good reason—for my good & His glory. That I can trust Him even when the hurt doesn’t stop. I ask for His peace & comfort & to feel His presence in the heavy hurts. And He does answer in those ways.

I Can’t Always Pray the Pain Away

It’s hard because it takes continual surrender when it doesn’t ease up after prayer. I want more of a 1. feel pain (or just not even have 1.), 2. pray about it & remember Biblical Truth, 3. it eases up & I move on. Instead, when I am emotional, 3. doesn’t come. The pain stays. And I have to keep laying it down at His feet & keep drawing from His strength instead of the satisfaction of feeling my own return to me. That is HARD. That continual surrender versus removal of the pain is HARD.

Does He remain faithful to provide strength that isn’t my own? To give me impossible peace while the pain is still hurting me? To comfort me as it continues to weigh heavy on my heart? Yes, every single time–He is FAITHFUL to me–but I have to be willing to KEEP COMING TO HIM IN IT. And that is HARD.

The longing is to pray the pain away, when sometimes God wants us to trust Him to be sufficient while the pain remains.

The Key Is to KEEP Coming to Him

I don’t disagree with a lot that the aforementioned author of our study recommends, in needing to renew our minds with God’s Word—the Bible, with needing to retrain our focus by remembering we have a choice, with remembering to turn to God in our struggles, with knowing emotions don’t need to lead to spirals–in fact, I talk about some of that in a previous post: “Understanding Depression with Discernment.”

But we must be careful to distinguish between emotions themselves & the spirals &/or sin they can bring if we’re not careful.

“Be Angry & Do Not Sin”

It is very true that feeling big usually brings with it a weakness for succumbing to the easy-to-believe lies of Satan, telling us to doubt God & turn away from Him, telling us to dishonor God, disrespect Him, or disobey Him because of how we’re feeling… telling us to lash out at others in them.

The verse: “Be angry & do not sin,” (Ephesians 4:26) comes to mind because it’s this picture of feeling the way you feel, but not allowing it to stand as an excuse for hurting yourself, God, or others… aka SIN.

Sometimes God Allows the Pain to Remain So You & Others May See His Strength in Place of Your Own

I also think of Paul’s thorn in his side—that he prayed for God to remove & God responded with: “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) God allowed the pain to remain. And Paul understood that in seasons of pain, they could also be opportunities to shine God’s strength when he felt he had little to none–in his weaknesses, infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, & distresses.

I have felt that in so many of my dark seasons. As if God is allowing this heavy dark cloud to follow me everywhere I go & when I pray for it to leave, it’s almost as if God is very gently telling me, “no.”

I Know This & Yet…

And I have spiraled. I have doubted God loved me. I have tried to solve it my own way.

But I have also submitted to Him in it. I have learned from it. I have seen God use it to bring me closer to Him, to teach me something that I had long asked Him about, to demonstrate to others how to turn to them in their own weaknesses & pain.

I have trusted He had a plan even when I could not see it. I have trusted He loves me even when the pain will not leave. I have trusted that God would not waste the hurts He was letting me experience.

I have seen God WORK in them. And BE MY SUFFICIENCY.

He did not leave me. He did not forsake me. He is the Potter & I am but the clay.

We’re All Learning–God’s Not Finished with Me Yet

So, yes, this Bible study book we’re reading, in its sometimes naïve over-simplification of emotions as the culprit versus the poor responses to said emotions, has irked me to no end on some days as I work through it… but it has forced me to face up to all the negative reactions I have received over the years of my life… to embrace that I am not ashamed for being emotional & I no longer want to allow anyone convince me that I ought to be.

If God wants me to be poured out so that He may be magnified… to God be the glory. AMEN.

Shine HOPE by determining to KEEP turning to God in your hurts, refusing to allow them to be used as excuses for sin… & by giving intentional grace to those who feel things you don’t think are justifiable or things you don’t understand… letting God, in all things, be glorified.

God can handle those big emotions just fine, my dear, so keep turning to Him in them each & every time.

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 SIX 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!!

Champagne Vine Earrings (INDIA)

LIMITED EDITION – Available While Supplies Last! The Champagne Vine Earrings are crafted in a workshop committed to fighting child marriage and creating dignified jobs for women in India. These detailed, champagne colored fringe earrings are hand beaded and feature a delicate vine design beaded in black seed beads.  

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!

I Don’t Need Fixing

Why is having strong emotions so often equated with being dramatic?

Being emotional is often seen as a bad thing that needs fixing. Being emotional is often seen as a result of lacking faith. Being emotional is often considered a weakness.

Coming from someone with lifelong deep emotions… what a sad & incomplete understanding of emotions.

Emotions Can Tempt Wrongs… But They Can Only Tempt

The Bible is written with such rich emotions, even by male authors, no less, so why has it so commonly been twisted into such a strong conviction by certain people that strong emotions are wrong & should be avoided or squashed?

I get that there is always the fear of cultivating emotion-led faith, where you serve God mainly because you feel a spiritual high, versus serving Him the same regardless of how you are feeling, but that doesn’t make feeling… bad.

I think maybe because emotions make us vulnerable & feeling vulnerable is not always too pleasant. And, more notably, that vulnerability can set us up for attack. We can be tempted to doubt God… we can be tempted to dwell on the cause of the emotions versus turning to God in them… we can be tempted to give into despair… we can be tempted to react in sin—lashing out or blaming God or avoiding obedience to God… or growing a bad attitude. They can TEMPT us to shut down & grow bitter, but only can they tempt.

How Worship-Evoking It Can Be to Feel So Weak

But it’s not wrong to feel. It’s not even wrong to feel deeply. It’s not wrong to allow yourself that deep vulnerability of weakness.

In fact, what a worship-evoking thing it has the great potential to be… what a spur to pray & seek the riches of God’s Word…. What a blessing it can be to feel that very real need so deeply to your core—a reminder that you require something more than yourself.

Setting a Good Example Doesn’t Mean Having It Together All the Time

I get it. We want to feel “on our feet.” We want to feel strong & capable. We want to “be a good example.” We want to appear okay. We don’t want to feel so needy (as needy as we truly are).

But, as I say often about planning community church events, a good testimony is not necessarily that you ensure nothing ever goes wrong, but rather your response if something does go wrong.

So, we quote Scripture at emotions (reminding yourself of Truth in big emotions is a healthy habit, but it does not guarantee emotions away). We stuff it. We hide it. We pretty it up. We pretend. Or maybe we have just gotten so good at not letting ourselves feel it at all.

So, we try to find ways to avoid feeling so deeply… avoid feeling so out of control… avoid feeling so vulnerable.

Sometimes the Pain Is Unnamed

But sometimes the weight I feel has no name. It’s not from overthinking or from anxiety or from anything at all in particular. Just weight. And you know what—it feels good to let myself cry. I feel relieved. It pushes me to pray & let God sit with me in it, to give me peace despite the struggle.

I have gone through such intense spiritual attacks in certain seasons of my life, that I wanted to die because it felt like someone had taken about 20 weighted blankets & dropped them over my soul, like I was suffocating, but yet I was very aware of God still being in full control, whether He chose to leave the weight there or remove it. Crying from the pain, while praising God that I knew He somehow had a plan in the pain. So, personally, I saw that my deep, painful emotions were not present with sin–but yet they remained.

Let’s Not Assume More Than the Text Is Saying

I think we can look at stories like when everyone was freaking out on the boat in the storm as Jesus sleeps, seeing Him awake & rebuke the wind & waves to stillness & then rebuking the men for their lack of faith & think—“this must mean I should never feel struggle because it means I am worthy of rebuking for my own lack of faith.” But their problem in that storm wasn’t emotion—it was fearing the storm/natural occurrence more than the God Who controls those. God wasn’t implying a blanket rebuke against strong emotions here. (Mark 4:35-41)

Aside from seeing such rich emotions present in Scripture (the Bible), I know, from personal experience, how deep, rich emotions can be present with a very obvious lack of sin—aka, no continued dwelling on it or overthinking in place of prayer, no wanting to distrust God…. Just… pain.

Job Felt Deep Pain after Experiencing Deep Loss

“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” Job 1:20-22

That is not an expression of calm, lacking emotion. He tore his clothes it hurt so much. He felt the hurt & full weight of it, he felt strong emotions, but determined to praise God IN his hurt.

Is It Only Acceptable When We Can “Adequately” Justify It?

And I think people understand when it’s something that seems reasonable: lose a loved one—grief, someone gets attacked—hurt, seeing an orphan—pain. If it makes sense to people, it seems acceptable, but only if you can justify WHY you feel so strongly. Only then. And sometimes only for as long as someone may feel it is appropriate.

And like that day in my car with my rhetorical 20 weighted blankets, not understanding at all why I felt such pain in my spirit, but feeling it so strongly, crying in private because I knew I wouldn’t be able to understand it enough to “justify” it to someone else… I knew God was right there in it with me, holding me together despite how much it hurt. He had me even when the pain didn’t stop or let up. He saw me, He knew my pain, He didn’t need me to justify it to wrap me in His compassion & love. To hold me. To be my CAN when I just couldn’t.

Do We Vet Deep Emotions before We’re Willing to Show Compassion?

Why do we feel the need to believe a feeling is worth feeling in order to be in the storm with someone? To love them by their side through it?

Not just “giving them a verse to think on” because you feel they’re being dramatic or maybe overreacting… but holding them through it even when it doesn’t make any sense to you or doesn’t seem a “level of emotional” that is justifiable in that moment.

As if we have to vet it as worthy of not “just being dramatic,” in order for it deserve our care & compassion?

Is it because it’s inconvenient? Uncomfortable? We don’t know how to fix what we can’t define? It doesn’t wrap up as nicely as we would like?

Why don’t we try just loving anyway? Repenting even–of our felt need to approve compassion….

Weakness Isn’t a Bad Thing… It’s a Reality

Emotions are vulnerable. They can make us feel really weak. But maybe that weakness isn’t so bad after all.

And maybe some of us are just weaker than others (I certainly feel I am because I feel so much when others seem to think I shouldn’t need to)… who feel more deeply than you do, so that it may not make sense to you, but is what it is, regardless of whether it makes sense.

I used to feel like my strong emotions were a curse. I used to beg that curse away. But, as I got older & was praying through one season of deep emotional pain I couldn’t explain away… I asked God, “Why did You make me this way? Why do I have to have the curse? I just want it to stop. Please–why?!?” And I felt a soft answer over my heart in the form of dawning understanding that in all those years with seasons of such deep hurting, they have made me live with constant recognition of my very real need of Him… always drawing me back to seek Him… to rely on Him instead of myself… that those heavy emotions were not at all a curse, but a very rich, beautiful BLESSING.

How Do You Respond?

How you respond to deep emotions is what matters. Don’t let that weakness make you pull back from or deny God. Don’t let it tempt you to use it as an excuse to avoid doing right. Don’t let it have power of you, but trust God to be your enough IN it.

Let that weakness draw you into the arms of Jesus… to wake you up to the needs & hurts of those around you, to show compassion… to be a light that even in the darkness, God is the light & He can be your sufficiency even when you feel none of your own.

Let those tears fall. Release the tension. And let it spur you to worship the God Who is enough even when you are not.

The Problem Is Not Emotions… But in Not Dealing with Them in a Healthy, God-Honoring Way

We need to maybe stop demonizing heavy emotions & start embracing them in a HEALTHY, God-pleasing way!

So many years of demonizing strong emotions & the problems that come from them are usually because the solution taught has so often been—“stop being dramatic…” instead of “let them help you better recognize & understand your very real need for God, through Jesus… & use them to point others to His strength as your enough in your weakness. Use them to glorify God!”

Draw near to Him in them!

Fix your focus on Truth!

Cling to Him as your help & hope!

Use them to proclaim His glory! His strength in your weakness!

All glory be to God Almighty, God of Heaven & Earth! God Who made us to feel as a way to engage in the world around us. Praise God in the storm!

Teach Them Not–“Conceal, Don’t Feel”

If you have a child who has deep emotions, don’t teach them to fear, mask, cover up, or avoid them (even the boys because boys are allowed to feel!)… teach them to engage with those emotions in a healthy, God-honoring way, as a tool to help them remember their need of God (to pray & to seek Him) & as an opportunity to see & show how God can be our enough when we can’t be.

There are so many verses in the Bible that call us to compassion, to bearing with one another in love, to bearing each other’s burdens, to loving one another, to showing grace… let us keep THOSE verses in mind when someone is bearing a burden we can’t see &/or don’t understand.

Grace upon grace, emulating the love & care of Jesus Christ in how we treat one another in those deep emotions that may make little sense to us.

And in those deep emotions, may it be a living reminder of your very real need for more than yourself… drawing you into the ever-loving care of Jesus.

Shine HOPE by turning to God in your deep emotions… by not allowing them to control or tempt you… by being a light for God’s strength in your weakness… by showing compassion to others facing emotions we don’t understand… & by teaching the next generation how to feel deeply in a way that leads them back to HIM as their HOPE.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for SIX 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!!

Tarra Lantern Set (INDIA)

Support families in areas of extreme poverty in India, empowering them to end poverty cycles for their families, send their kids to school, and earn fair wages for their work through your purchase of the Tarra Lanterns. Display this set of ethically made gold lanterns beautifully with their star cut outs! The lanterns are open at the top to easily add a candle, light, or any other decor.

***Purchase this unique handcrafted set, using the “Shop Here” link below to empower these artisan women in India out of poverty!***

How You Can Help the Artisans & 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!

Let’s Take a Deeper Look

I see a lot of misplaced blame happening & I am sure it’s nothing new, but I want to take some time to highlight some of these areas so that we can better assess whether there is something we need to do about it….

A lot of things in life are not bad in & of themselves, but often get a bad rap because they commonly are associated with low self-control (ie. social media) or even just something that makes other people uncomfortable (ie. strong emotions).

Social Media Isn’t the Problem

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard speakers & leaders pretty much bash social media as almost associating the use of it with sinful behavior.

But, for things like this, we need to take a step back & look at things more closely.

Like so many things easy to blame, it isn’t the thing itself that is the problem, but the misuse of it, or taking it out of a healthy context. Just like food–we cannot blame food for our lack of self-control, just like we can’t blame social media for our lack of control with it.

My former pastor was one of those who used to really nail in that he felt social media was borderline sinful & should be avoided–a waste of time at the very least, but then he read a book recommended by a friend & when done, he confessed to me that his whole view had been altered & that he was positive that if Paul were alive today, he would be an avid social media user, because it is a way to go TO the lost, when they may not ever come to you.

Using Social Media for Good

Living in Japan for 7 years, 3 of it really being isolated from most all the world because of language barriers, God used that hardship to prompt the launch of this website & blog, because He showed me very clearly that not everyone in this world has access to fellowship & community with other Christian women. I really wanted to provide that safe space, accessible from any part of the world.

I aim to use my corner of social media to be a light in the darkness, pointing ever to the hope we have available because of Jesus Christ.

Social media, therefore, is not the problem. It is when it is taken out of a healthy, God-honoring context… when it is misused & used as an excuse for sin.

Social media has the power to be a light in very dark places, in the privacy of homes, where people don’t have the courage to admit their need, but have it nonetheless—to point them to the only solid place of HOPE—to point them to Jesus.

Social media has the power to encourage & build up those who feel they have no support system near them & no one to come alongside them in places of isolation or hurt, to point them to Jesus in every season of life, no matter where they may live.

Let Me Say This Again–Feeling Strong Emotions Is NOT Sinful

This next area often demonized that is very personal for me—emotions. Oh boy have I heard it all with this one… & it often ain’t pretty.

I so often hear people making it seem like having deep emotions is a bad thing, bordering on sinful, as if it signifies a lack of faith or trust in God. (Maybe they haven’t read some of the deeply emotion-rich books of the Bible—like Psalms?)

Feeling deeply does not mean you don’t trust God enough. Let me say that again—feeling deeply does NOT mean you don’t trust God enough.

In fact, aside from the deep emotions expressed in the Bible, growing up with deep emotions gives me a certain personal perspective on this topic.

Growing Up, It Felt Like a Curse… Now, I See It for What It Really, Truly Is… A BLESSING from God That Ever Draws Me Nearer to HIM

Did you know that I grew up crying out to God about my big emotions? Asking Him why He made me so weak & frail? So sensitive? So annoying with my big feels that seem to make some of the people around me subtly & slowly back away or even openly push me away?

And do you know what He ended up answering me with? A realization that because of those very big feels that I forever felt were my curse… in a world often lulled into complacency & a false sense of self-sufficiency… I was never given that “luxury.” I was always very aware of my very real need for Him. & so, throughout my life, I was constantly & consistently shoved back to understanding my need to seek after Him as my only real & true hope–what a GIFT!

Emotions, therefore, are not the problem. It is when they are taken out of a healthy, God-honoring context… when they are misused & used as an excuse for sin.

Emotions have the power to bring down walls, to send us into the arms of Jesus. Emotions have the power to show us our always very real need of Jesus–what a beautiful GIFT!

Showing Compassion

I talked about this last (?) week, in “Happy Plastic People–The Pressures to Seem Perfect,” where maybe influenced by a social media rich culture, we have been fooled into thinking that a good Christian is someone who portrays themselves as always having their life together–but that is not what is represented in Scripture at all–the Bible is full of weak people, used by an ALL-POWERFUL GOD.

We don’t stop being weak! We don’t stop being human! We don’t stop needing Him at all times! Do we live our best to please & honor Him in all we do, though, YES. But we are not strong. We need Him–& that is okay.

In fact, in the many biblical references to God as our Father, I always thought of it as a grown daughter coming to her dad for help with her car or for advice, but wow was I wrong… & prideful, obviously… because the truer comparison is a helpless baby or toddler who THINKS SHE CAN, but really depends on Him for EVERYTHING.

My big emotions that oftentimes make so many people so noticeably uncomfortable are the very things that regularly remind me to rely on HIM & not myself.

Can Satan kick me when I am down & make me spiral through believing his very convincing lies when I am in deep times of struggle? Yes. But are the emotions, aka FEELING, the problem? No. Just because it makes people uncomfortable, doesn’t make it sinful.

(Check out my previous blog post–“Understanding Depression with Discernment,” to read how I learned, through MUCH prayer & MUCH personal experience with strong emotions, to pierce through to the TRUTH behind the emotions. This realization changed my life–for real!)

Always Look to the ROOT–The Epidemic of Misplaced Blame

Let’s be careful not to blame the wrong thing when we assess situations. Be mindful of not spreading “the epidemic of misplaced blame.” Whether it be social media, big emotions that make us uncomfortable, or anything else, really.

Oftentimes, it’s not “the thing” that is the true problem, but the misuse/abuse of it, taking it out of a healthy context, or using it as an excuse for sin that is the real problem.

Where have you maybe been guilty of misplacing blame where you just need healthier boundaries… or a lesson in compassion?

Shine HOPE by using any weakness as a reminder of your very real need of HIM, letting it prompt you to surrender more of yourself to His powerful help, living with compassion versus living as a judge… & by using the resources at your disposal for His glory.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for SIX 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!!

Nepali Nativity Set (NEPAL)

This adorable nativity set is handcrafted using traditional felt-crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations. Each Nepali Nativity Set includes three figurines, Mary holding baby Jesus, Joseph, and a little lamb.

***Purchase this adorable nativity set using the “Shop Here” link below & help to provide a woman in an area of extreme poverty with a safe job and fair wage.***

How You Can Help the Artisans & 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!

If This Was You… Thank You

Throughout my life, the friendships that have really impacted me are the ones that point me consistently to Jesus Christ, praying with/for me, asking me what God has been teaching me lately, sharing testimonies of how they have seen God show up for them…. Those are the friendships that really stand out to me & change my life for the better.

I crave those types of friendships.

I Need to be Pointed to Jesus

If you don’t read all of my hot mess blog posts, in seasons of hard & hurt, or where I feel like I am falling apart on all accounts, you may be tempted, at a glance, to see me, a woman who owns a website, provides resources, runs a blog, leads Bible Studies, or anything else… & think I have it going pretty well faith-wise over here.

But I am just human like everyone else, which means I have seasons of struggle just like everyone else. I sometimes have doubts creep in my head & slap me in the face with a wavering question. Sometimes I grumble starting my day, wanting nothing more than to cancel my alarm completely & pull the covers back up under my chin, totally ignoring any & all responsibility. Sometimes, like today, I REALLY crave a nap instead of sitting here working on this week’s blog post.

Sometimes I feel worn down. Sometimes I feel beat up. Sometimes I feel insecure. Sometimes I feel afraid. Sometimes I just want to do absolutely nothing at all. Sometimes hurts drown out all else. Sometimes I don’t make the right choice.

I have need, just like everyone else, & I would argue that anyone with an intentional platform for Jesus is going to get an extra layer of tired &/or struggle because Satan would prefer that you just quit.

And thus, I crave edifying friendships.

I Crave Edifying Friendships

My ideal hangout? Talking about how God has shown up in your life, sharing answered prayers, singing praise/worship together, talking about personal weaknesses & reminding each other of truth & praying for each other. My ideal friendship is ever-pointing me back to Jesus, so that I leave not only refreshed, but built up & ready to face the next day, remembering Who is in control of it & Who deserves the glory through it.

Some may think I am just trying to be overly spiritual or self-righteous or something, but for me, it is genuine hunger. I CRAVE that type of conversation.

I am too easily distracted! Too easily numbed & made complacent! I am too easily busied! And sometimes, I am too easily discouraged!

My Absolute Dream Job

If I were to have my dream job, where there were no obstacles & I could just wish it & have it happen just so, it would be for me to have my own small office with a desk, a small rug, a few chairs, & a bookcase (lots of pink, too, if I’m honest). The bottom couple shelves would be toys & games & if a mom needed to bring her kids, she could. I would have a lit candle on my desk, peaceful worship music playing for soothing ambiance, & the rest of my bookshelf would be books that have had an impact on my faith so I could share them library style. And I would just do discipleship training, accountability, mentorship, & counseling all day every day with teens, young adults, & grown women, just pouring into them, coming alongside them in their lives & pointing them always to Jesus, through discussion/sharing, looking to God’s Word (the Bible), & prayer… because I know I need it, too. That is what lights a fire in me. That’s my pipe dream.

Lord, Let Me Live My Life Wholly Devoted to Pouring into the Lives of Other Women–AMEN

But I digress…. I crave those types of relationships. I want to go all in for God, but I feel so easily complacent or numbed… distracted… discouraged…. I need to pour into & be poured into… I need my focus constantly reset & when I work with other women in this way, it just ignites me & reminds me consistently why living for God & His glory is the very absolute best thing I could ever give my time to. It glues my focus ever to HIM. And I absolutely LOVE that. That is why I LOVE ministry work.

Pray with me to that end. That God help me develop more friendships & opportunities like that… where I can pour into & be poured into, resetting our focus always to the glory of God in all things big or small. Fixing our focus on HIM.

And shine HOPE, by being that type of friend to the women God has put in YOUR life. We need each other.

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 SIX 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!!

October 2024 Hope Mail (INDIA)

***Purchase this month’s Hope Mail, using the “Shop Here” link below to 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 the Artisans & 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!

Personal Boundaries Are Good… But…

I have talked recently how there was a time in my life where I moved to a new place & everyone seemed to be singing to the same tune & I felt out of place, like I didn’t belong & didn’t fit in because I “didn’t know the words.”

It was a Christian culture cultivated to help set boundaries for the staff, in order to represent Jesus well—in other words, the intentions were in the right place, I believe, but because I didn’t grow up under these same boundaries & rules, I automatically felt noticeably different from everyone… like I didn’t fit.

On top of that, I did, unfortunately, meet some judgement from a select few who had taken those boundaries to another level—almost as if it defined them personally as being a good Christian because they grew up within these boundaries—it sort of became an unrecognized, subtle self-righteousness where it was sometimes a little too easy to look down on someone’s standing with God if they didn’t follow these same boundaries.

And because they were fellow Christians & I trusted THEIR faith to be sincere, I began to question my OWN faith & whether it was sincere “enough” to make me a “good Christian.”

Happy Plastic People–The Pressures to Seem Perfect

Have you ever been a part of a church & you felt like you just could not measure up because everyone was always happy, always perfect? … While you felt like the hot mess express? That’s been me.

I don’t know why we feel so much pressure to show up with everything already figured out, as if we have it together all the time if we want to be considered a “good” Christian, as if you didn’t just yell at your kids in the car on the way to church. (I don’t have kids, but I can definitely relate to the general idea.)

And the unspoken expectation for leadership to always appear perfect? What an unfair, impossible standard. I have always been friends with many in leadership, from working as a Sunday School teacher or Bible study leader alongside my former youth pastor, to being the church secretary & spending most days learning from & chatting with our pastor, to being close friends with a pastor & his wife in Japan. And let me tell you–they are no closer to perfection than any of us. They are human, too.

Why is there so much pressure to seem perfect? To be happy plastic people?

Do You Too Feel Ashamed of Your Struggles Sometimes?

I have actually felt ASHAMED of weakness before. As if my struggle made me less of a Christian. As if I needed to hide it & cover it up so that no one would find out.

I don’t want my faith questioned.

But then, I have been reading the Bible every day for years now & I notice a pattern—the rough parts, the bad decisions, the moments of faith lacking… they aren’t sugarcoated in the Bible at all. They’re told, & used, to point people to where our TRUE strength, wisdom, confidence, grace, & HOPE come from—GOD, through Jesus Christ!

Their weaknesses exposed, their doubts are talked about, their mistakes are displayed, their decisions to trust themselves in place of God are discussed in detail… dumpster fire aftermath included.

Even the Ones We Put on Pedestals

Even the big heroes of the faith who are used as examples for us to follow made huge mistakes…sometimes knowingly—even them!

David, a man after God’s own heart—lusted, acted on it, & had her husband killed to cover it up, then DID NOT repent right away until confronted about it much later.

Jonah straight up RAN, even though it says he KNEW the people would turn from their wickedness back to God if he obeyed.

Abraham slept with his wife’s servant, at her suggestion… & caused understandable conflict with his wife & the servant… all because he doubted God’s promises.

Paul was given a huge second chance redemption story & then absolutely refused to give JohnMark a second chance, even though suggested by the same man (Barnabas) who had stood up for HIM when everyone was too afraid of his past.

And then, don’t even get me started on the Israelites, God’s chosen people. Sheesh, talk about setting a bad example.

The Bible, through God’s inspiration, does not share about a bunch of strong, perfect people, but of weak, imperfect people used by a grace-giving, all-powerful, loving GOD.

Living with Grace

How easily I can discount someone for being unfaithful to God, as if that hasn’t described me many a time in different seasons of my own life!

How easy it can be to sugarcoat our own shortcomings, instead of using these weaknesses as a stage for God’s grace & glory to be for us what we fail to be ourselves.

When the Bible talks about being “above reproach,” I do not think it is saying to pretend we never mess up, sugarcoat or mask when we do, pretending it never happened.

I think it means to do your best in every circumstance to live well-pleasing to God, but when you DO INEVITABLY mess it up… use it to point others to our hope in JESUS, not us.

NOT—“pretend to be perfect” to set a “good example.” People don’t need to see that you never struggle… they need to see that when you DO struggle, you know where to turn–to GOD, through Jesus.

Always Let Your Life Point to HIM

Think about it–Does your life demonstrate your own strength? Or His?

YES, do your best on all accounts to live in a way that honors God, pleases Him, & gives Him all the glory He deserves. YES.

But don’t hide your broken parts. Use them to let His goodness, His glory, & His grace shine through all the cracks of your life.

The Bible, inspired by God, doesn’t pretend… mask… sugarcoat… so neither should we.

No more happy plastic people. Give yourself (& others) permission to be a work in progress.

My Weaknesses for HIS Glory

Real, raw, forgiven by the grace of GOD, through Jesus Christ, our LORD!

“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Shine HOPE by allowing yourself permission to not pretend, & to use your failings, your weaknesses, your insecurities, & your mistakes as platforms to demonstrate God’s unfailing wisdom, power, grace, love, & HOPE through JESUS.

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 SIX 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!!

September 2024 Hope Mail (KENYA & INDIA)

Enjoy free shipping on your September Hope Mail package that includes our Ava Earrings handmade in Kenya, Spice Cake Lip Balm from India, and our celebratory Birthday Cake Sticker!

***Purchase this set, using the “Shop Here” link below to empower women in Kenya & India out of poverty!***

How You Can Help the Artisans & 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!

I Am Not Going to Pretty Up the Truth

Now, this week’s topic may be off-putting to some of you. Part of it may even scare some of you, but I have never been one to try to pretty up something ugly for the sake of more “likes”… & today is no exception.

I have not had suicidal thoughts (for many years now, at least), but I have been thinking a lot about death. Maybe you remember my blog post “When Life Hits Hard, I Just Want Heaven.” That is in the same vein of where I am going with this today.

You see, I have come to a point where, without overanalyzing or freaking out first or anything… my first, initial gut reaction to certain hard situations has been: “I wish I could die. I am too weak for this world. I just want to die & go to heaven, so I don’t ever have to hurt again.”

It scares me sometimes when this is the first, gut reaction to something hard, & yet, there it is. I must point out that it usually only lasts a few moments & is gone & that while it can happen several times in a day to maybe once every other day, it is not continual. (I am not feeling that way right now, for example–nor has it happened yet today.) It also goes completely against my reasoning that it’s “not really even that bad.”

Have you ever felt that way? That the hurts of life just feel unbearable in some moments?

Sometimes Life Is Hard

Now, when I take the time to dissect this impulsive, immediate response, I can see that this is most likely the result of years & years of little hurts that were never dealt with–that became a part of my personal identity… but none of that backstory explanation comes up when that little thought pops up in my head at this point—just: “I wish I could just be dead already.”

If you’re anything like my husband, this sounds beyond too morbid a conversation, & I get that. I’m sorry.

But I know I am not the only one out there that has this feeling on occasion & maybe yours has already shifted to suicidal thoughts or planning. I sometimes honestly can understand why. When that thought assaults me, all I can think sometimes is: “I can see why someone would commit suicide. If I left this unchecked or had many times been assaulted by this thought in one day, I can see why someone would want to end it.” That’s what Satan wants us to hear.

Life is hard sometimes.

Sometimes the Little Things Can Hurt a Whole Lot

And it doesn’t always have to be that someone died or you’ve been assaulted… or experienced abuse.

Sometimes even the small stuff can seem overwhelming if it piles on enough.

I think the little things can be so rough because it can seem like, logically, they should really be no big deal & because you’re not dumb or clueless, you CAN recognize that quite clearly while still feeling as if your heart is being torn to shreds. This just makes you feel even weaker, like you can’t even handle the SMALL hurts. Like, wow… pathetic. That’s how I feel sometimes about it anyways.

It doesn’t help when people don’t get it because it clearly does not make sense, even to you, or when they fail to show any compassion. But you feel like you HAVE to be able to explain it or people just think you’re dramatic & out for attention or just straight up pathetic & annoying… the icing on the already awful cake. Like, it somehow seems easy &/or manageable to everyone else, but you can’t seem to handle it.

Because of these reasons & more, small things can hit pretty hard sometimes.

“How It All Began…”

I have been talking a lot about the past 12 years & how my insecurities followed me into marriage. Then, I lost my budding career & all I had was me feeling like a terrible housewife PLUS my pre-existing insecurities because I just had no clue where to start to improve. I felt like a failure all around. And then my husband was working overtime so much I barely saw him & then his capacity for my struggles was low, so I felt like I had to stuff it & hide it & pretend so that I wouldn’t add fuel to the “me being his wife as a huge mistake” idea.

“My struggles are my own. Keep it to myself. No one wants to hear them. I am a burden. I am a disappointment. I am too much.” -the script that ran through my brain.

“How It Continued…”

Then, I had all of these opinions from a large group of people singing the same tune suggesting the fact that I didn’t even fit in as a Christian. I felt like “I was never quite good enough. Never quite measured up. I was alone. I had nobody who believed in me–as if my faith was always in question because I didn’t do things the same way they did them.”

I began to question everything about myself as a “not good enough” Christian who never seemed to get it quite right.

“How It All Blew up in My Face…”

Then, recently, I had an unprecedented misunderstanding upon misunderstanding upon misunderstanding that never was allowed space for reconciliation or clarification. It seemed to become who I was viewed to be, as if I was now the “What now?” girl. “Like I am the problem. Like I am a headache. Like people just want me to keep it to myself & shut up already.” I know they may not think that (even to themselves), but that’s how it began to feel—like every time I spoke up, the subconscious reaction to me was: “What now?”

Well, when patterns emerge, it’s easy to think, “well, I was once capable & praised & acknowledged & appreciated before… but something about ME has changed apparently, because I can’t seem to please ANYONE doing the same thing as before. Was the previous a lie? Am I really this awful & annoying? Can I really not seem to ever get anything right anymore?”

Like: “I must be the problem.”

Everything piled on from the previous until I felt like I never seemed to be quite what people wanted me to be… like I was never quite enough for them… for anyone… like I was TOO MUCH to handle.

But Let’s Take a Closer Look

Now, if I take a closer look at those situations:

1. The marriage scenario was just my insecurities. Hardly anyone just starts out knowing exactly how to keep house & all that comes with that. It takes learning & growing. It takes grace.
2. The judging my faith based on following different manmade rules is just a difference in upbringing & views. It doesn’t mean I am not a “real” Christian because I listen to non-hymn worship music or wear shorts. It’s just a difference in opinion. Everyone is different. We’re all accountable to the same God & making sure we’re right with Him versus acting in rebellion is what matters–He is a faithful & wise Guide.
3. The misunderstandings are just that—misunderstandings. Does it hurt not to be sought to be understood? Sure. Does it define who I am based on their opinion of me? No, it doesn’t. I am still the same me, even if someone doesn’t see it or want to see it.

What am I Supposed to Do?

I am responsible to just try my best, one step at a time.

1. Where I see personal weaknesses as a wife, I will pray about it & let God grow & guide me to improve. Giving grace.
2. Where I see weaknesses or convictions in how my faith is lived out, I will pray about it & let God grow & guide me to improve. Giving grace.
3. Where others misunderstand me & refuse to change their view, I am just responsible to still be kind, to pray for them, & to still be a help to them, not holding their possible opinion of me against them. Giving grace.

Jesus Is Enough… When Sometimes I Think about Dying

And when that little thought washes in over me: “I wish I was just dead already. I am too weak to handle this hurt. I just want to be done with it & go to heaven already so I don’t have to feel this ever again,” I need to remember not to let any of that wash out what I know to be true:

I AM weak. I DON’T have it all together. I DON’T do everything perfectly. I DO make mistakes. I STILL have TONS more growing to do. I WILL be misunderstood sometimes.

But NONE of that changes the fact that JESUS covers ALL of it. GOD is strong when I am not. GOD has it all together. GOD is perfection & can help me every step of the way. GOD grows & shapes me as I surrender more of myself to Him for pruning. GOD knows ME & gave His Son, JESUS to die on my behalf so that I can be His daughter—a daughter of the true & holy & perfect KING.

No matter what anyone may think of me—the TRUTH remains–I am HIS.

Let yourself be imperfect. Give grace. Trust in Jesus to wash out the lies you let slip in & assault you. Believe in Truth. And SHINE HOPE.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Silver Bow Necklace (INDIA)

The Silver Bow Necklace creates safe jobs for women ending poverty cycles in India and creating the opportunity for them to earn a dignified income. This elegant necklace features a dainty silver bow on a simple chain. The Silver Bow Necklace is perfect for daily wear or paired with other ethical styles for a layered look.

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

How You Can Help the Artisans & Help Financially 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!

Will You Compromise Truth for Comfort?

Truth offends people.

Why? Because we often want to believe our own version to be the truth… squirming at the idea of submitting to someone else’s ideas of truth when it conflicts with what we believe (or want to believe) to be true. Or am I the only one?

And I’m pretty sure that has always been the case. I mean, look at how a lot of the authors of the Bible died… I’ll give you a hint—not old age nor medical issues/natural causes.

Truth rocks the boat. Truth challenges personal beliefs. Truth demands objectivity to replace subjectivity. Truth is singular & clear, versus muddied & varied. Truth can make you feel very much uncomfortable.

But we need it, don’t we?

Where Do We Draw the Line on Which Truth Is “Worth It”?

If a friend, for instance, knew from personal experience, that a café uses expired products that frequently make people sick for days & that friend just sat quietly, sipping on their untainted tea while they watched you consume said dangerous food or beverage—all in the name of letting you “have your truth” because you didn’t want to believe her— versus slapping that drink out of your hand… knowing you may have to be hospitalized for believing awry… would you consider that to be a good friend? I certainly wouldn’t.

The truth was still the truth. That drink would certainly make you incredibly ill, whether it seemed likely to you or not… whether or not it was a convenient truth. Truth is truth.

That is why we must share the truth. Because God knows everything, has perfect wisdom to use that knowledge perfectly… & we do not. And because we DO care about the people around us, whether they believe it or not… we must be willing to smack that dangerous “drink” out of their hand, if needed.

If We Water Down Truth & People Come Looking for Truth… They Won’t Find It

When I started my blog journey SIX years ago (how has it already been that long?!), I tried to write palatable stuff. I wanted to be “approachable” or “relatable” or not come off as some know-it-all, self-righteous person who says, “MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY.” I wanted to be likeable. I wanted to be liked. I “wanted more readers so I could help more people.”

But God got my attention pretty quickly with a truth bomb that washed over my heart on more than one occasion: “If you aren’t clear in telling the truth… what is the point of your blog? Those looking for the truth won’t find it & those who don’t care still won’t care.”

The message was received loud & clear—the truth may offend people, but people who are seeking the truth won’t find it here if I am not willing to be bold enough to share it.

Do You Believe God Means What He Says?

If we really believe God’s Word is TRUTH, we ought to want to share it. When culture & trends & everything around us is constantly shifting & changing, we crave wanting to feel like something in our life is steady & sure... that there is something out there that we KNOW we can always count on & be sure of. We want to know what really is true.

Bible teaching should not be watered down. We must not sugarcoat theology.

People killed truth-speakers talked about in the Bible, but said truth-speakers still found it worthy enough to share God’s Truth for the sake of anyone willing to accept it–even if their sharing it meant their DEATH.

Paul Was Ready to Die for the Sake of TRUTH

In fact, we even hear in the story told of Paul, that Paul understood that if God was calling him to it, God had a reason & that death was a small price to pay to share the truth of Jesus.

“Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:12-13)

Do we try to market God’s Word in a palatable way? Do we try to sugarcoat it to make it more appealing & relatable to the masses? Do we compromise the power of truth by trying to make more people want it?

God doesn’t need our help better marketing His Word. His Truth is sufficient as is.

Will it offend people? Yes, probably so. Will it make them mad? Quite possibly, yes. But is it worth sharing the Word of God (Truth) AS IS, trusting in the power of the TRUTH? YES, SO MUCH YES.

We Must Always Include Grace

Now, let’s take a step back & consider that the HOW is still very much important… but NOT in the sense of trying to make it more appealing.

Truth mixed with a healthy dose of GRACE is very much necessary. Truth as TRUTH, but with a healthy dose of JESUS thrown in there.

I understand it is a delicate balance. Lean too much on truth & you have legalistic, ever-beating-themselves-up Christians who struggle with self-righteousness. Lean too much on GRACE & you have those who brush off truth like it’s just a little extra flavor “if you want it.”

How Would You Respond?

I like to think of it like this:

Imagine living in a town where perfection is the only way to survive. But no one is perfect. So, people try to hide it… they try to pretend… they try to be as “good” as they can… but whenever they come before the King, He seems to see straight through you… & one by one, people fail & are faced with the death penalty for their crimes. But then, the King does something quite strange. He offers up His Son to take on the punishment for YOUR crimes. And the Son ACCEPTS this WILLINGLY, despite how severely agonizing & painful the due punishment is expected to be. And there, you watch, as this Son suffers on your behalf & dies to cover the debt that YOU owed the King. You drop to the floor in sobs. You just watched someone die for you to pay your debt so that you could live. And now the King says ALL your wrongs are forgiven you: past, present, AND future… “go & sin no more.” Do you go on living how you want? Or do you live every day in remembrance of this Son Who gave everything so that you could live shame-free?

How would you choose to live in response to His sacrifice on your behalf? Guess what? That’s what Jesus did for us. (Isaiah 53)

Trust God More Than You Trust Yourself

Knowing that God sees what you don’t see… that God is God & you are not… & understanding that this reality is the BEGINNING of wisdom. (Proverbs 9:10)

You are paid in full, once you accept Jesus’ payment on your behalf, but now with the clear realization that the paid debt came with a cost—And shame on us if we ever disregard or minimize this cost that Jesus paid so that we can live it up however we want, in opposition to &/or in disregard for living GOD’s TRUTH.

When God tells us TRUTH, it is not to just lord over us like some dictator sick with power, wanting you to submit so that He can feel “powerful.” He already knows He IS powerful & sent Jesus to pay for where you didn’t measure up… so clearly it isn’t for such reasons.

No. God knows about that “beverage in your hand that will make you incredibly ill” that is ready to hurt you beyond what you believe or understand… & with His TRUTH, He is willing to slap that cup right out of your hand. God sees what we can’t. God knows what we don’t know.

His TRUTH is not opinion or “His side.” It’s all based on His GOD-ness. He doesn’t have to guess. He doesn’t have to hope He’s right—He knows.

Truth Unashamed

And shame on us if we ever think we need to “better market” the Word of God FOR Him.

If people came to you looking for life-giving truth… would they find it?

Or would you craving to be palatable leave them still searching & further placated to live as they please, ever-numbing their desire to know actual, real TRUTH?

Or do you unashamedly share truth, but forget to mention that Jesus already paid in full for their inability to ever measure up to complete perfection? GRACE.

TRUTH plus GRACE. Don’t ever neglect or water-down one to promote the other.

Dilute truth & the weight of grace (& Jesus’ sacrifice) is minimized.

Minimize grace & truth seems an unbearable burden.

You must have them together—ALWAYS.

Shine HOPE by living truth unashamed… by trusting God above yourself… & by never forgetting to pour it all over with an abundance of grace that Jesus gave His life (& rose victorious over it) to provide for us. Truth unashamed.

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 SIX 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!!

The Elva Rose Bracelet (EAST ASIA)

The Elva Rose Bracelet is helping women leave brothels in East Asia! The multicolored jasper stone beaded bracelet includes square 18k gold-plated accent beads and one round gold bead for a stunning look! Easy to dress up or down for daily wear, the Elva Rose Bracelet is the perfect autumn-toned bracelet to add to your bracelet stack.

***Purchase the Elva Rose 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 the Artisans & 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!

Just Please Don’t be Awkward

I have gone through life mostly with the understanding of keeping to myself when in public spaces–minding my own business & putting on blinders when running errands & such. ‘Don’t be a bother… Don’t make others uncomfortable… Don’t be awkward,’ is sort of the idea.

Is that just me?

But then, I start praying about practical evangelism… you know, being willing to share about Jesus at the grocery store, hardware store, or anywhere else God may give me a little nudge.

Hard to do when your natural instinct is to keep to yourself, eyes down, focused on just getting what you need & getting home.

Hard to do when you have this inner nag to not bother or disturb anyone… not wanting to make a scene… not wanting to make anyone uncomfortable. Not wanting to be awkward.

God Sees Their Most Hidden/Repressed Thoughts

But then, I remember that God sees the deep, dark thoughts of every single person alive. He knows what goes through their minds when alone at night, with no one around to whom they may feel the need to project confidence. He sees their doubts… their wavering resolve… their fear.

I don’t. I just see “random dude in line behind me at the grocery store.”

So, I have been praying that God send me help in growing past this felt ‘need’ to keep to myself. To be available to any opportunity as it may arise. To have the confidence to be a lighthouse to anyone grasping in the dark for hope.

Take the Time to Look Up

And one of the first things God has begun to whisper over my heart is a simple little phrase: “Take the time to look up.”

Now, I don’t mean just to look up & pray, knowing He is not caught off guard & He knows just what to say & just what they’re worried about…. Praying is also quite necessary in this situation, though–because He DOES know.

But an urge to actually, physically, look up. To see faces. To smile. To make eye contact. To ask the cashier “How is your day going so far today?” To be actively friendly & to take time to SEE people who pass me by & to show them that they are seen. To take the time to look up.

I know it may seem small, but it’s just a starting point. It’s a first step.

Shame on Me for Doubting God

It comes easy to me to strike up a conversation about Jesus when I am asked… or on my blog, social media, or website platforms… but when it’s a stranger who hasn’t asked, shown any interest, or has not noticeably come looking for answers… it all comes down to me doubting God when I feel that little nudge from Him on my heart.

Do I trust Him enough to risk looking like a fool in order to trust His lead?

It’s like that trust-building game where one wears a blindfold while the other directs them around obstacles… they can’t see where they are going, but they know the other person does.

Do I trust God to see what I can’t see? Do I trust Him to lead me when I can’t see where I am going, what to say, or what will come of it?

Do you?

A Prayer of Repentance

Let us take time to repent of any lack of trust we may feel bubble up in the form of discomfort right now… to say, “God, please forgive me. My hesitancy reveals my distrust. Even though You made the world & everything in it… even though You gave Your Son to die for my wrongs… even though You know all there is to know with perfect wisdom & understanding… I still doubt You sometimes. Please forgive me for that. Right my perspective. Right my focus. Help me to trust You more fully. Help me to care more about people rescued from Hell than I do about feeling like an idiot in public. Please forgive me & help me. I can’t do this without You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Self-Checkup

What do you find yourself holding back from God?

Where do you find yourself doubting that He knows what He is doing better than you do?

What causes you to pause as you walk “blindfolded” & He leads you?

Where do you need to ask Him to forgive you & to help you trust Him more?

Shine HOPE by trusting God to lead you into uncomfortable situations for His glory & for saving someone from having to face the consequences of their own sin.

We ALL need Jesus. Amen?

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for SIX 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!!

Elva Handbag (INDIA)

Create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India with this stunning structured tapered handbag with a snap closure is creating dignified jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty in India! The Elva Handbag is made from smooth, warm cognac genuine leather bag and includes an interior zippered pocket, interior slip pocket, a drop handle, and a crossbody strap. The removable strap allows you to choose how you wear this must-have bag – carried by the drop handle or as a crossbody!

***Purchase this cute, handcrafted handbag using the Shop Here link below & empower women in India out of poverty!!***

How You Can Help the Artisans & 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!