Always a Work-in-Progress

I am going to be a little vulnerable with you today in admitting something that I am embarrassed to admit.

In all my many years of trusting on Jesus to pay my debt before God… since I was 5… I have struggled with something that, for a long time, I didn’t even realize was anything to worry about at all.

But recently, as I read my Bible, God has been slowly revealing to me something that I feel a lot of people are actually missing: ministry isn’t ONLY supposed to be something pre-arranged or pre-planned.

What do I mean by that? I mean that ministry is meant to be an all day, every day type of thing. It is not just “I serve in children’s church on Sunday, every other month,” or, “I help with the ladies’ prison ministry once a week,” or, “I run my own website & a weekly blog.”

And while, yes, it does honor God for me to be doing those things… it shouldn’t be where my ministry stops.

AS You Go… Not Just on Sundays

When I read the Bible, I see a lot more examples of what the Bible says: “Go & make disciples…” verse (Matthew 28:19-20) that is really saying, “AS you go… make disciples.” It is not once a destination is reached, but an “on the way” type of command.

I see that sort of ministry demonstrated far more than any organized, pre-arranged type of ministry happening.

Yes, it is good to set regular times, carving out designated time to do ministry consistently throughout the week, but it ought not stop there.

Do I live like that? No, not really.

Look Up… & See PEOPLE

I was taught by life to keep my head down, mind my own business, go in/get out with errand-running, don’t talk to strangers, don’t bother other people, “stranger danger.” It is pretty engrained in me to not engage with strangers, in other words.

And, as one example, in looking at the “Good Samaritan” story, in Luke 10:25-37, it is so easy to be judgy toward those religious leaders who just snub a bloodied, beaten-up dude on the side of the road, dying from his injuries & them just self-righteously refusing to lift a finger to help….

But isn’t that me every single day?

There are broken people all around me. I don’t seek to help a single one.

What Would Jesus Do? What Should WE Do?

If I were to see that man, I would walk as FAR an arc around him as possible. Maybe he got beat up because HE was the perpetrator. Maybe he is dangerous. Maybe the guys who did it are still close by.

I don’t want to risk my life. My safety.

And being a WOMAN on top of all the potential dangers involved? Makes me even MORE vulnerable to attack.

Nuh-uh, no thanks, “I have to be smart about it” is what I tell myself.

“Don’t be stupid.” “God gave us common sense for a reason.” “Don’t put yourself in harms way, you have to protect yourself & stay SAFE…” is what I tell myself.

As if God doesn’t know how to care for me. As if I can’t trust His judgment if He nudges me toward someone in need. As if my safety is more important than someone else’s. As if I wouldn’t be crying & despairing for someone to help ME if that were me in that situation.

What Would You Have Done?

I watched a video the other day of a woman sharing her story. She was in major pageants & was leaving or arriving at some swanky event when she was approached by 5 armed men who tried to abduct her. I don’t remember how she got away, but when she did, she was sure she’d get shot in the back as she fled through BUSY WITH PEOPLE streets. Running up to cars, begging for help… they closed their windows & drove off. No one would dare help this crazed woman who was really running for her LIFE. Until one brave young lady, with a little one in the backseat, opened her door & said, “GET IN.”

Would I have been that brave? I don’t think I would. Especially if I hadn’t seen the abduction attempt & thought maybe she was on drugs or something.

I wouldn’t have helped her.

I would have protected myself first.

I wouldn’t have helped that beaten, bloodied, left-for-dead man, either.

I would have protected myself first.

Seek the Lost, Love the Broken… As Jesus Did for You

Even in less life-threatening examples, I assume the worst could be true, & I turn/look the other way.

And in completely HARMLESS situations, I don’t DARE bother someone but keep my head down & eyes on the task. Blurring everyone around me out of view/thought.

Shame. On. Me.

“They’re busy… they don’t want to be bothered.” “I don’t want to seem annoying.” “What if I sound like a crazy person?” “What if I make someone uncomfortable?” “What if they don’t want my help?”

But God KNOWS their heart, doesn’t He? He doesn’t need to guess.

So, why do I question Him then…?

Organic Ministry–Do You Put Ministry in a Box?

I want to LIVE ministry. I want to keep my eyes on the lookout for every opportunity.

I want my errands to be treated as opportunities. I want to pray for God to help me see people as PEOPLE vs just blurs in my peripheral.

I want to make eye contact smile at people as they pass by. I want people to know they are seen & not forgotten/alone. I want to live as a testimony even to strangers. I want to be kind when kindness is unexpected. I want to be willing to step in to help when I see a struggle. I want to be gentle & gracious when someone is frustrated & rushed. I want to be willing to say “hello.” I want to be willing to speak up when God prompts me to say more.

I want to learn to love more costly… sacrificially… not just when it seems easy or convenient to me.

God Gives Grace in Our Growing

But, I know… God gives me grace in my growing… God knows how imperfect I am… God doesn’t NEED me… God gives grace upon grace upon grace… God can grow me where I lack… I am never too little for Him, because He is great enough for the both of us… God can shape me… God never gives up on me…. God can where I CAN’T.

God knows I would be crushed utterly under the weight of all my imperfections, my faults & failures, my flesh & its forever-temptation to wander & seek SELF above all else.

THANK GOD for His long-suffering patience & grace & sovereignty in the face of ALL my LACK. PRAISE GOD!!!

A Prayer for Growing in Organic Ministry… An “Every Day, Everywhere” Type of Ministry

How grateful I am to Him that I can bring this to Him & say, “God, wow how much I lack. It’s like every day you reveal more & more how much I need You to prune my life & make me more like Jesus. How much I fall short! And yet, Your grace meets me right there. Thank You for NEVER giving up on me. Grow me in this. Teach me how to SEE people. Teach me to follow & trust Your nudges. Help me to put myself on a limb to rescue others. Help me to be bold with Your grace for others. Help me to love other people as You see & love them. Help me to count their salvation & life more valuable than my own life, even. Grow me to be & do ministry more like Jesus. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

What about You?

Do you struggle with this, too? Am I alone in this?

In what ways do you see yourself needing to grow in this area? Are you willing to take it to God & ask Him to grow & shape you to be equipped to do ministry more as an everyday, everywhere type of ministry? Are you courageous enough to ask Him? If not, start there & pray for the courage to ask Him for help.

Has God grown you some in this already? Teach me. Give me tips on where to start, on how to change my perspective & my habits. Teach me to love strangers like Jesus would.

And pray for me in this… & pray for you, too.

Shine HOPE by doing ministry wherever you are, not just on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, or some other church-orchestrated event. Make your life your ministry field.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

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 7.5 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!!

Love Candy Heart Pouch (Handcrafted in India)

Create dignified jobs for women in India that allow families to leave the slums when you buy this adorable Love Candy Heart Pouch! This adorable, beaded pouch is handcrafted by women earning a fair and dignified wage for her work in India. No detail is left out with this embroidered and hand beaded pouch that showcases the amazing craftsmanship of our Artisan Partners. Featuring “LOVE” spelled out in block letters, every purchase supports families in areas of extreme poverty in India. 

***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!***

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Make Sure We Don’t Miss the Whole Point

We are told to pray when we’re worried, to pray before a meal, to go to church, to be good & make right choices & have a good attitude. To serve & give & tithe to our church. How to dress, how to act, how to say all the right things.

We are taught so many things, but so often, I feel we miss the whole point in all of those doing of right things.

This life isn’t about checking all the right boxes nor about being a good person nor about having God as our little helper through life.

YES, we ought to strive for those things—do what you ought to do, live in a way pleasing to God, trust & rely on God’s help throughout life.

BUT, life isn’t about all that. It is for living a life that gives God glory. It’s about living for Him. Not anything else. Doing that in everything we do. THAT IS the point.

Do You Treat God Like Your Little Helper?

Do you live life that way? Do you live like God is a little helper on your shoulder or like He alone is LORD of your LIFE?

Is He your subordinate, your assistant… or your Lord?

Are YOU the one leading things… or is He?

Do you allow Him space to adjust your schedule, your dreams, your attitude, your will & way?

Or do you figure out how it ought to look (your way—even a churchy way) & just ask for Him to “help out”?

Who is really, ACTUALLY in charge of your life?

I Will be the Broken Record… Because I KEEP Needing to Hear It

I know I sound like a broken record talking about this. I know I say it over & over & over again. Maybe you’re feeling it’s getting old….

But if I still struggle remembering this… there’s a chance maybe someone else out there does, too.

I get shown constantly how the world does life. I don’t need to ask or seek it out.

But giving up all the social “norms” to live fully surrendered to a life that gives God glory in all things? I have to SEEK that out with EFFORT… or it just does not happen.

LEGITIMATELY… Reading Your Bible Is FOOD for Your Soul… Are You Malnourished? Do You Even Realize Whether or Not You Are?

I want to present you with a challenge this year… one that I feel will really revolutionize how you pray, what you feel brave enough to pray for, & how you see God show up in your life:

1. Read your Bible every day. FORGET the year plans if they intimidate you–God never specifies how many chapters to read–just that you READ & MEDITATE (dwell) on it. So, do that.
2. AS you read, look for HOW people in the Bible prayed. Watch how God responds to their prayers. Watch the humility, the boldness, the surrender-to-desiring/seeking His will… in their prayers.
3. PRAY that God help you know & love Him better AS you read. Pray to see Him better so that you can love Him better.
4. Watch Him transform your perspective. Not all at once, but you will see it & you won’t ever want to go back. Satan will throw EVERY distraction at you to get you to quit. But remember, this isn’t a year plan. So, after a day missed… pick up that Bible AGAIN. No shame. Just read. God doesn’t NEED you to read… but He tells you to because He knows how well it will help YOU. So trust Him, & READ IT.
5. AND, side note, but you BEST believe, that if God asks you to do something that honors Him… HE WILL help you accomplish it if you stick with it, apologize when your attitude is completely lacking, & ask for you to step forward in it, to show you WHEN, & when you feel the nudge He WILL give, EVEN IF you find every reason WHY THAT TIMING IS TERRIBLE… you will find that He indeed knew better than you EVERY time. Trust the nudge. And READ.

As you read & pray & look for how God is prayed to & for what & how He responds… you will begin to see God how you ought… as LORD. A Lord Who loves you & cares for you & protects you & has your best interest at heart if you would but trust His way over your own.

Talk to Him Like He Cares for You–Because He DOES

Don’t go throughout life tossing prayers up at Him as just your “backup.” Or out of mindless routine.

Talk to Him like He cares about you (because He DOES–He sent Jesus to die for YOUR sin), like He can do so much more than you can ever work out in your own limitations (because He CAN-He made the world & everything in it out of nothing, by His WORD alone), like His will, guidance, & way… obedience to Him daily & moment-by-moment trusting His lead is INFINITELY better than any routine or societal norm could cook up (because it IS-You are not the main character of your story-HE IS).

He will be glorified regardless. He will have the final say no matter what. He cannot be stopped. He cannot be thwarted. He will prevail.

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:10-11)

Do You Treat God Like a Little Angel of Help on Your Shoulder? Or as Lord of Your Life?

Do You Treat God Like a Little Angel of Help on Your Shoulder? Or as Lord of Your Life? Live like HE IS the KING of kings & LORD of lords… Because HE IS.

Shine HOPE by living your life with Him at the helm, letting Him lead, humbly submitting to His will, His interruptions, His purposes for your life… live a life that will matter for the Kingdom of God long after you are dead & gone–our life is but a vapor. TO GOD BE THE GLORY, AMEN!

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

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 7.5 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!!

XOXO Candy Heart Pouch, (Handcrafted in INDIA)

Create dignified jobs for women in India that allow families to leave the slums when you carry this adorable XOXO Candy Heart Pouch! This stunning beaded, blue-colored pouch is handcrafted by women earning a fair and dignified wage for her work in India. No detail is left out with this embroidered and hand beaded pouch that showcases the amazing craftsmanship of our Artisan Partners. Featuring “XOXO” spelled out in block letters.

Every purchase supports families in areas of extreme poverty in India.

***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!***

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

God Sees through It… Others See through It… It’s Not the Same

I grew up understanding the pursuit of holiness a lot differently than I do now after years more of trusting in Jesus to save me from my sins.
You see, I thought holiness was perfection. And, well, it is… but it’s not immediate. It’s not pretending to be holy, either.
Because holiness doesn’t happen overnight. Holiness is something God produces in us the more of our lives we learn we need to surrender to Him.
It is not projecting perfection. It is not trying to act like we’re perfect all the time & that we never make mistakes.
It is not trying to be a good testimony for God by pretending we have it all together.
And that is sort of how I understood it. I was wrong.

Forever a Work in Progress=ALL of Us

A great resource for better understanding this topic is a little book by Jerry Bridges “The Pursuit of Holiness.” (*You can find the link to it on the “Recommended by Michelle” page of my website, alphabetically, under “Books,” here.) I love how gracious he is about the topic, yet unyielding from truth. He doesn’t make excuses for sin but also doesn’t pretend he has it all figured out, either.
Let’s get it out there right now: We will NEVER reach perfect holiness this side of heaven. Our righteousness–our holiness–was bought by the blood of Jesus–HIS holiness is accounted to US because of our faith in HIM. We don’t automatically BECOME perfect but are ACCOUNTED as without blemish because of the blood of Jesus.
But, we strive for holiness all the same, because it is what God asks of us… it’s how we honor Him… obey Him… love Him.

Pretending Perfection Is Not the Same as Holiness

Be careful, though, that you do not fall into the trap of thinking that means you have to PRETEND holiness in order to please God.

It does NOT honor God to dress up on Sunday, wear a bright smile around others, while you all just screamed at each other on the way to church. Simply looking or pretending the part does not please God. God sees behind the masks.
Look to the MANY repeated examples in the Bible. These authors, inspired by God, did not sugarcoat their messy ministries & mistakes. They failed SO MUCH & it is recorded FOR US.
Because the point is not that we look to their perfection, but to the perfection of Christ as our example… as our hope.
When we plaster a smile, pretend pleasantries, & hide all of our faults from the world around us… we are being like the white-washed tombs Jesus calls out during His ministry on earth. It’s FAKE. That does not honor God. It MOCKS Him, because it gives US the credit… not Him.
It points to US… not Him.

And because it’s quite frankly… a lie. None of us are actually perfect.

A Forever Pursuit of Holiness

Now, this doesn’t mean to be as messy as you feel like because we ought to be “authentic.”
We ought to live with restraint, taking every thought captive & MAKING it obedient to Christ. We need to be working to bow our insufficiencies, mistakes, failures, etc. to His help.
We ought to be seeking His Word, the Bible, meditating on its Truth. Talking with Him without ceasing, leaning on Him & His wisdom & strength in every circumstance.
We ought to be honest with ourselves & with Him about our many weaknesses, ever surrendering those to His pruning & perfecting, to be made more like Jesus Christ.
But this is not a pretending process.
It is a pointing to Him through every bit of it. Revealing your weaknesses as one ever submitting them to the King of kings, Lord of lords… His authority, His Word, His help… for His glory.

Let People See

Letting people see the process.
Letting people see where your hope is found–not in your goodness, but in His.
I will be the first to tell you that I don’t deserve one bit of God’s grace, but that is the very reason it is called grace… the very nature of grace is the fact that it is completely & utterly undeserved. And not a single one of us deserve it!
A speaker came to our church during one particular conference, & while I cannot recall his name, I will forever remember his words, something to the tune of: “The funny thing about holiness is that the holier you become, the more wretched you realize that you are.” How very, very true.

Ever Surrendered

We can never hope to be “enough” for God. Our hiding of sins or sinful attitudes or thoughts behind a smile does nothing to convince God of anything. He knows our heart better than we ever could. He sees the intent even.

I believe that a healthy balance of authenticity & a striving for holiness involves being honest about your struggling, your process, your needs, your strongholds… bringing them to light, supporting one another in them, speaking truth to one another, praying for one another, encouraging one another toward a life that pleases Him.

Not pretending holiness, but an open & honest pursuit of it… together, in prayer, with God’s help.

Shine HOPE by not pretending holiness… but by pursuing it alongside one another, honestly, sometimes raw & vulnerable… seeking to please God together through all of our struggles & weaknesses. Forever a work in progress–submitted to gracious, loving God for help.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

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 7.5 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!!

Malachite Drop Earrings (Made by Our Artisans in India!)

These stunning Malachite Drop Earrings are handmade in India by women earning fair wages for their work. These earrings feature an organic gold-tone shape with a dangle malachite stone charm, to create a sophisticated fair-trade fashion statement.

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

***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!***

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

How Much Does God Actually Want to Interact with Our Lives?

Growing up, I really didn’t think of God much beyond the fact that Jesus had died for my sins so that I could go to heaven someday.

I knew I *ought* to read the Bible & pray, but not why. Just felt it was what a “good Christian person” does… not much beyond that.

I also understood that I was supposed to live in a way that pleased God, so… try to be a nice person, try not to break His laws/commandments, & make good choices that would make Him happy.

Then there’s tithe, to support my local church… go to church on Sundays… pray before a meal… serve somehow, some way… pray when I’m scared of the dark or of a nightmare (I used to have chronic nightmares).

Other than that… well, I didn’t really think God was much involved in my life. More like a distant overseer who would let me into heaven someday because of what Jesus did for me.

What Can Prayer Actually Do?

I also REALLY didn’t understand the purpose of prayer, or even the point of it sometimes (I mean, He already knows my thoughts anyway).

(***You can read 3 previous blog posts on the topic of prayer, here: “What Even Is Prayer?” “What Is Prayer & Why Does It Matter?” “‘Pray Continually’–What Does Prayer Actually Accomplish?” ***)

So, thinking about God as a part of my daily life just seemed sort of not really a thing.

But, the more I read the Bible, the more I pray, & the more years that pass as someone seeking to know Him more & more… the more I have realized just how personal & involved God wants to be in our lives… if we but let Him.

Think of the verses in the Bible about “pray without ceasing,” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) this isn’t some sort of “stay knelt at the edge of your bed with your hands clasped & your eyes closed… & never EVER leave there.” This is a “instead of just inner dialogue, recognize God hears every thought & turn those thoughts toward conversation with Him.”

Learn from Those in the Bible Who Turned to God in Prayer about EVERYTHING… Vs Those Who Didn’t… (Sometimes the Same Person Did Both)

My husband & I read a chapter of the Bible together every night before bed, followed by our thoughts on what we’d read & then we take turns praying over our next day & thanking Him… & we just finished 2 Chronicles.

Just reading about all of the kings throughout Israel’s history during that time period, you see the good, the bad, & the UGLY (like burning your children alive to “appease” false “gods” UGH).

But what these chapters show over & over again is what God can do with a life willing to go to Him with every thought, every question, every struggle… willing to humble yourself before God with everything… & when they didn’t, like near the end of 2 Chronicles (2 Chronicles 35) (also, see David’s story), even when warned that it was God’s leading & to not try to stop it… instead of stopping to confirm with God, Josiah got himself killed. Every decision should go before the King of kings… not just doing what seems right to us.

The Patterns of the World?

Or how about the many repeated times where the phrase “& the people did what was right in their own eyes” shows up? (Judges 21:25) I always pictured it talking about orgies & other despicable things… but it quite literally is just what it says, they were “doing what was right in their own eyes.” That is seen as a bad thing, & goes along also with the phrase of the “vain patterns of their fathers,” doing what’s always been modeled to us versus checking it against what God says & how God leads.

“Don’t conform yourself to the patterns of this world, but BE transformed by the renewing of your mind….” (Romans 12:2)

We are not here on this earth to just live & then die. We were born, KNIT TOGETHER, (Psalm 139:13) our days numbered before even one began… to WORSHIP OUR KING. To live for the SPIRITUAL Kingdom of GOD. NOT this world!

How often do we live like that is actually true? How often do we just follow the patterns of the world we live in? The way we grew up?

How often do we stop & say to ourselves, “wait, everything else will just die with me when I go… ONLY living for God’s kingdom will last beyond my lifetime”? How often?

Who Do I Act Like I Am I REALLY Living For?

I grew up thinking to try to live a good life, “with a little dash of Jesus for good measure.” But who am I living for? Me? Or Him?

Even praying before meals had become a mindless ritual in many cases, while Jesus demonstrates it solely as a sign of humble respect, thanking God for His provisions, recognizing it as all from Him, before eating it. (Luke 22:19; John 6:11)

Do you know how much RICHER your life will become when it is fully, completely, & entirely submitted to THE eternal, all-powerful, all-wise, gracious, loving KING of kings? Because EVERYTHING you do will hold ETERNAL significance!

Don’t you want a life like that??? Don’t you CRAVE that???

What Would That Life Look Like?

A life where even menial, thankless, ever-needing-to-be-done tasks (like laundry, dishes, cleaning, bill-paying) become opportunities to thank God for all He has supplied, to honor Him by stewarding the resources well, to honor Him by working hard & allowing it to become a safe haven space for you & your family to come home to?

Work becomes a space where you can shine a light of hope to a world who does not know Hope, to pray for co-workers, to offer encouragement or grounding truth from God’s Word, to serve them, to find ways to make their EVERY day a little brighter & easier to show up for?

Where screw ups & failures & weaknesses never get wasted, because you pray & ask God to teach you to better trust & rely on Him through them & they become examples to the world of how great & gracious our God truly is. That He can do anything… He has no limitations.

Where peace enters your life when chaos still lingers because you have humbled yourself before Him to hold you through it. A peace not reliant upon peaceful circumstances returning.

Where bad attitudes, stress, & short tempers are met with a lowered head & a silent prayer of asking God for forgiveness & the grace to face that moment in a way that honors Him vs. just how it’s making you feel.

Parenting becomes discipleship. Marriage becomes a display of His grace. Friendships become fellowship. Church becomes humble worship… LIFE becomes humble worship.

Isn’t that what you want? Don’t you crave that?

How Much of Your Life Do You Let God Be a Part Of? … & How Much Do You Keep Back from Him?

Really think about it: How much of your life do you let God be a part of? … & how much do you keep back from Him?

Do you follow the patterns of people that live “with a dash of Jesus”? Or do you seek to let God help you forge a life fully surrendered to His Kingdom?

As I heard in a video recently, “Pretend that every time you walk into a room—God sent you there. How would that change how you act/live?”

We are here for a purpose: to worship & glorify God through all that we live, say, think, & do… are you living that way? Or are you just satisfied with your “dash” of Him?

Shine HOPE by letting God be your ALWAYS focus in your EVERY moment… not just the “dash of Jesus” ones.

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

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 7.5 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!!

January 2026 “Hope Mail” INDIA

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of January! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!       

Your purchase of January Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty.     

Featured in this month’s Hope Mail is the Love Letter Necklace. This adorable golden necklace features an envelope pendant and is creating dignified jobs for women in India. Each gold-tone envelope pendant looks like it’s sealed with a heart.

Every purchase of this month’s Hope Mail creates 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.

***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!***

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Short Answer? No

How do you become someone who is ALL IN for God? Is it only certain people who are exceptionally passionate people? Extra spiritual somehow? The right personality for it?

How can you go from just your average person to someone with a ministry like Paul’s? Like authors/speakers/pastors you admire? Is that even possible?

Sometimes it seems tempting to “leave that up to the ones who are “called” to it… those who seem to know what they’re doing… who seem to be naturals at it.” The problem with that line of thinking is literally every example of flawed human beings we read about in the Bible (aka everyone)… that the wonder, power, greatness, wisdom, miracles, etc. did not come from them being great at all… but because they trusted God over themselves.

I’m Never Going to be Good Enough…

I grew up a Christian. But I wasn’t always as I am now: designing/running my own website & blog, leading Bible studies, prayer groups, Sunday school classes, accountability groups, etc. I never thought I was good enough for ANY of that… & I wasn’t… & I still am not.

When I was just 5 years old, God got my attention. The sermon the pastor had preached in church started illuminating, as if it just all started suddenly coming into clear focus. That the sin he preached about was about ME TOO. I lied to my parents, argued, disobeyed, was mean to my little sister… all those things were SIN. I WAS WHY JESUS HAD TO DIE. ME.

I realized that my sin angered God & separated me from Him & made me worthy of Hell. I realized Jesus loved ME enough to die for MY sins. That Jesus was the ONLY way, because I was not good enough.

My parents asked me questions & walked me through how I could lay down my life & trust in Jesus to save me from my sins, that His death & resurrection alone was sufficient.

God, in His infinite grace, through His love for us that compelled Him… saw fit to pay my debts.

I Thought God Was Pretty Hands Off in the Day-to-Day… That His Saving Me Applied Only After Death… I Was Wrong

But, although I knew eternal peace from that young age &, in hindsight saw His fingerprints all throughout my life… I didn’t know much beyond that. I had to LEARN it.

You see, I thought He gave us His Word (the Bible) as good pointers/wisdom & that was that… it was up to me to figure out the rest from there. I didn’t know how He could help illuminate His Word to me through the Holy Spirit, as He had when the pastor had preached about heaven & hell all those years ago. I thought it was up to me to figure it all out.

I also wrongly felt pressures to always be good enough to “deserve” Jesus. As if I felt I needed to add more onto it as my life went on, more clearly recognizing my unworthiness the older I got… & I wanted to balance the scales a bit so I could maybe feel worthy of Jesus saving me… constantly worried that if I didn’t do enough, maybe my salvation was fake because I knew I was so flawed.

I also wrongly believed that God didn’t have much to do with my day-to-day life, other than me trying to read the Bible & live in a way that honored Him. Like… that GOD was pretty much hands-off other than that.

Everything We Say or Do Will All Pass Away… Except for What We Do for HIS KINGDOM

I ALSO wrongly believed that life was just life. You follow the flow of society… go to school, graduate, go to college, get a job, get married, have kids, etc. & that life was just about trying to do your best to live for God by praying before meals, going to church, not cussing, & just trying to be a good person, etc. through all of it.

I didn’t really truly understand the purpose of prayer beyond thanking Him for things, asking for things, or whatever.

Maybe all this describes you right now. That you believe that’s that & there’s nothing more to it.

But can I challenge you to wonder if there could be more?

That the fruit of prayer can be so incredibly richer than you currently believe it to be?

Even in the Quiet, Unappreciated, Unnoticed Parts of Life… They Can be Used to Glorify & Worship God, Too

I am not talking about a “going viral” type of ministry. I am not talking about being an author or speaker recognized nationally. Or even being really popular.

Sometimes it’s in the quiet things & seems to go quite unnoticed (like my little blog—or even like parenting or tending to your home/family). Sometimes it’s so small, but yet so rich.

This is why I write this blog, or at least a huge part of it. I desperately want you to see that going more & more ALL IN for Him is not reserved for the super spiritual type people. It’s for the average, even less than average. I want you to experience the richness of a life full, brimming, & overflowing with purpose, a joy that goes beyond circumstances… a life mission that lives long after you. A life of bringing honor & glory & worship to the One True King of kings, Lord of Heaven & Earth, Savior of our souls.

Even in the mundane. Even in just surrendering your sour attitude on a hard morning. Even in remembering to pray when you feel weak or even when you feel strong, relying on Him over self. Even on caring for others in the quiet, unnoticed things. Living a life surrendered to His purposes & His Will & His provision & His Love. A life that puts Him first in EVERYTHING, praying for His help to do so at every turn, even & especially when you REALLY don’t FEEL like it.

He Can Use the Weakest of the Weak, if They Are But Willing to Surrender Their Meager Self to His Infinite Power & Purpose

I was no one special. I was just some girl growing up thinking it was all up to me to be a good person to please God “enough.” I didn’t know He would help me in doing that better if I but asked Him & relied upon His help.

I prayed only when I needed something, not when I truly believed nothing could change anyway. Now I see the evidence again & again in the Bible of WHY we OUGHT TO TURN TO HIM WHEN THERE IS NO HOPE… because God can do what I can’t. He can make happen what I can’t.

Not vain repetitions, as if He doesn’t already know… but repeatedly & consistently because you know He’s where your hope will be found & nowhere else.

Praying for HIS peace when peace is impossible.

Praying for HIS strength when you are absolutely depleted of it.

Praying for HIS wisdom when you’ve exhausted all options.

Praying for forgiveness when you have fallen short for the millionth time already, knowing His grace has no limits.

Praying for help to make the right choice, to have the right attitude… for even a desire to WANT to make the right choice or have the right attitude (that’s usually where I have to start anyway).

Does Your Personality Determine How “All In” You Can be with God?

You aren’t BORN WANTING to please God, but SELF.

Going ALL IN with God takes a surrendered heart, a surrendered will.

It takes a willingness over & over & over again, not giving up on what God can do with a willing heart, saying, “God, I am unworthy, make me more like Your Son… make me more like Jesus. Help me to honor You better, to love You better, to please You better in EVERY area of my life, big or small. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

I promise you, it is 100% worth it.

I am still a work-in-progress & forever will be. But I have a God Who is so far beyond my limitations. And in Him is where my trust is rooted... not myself.

…. Not myself….

What Are You Willing to Surrender? What Are You Willing to Trust God Can Change in You?

If you want an ALL IN faith, an ALL IN life (one that you can look back on while on your death bed & be proud of), you have to be repeatedly willing to lay yourself, your way, your will, your wisdom, your all… down at His feet as a sacrifice. For Him to redeem it into something more beautiful, more eternally significant. For His Kingdom.

It’s not an overnight thing. I spent YEARS in tumultuous doubts from the clashes of culture vs. God’s Word in my youth, years I never thought could ever end. He ended it by leading me through one of the darkest valleys I’ve ever known. But on the other side, I walked out in full assurance of Who my God is. That I never had to doubt ever again–& for that, I only WISH I could lead everyone I know to that same terrible valley I thought I could only hate & fear. Because it led to TRUE LIGHT of HOPE.

I have a long ways to go, but it’s a journey well worth the pursuit. Everything else is just filler before death… death that leads to me being forgotten completely within just a few generations.

But what I do for Jesus Christ will have eternal value. Shining a light of hope into this world, letting my broken pieces be where His light shines through… showing the world the way to HOPE.

Let Your Brokenness & Flaws Shine His Glory & Grace through the Cracks

My mistakes & my flaws & my failures are no longer mine to keep… they are the cracks & crevices that allow others to see what God can do with our brokenness & our flawed humanity. His redemption. His healing. His grace. His love. His HOPE.

So, the level of your being ALL IN with God, living as a true light for Him in all areas of your life, has very little to do with you or your personality… & it has ALL to do with your willingness to continue laying yourself down to His help & His will over your own.

So… SHINE for Him. Shine HOPE. But first, be willing to start with repeated-throughout-the-years moments of surrender that say, “God, I want to live ALL IN for You, but I have no idea where to begin… or if I have the personality for it… so change me, shape me into someone who lives to live a life that shines hope, found only in Your Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ worthy, holy name, AMEN.”

~It is a journey well worth it.

***He is waiting for you… will you come?:***

***(Romans 3:23; Romans 5:8-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 14:6)***

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 7.5 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!!

Moon Earrings (Handcrafted in INDIA)

Showcase detailed Artisanal craftmanship when you style these unique Moon Earrings! These gorgeous, beaded earrings are handcrafted in a workshop in India that’s committed to fighting child marriage and helping women become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. Featuring white beads in a gold moon shape and finished with a freshwater pearl, the Moon Earrings are intricately crafted to create a subtle, beautiful iridescent design. Not only are the Moon Earrings stunning, but they also create necessary jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty in India. 

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!

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Any Job, with ZERO Obstacles to It…? What Would You Choose?

My friend asked me something like this in the past year or so: “If you could have ANY job, with ZERO obstacles to get it… what would it be? Meaning, no budget constraints for schooling, you automatically gain all the skills you need to do it… no job too big or too small, dream big… what would that dream job be?”

I don’t have to think about that one too hard. I know exactly what I would choose.

Growing up, this wasn’t the case. I was told I was smart, that I could be whatever I wanted. I was told I could dream big—even a CEO or lawyer… that I had what it took to think big.

But… for what? Nothing seemed quite right to me….

I Never Knew “What I Wanted to be When I Grew Up”

That question, though… boy did I dislike it: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Why did I loathe it so much? Because I never had a clue. It made me feel like I was SUPPOSED to have it all figured out, but for some reason could not grasp any idea of it.

I never really knew what job/career stood out to me. I tried so many different things, sort of just shooting in the dark to try to find something that would stick… became a “jack of all trades,” if you will.

I was a bank teller, a bridal gown consultant, acting bridal manager, real estate office receptionist, post office clerk, party store employee, nanny, housecleaner, technical school receptionist, temp, pet sitter, file room worker, call center employee for J Crew, church secretary, backup ESL Teacher in Japan, K5 teacher for a year before moving overseas, cashier for a school cafeteria, substitute teacher, sold knives for Cutco, worked with Trades of Hope (still do)…. But it all just felt like I was trying to force something that was just not mean to be for the long haul. Doing well at it but just feeling like it wasn’t the end goal.

God Always Has a Plan… & Sometimes What We Need Is to be Taken Off Course

Cue getting married & moving overseas. I could NOT seem to get a job. It was so discouraging. But I started doing more ministry related things… eventually designing & launching my website back in 2018.

But God never works without a purpose. He always has a plan we don’t see. He is working!

Eventually, through the study “Breaking Free,” by Beth Moore (you can find a link to this resource on the Resources & Recommendations page of my website, found: here), God showed me that although it was okay to mourn what never was–contrary to how it had sometimes felt–it was also not a punishment that I was childless, but rather a beautiful opportunity to pour into others.

(***You can read about that discovery in more detail in my previous post about it: “To the Barren Woman.”***)

God’s Plan Is Better Than What I Can See

You see, I was never huge with maternal instinct vibes, but I wanted kids just simply so I could pour into & disciple them to serve God long after I was gone. To leave behind a legacy for Christ.

And Beth Moore brought up that exact thing. That a mother’s main role is pouring into their children, but as a childless woman, I could pour into THEM, to strengthen & encourage THEM to then pour that overflow into THEIR children.

I bawled my eyes out when God showed me that because I realized in that moment that it was what I wanted more than anything in the world… to share His hope with those who need that reminder. And we all could use that reminder.

If I Could Have My Dream Job

My dream job?

Picture this: a small, quaint office, with a simple desk, a few chairs, a lamp, a bookcase, & a cozy rug. The bookcase has games, coloring supplies, & puzzles on its lower shelves… & books of authors who have led me, inspired me, & encouraged me closer to Jesus on the upper shelves. If a mom with kids, she could bring them to sit & play or color. We could talk. A revolving door for women of all ages: kids to elderly. Accountability, discipleship, prayer meetings. Talking about what the Bible says… talking about life… pointing to Him & His Word to help us navigate it all… prayer… sharing testimonies of His work… tears… laughter… openness… edifying (building up), encouraging (lifting up), & exhorting (urging forward) (AKA what I call “3E conversations”)… walking alongside one another… urging one another to seek Him in all things… all things for His glory.

That’s it. That is my dream job. If I could do ANYTHING, no obstacles…. To talk about Him all day to anyone who will listen. To point to Him in all things… to model praying through it all, seeking His wisdom above the world’s, seeking His face & His glory over anything this temporary world has to offer.

To Live All for the Glory of God

That’s what I want more than anything. To spend my life talking about Him with others.

To spend my life urging others to live life in full surrender, to be their prayer backup when Satan’s lies twist around them, to encourage them through hurts & struggles & pain. To point to GOD, through Christ, as our hope & our purpose in ALL THINGS.

It lights a fire in me. It invigorates me. It inspires me to remember the real reason we were put on this earth, to live for & bring glory to the One true, eternal King, Jesus our LORD.

And guess what? You don’t need to have my dream job to live your life for Him & for His glory… so how can you be doing that right where you are, in the job that you have… wherever God has placed you?

Shine HOPE by serving Him & giving Him glory wherever He may plant you. even if you never get your dream job….

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 7 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!!

Enhanced Ruby Earrings–INDIA

Create safe jobs for women in India when you shop the Enhanced Ruby Earrings! These stunning drop-style earrings feature an enhanced ruby stone deepening the color of the ruby. Each earring is handmade by women in India earning fair wages for their work. Dress the Enhanced Ruby Studs up for the holidays or wear them as an everyday staple with jeans!

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!

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Always Watching…

When your face says a little more than you mean it to… when the tone of your voice gives a little too much insight into the bad attitude you’re trying to pretend isn’t there… when you just don’t seem to act like that something or other is really that big of a deal to you…. Everything you do & say, whether purposely or subconsciously… tells others what is important to you… tells others about who you are.

If you say God is important to you, but you only mention Him at church or in prayer before a meal… what do you think that really communicates?

When you say you love a family member, but you can’t seem to spend significant time with them without being on your phone… what do you think that really communicates?

I could go on & on with examples, we all know of them… whether we’re the witness or the culprit.

And the point of this week’s post isn’t to shame you on it either. It’s to help us see a different way to live. Gain perspective.

Are You Perfect? I’m Not.

None of us are perfect. We all give a facial expression from time to time that slips out how we’re really feeling. Or a tone of voice with a little more sass than you intended. Or feeling so zoned out & exhausted that even one more interaction just feels like too much in that particular moment, even for someone you love.

We’re not machines. We’re people. We don’t always immediately react how we ought to or have the perfect attitude as we ought to… love how we ought to… represent God how we ought to.

But we’re being watched all the same.

What are people seeing in you?

Not a Call to be Fake… But to be Intentional

Now, this point is not being made in order to push us all into some unrealistic pressures to achieve a perception of perfection… but rather a call to be mindful… to be intentional.

People observe us every day. We represent Jesus Christ, our LORD, whether we’re intentionally setting out to do so that day or not.

God doesn’t need us to fake the smile… fake the perfection… hide our weaknesses… but to use our mistakes to point to our need of Him… to demonstrate a life of surrendering our imperfections & struggles to the One Who holds our HOPE.

Not perfection… none of us have any hope of achieving that (& we all know that, no matter how hard you may try to appear so)… but intentionally living a surrendered & submitted life, for God’s help, to live a life that displays (& shouts even) His glory to a world that passes by you each & every day.

Not to be “perfect”… but to be intentional.

What Do They See About You?

If a stranger who sees you regularly at the town store were to try to describe you as a person, just simply by outside observation, how would they describe you? Patient? Rushed? Rude? Kind? Cheerful? Stressed out? Relaxed? Peaceful? On a mission? Gracious?

If a young child were to describe what matters most to you, what would they say? Your Bible? Your phone? Your shows? Church? Bible Studies? Fashion, sports, shopping, etc? Sharing the gospel? Helping others? Free time to yourself? Them?

What are you putting on display to the world? Even unknowingly?

When you die, what will people say was most important to you in life? Would they even think to mention Jesus?

You are communicating to others every day, without even saying a word.

So, what are YOU communicating to the world around you?

You Are Being Watched

Would they know Jesus from you? Would they witness you taking your weaknesses to God for help? Would they see you shutting down &/or shutting others out from stress? Would they see comfort & ease as your idols? Would they know they matter to you? Would they see God’s glory displayed through your day-to-day life? Would they say you value the well-being of others?

How are you living for the glory of God? What do others see in you?

Shine HOPE by taking every thought captive, making it obedient to Christ, by continuously asking for God’s help in how you: interact with others, treat others, how you react & respond, how you love others & how you love Jesus.

To God be the glory, forever & ever, 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 7 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!!

December 2025 “HOPE MAIL” (INDIA)

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of December! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!       

Your purchase of December Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty.     

Featured in this month’s Hope Mail is the Gilded Crest Earrings. These detailed, hand beaded earrings are handcrafted by women in a workshop committed to fighting child marriage and creating dignified jobs for women in India. Each gold-tone earring uses traditional embroidery and hand beading details to show off our Artisan Partners craftsmanship featuring pearl accents.

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!

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

When You Feel Unseen

Do you ever feel invisible? Like your hurts are just too much for others? Like you’re too much for others?

I definitely feel that way sometimes.

But, if I’m honest, I think everyone probably feels that way to some degree, whether they are able to acknowledge or articulate that or not. Some people clam up, avoid others when they’re struggling. Some cry a lot. Some seem clingy & needy. We all handle it a bit differently, but deep down, we understand our hard is a burden, which can make US feel like a burden.

Sometimes I Feel Like Others See Me as a Burden

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I have big emotions. It’s something that has been shamed quite a bit in my lifetime… something I often feel a lot of shame about, as a result.

I have seen the poorly concealed rolled eyes, the distancing from me, have heard the “so much drama” comments about me. It hurts, to be honest.

Nobody likes to feel shamed when they’re already feeling weak & vulnerable. They want to be embraced & loved just where they are, as they are… without having to mask or conceal the unsightly parts of their heart.

At least, that’s what I want.

Stay

And when I am facing a ton of hard emotions, the LAST thing I want is to feel as if everyone I love & trust seem to just begin to slowly pull away from me.

I want them to pull me in closer. Bear hug me. Tell me they still love me, even when I’m not at my best. Even when I feel I have so very little to offer them. That just me is enough.

It’s not something I really experience much. I more often than not feel invisible all of a sudden.

In My Poetry Journaling, I Can “Ugly Cry”

Besides crying alone & gripping the covers up to my chin to feel safe & secure… besides gripping (or chucking) my stress ball to help me squeeze out some of the tension I feel overwhelmed by… besides praying for help… I write about it. Little poems where I let out my darkest, ugliest swirling thoughts… where I allow them to be there & allow myself to be real about their existence, so I can call it out & pray about it as it really is… not just the prettied-up version God doesn’t need because He knows all anyway.

I write about longing for the perfection of heaven, the lack of tears, the lack of pain. I even sometimes write about wishing I could die so I wouldn’t have to ever feel any pain again. I write about longing to be in the arms of God, to feel safe & whole & wholly loved. I get real with God about where I’m at, letting myself trust that even if my reality scares people away or makes me seem like the family burden, I am never a burden to God.

God Wraps His Sufficient, Gracious, Merciful, Faithful, Long-Suffering Arms Around Me

He is big enough for me. He can handle it. He doesn’t need the cliff notes, He takes it all. I can full on ugly cry with Him. He can handle the ugly, the “drama”, the not-prettied-up version of me. He takes me as is. He loves me as is. He is sufficient for me as is.

I don’t have to mask for Him. I don’t have to plaster on a smile for Him. I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to pretend my faith is bigger than it is for Him. I don’t have to will-power my way through anything with Him. I don’t have to be okay all the time for Him. I don’t have to make myself seem worthy or appealing enough to want to spend time with me, to counter how much of a burden I feel I can be. I don’t have to try to advocate for why I’m worth keeping around. I can just BE with Him. Just me.

I can collapse in His figurative arms. Raw, hurting, & empty. I can come with nothing at all to offer Him. I can be frail & weak & ugly crying with snot all over my face. I can be as much of a burden as is humanly possible & be no burden at all to Him. I can handle everything terribly, fall apart, have no answers, get everything wrong… & yet He Is Sufficient. He is merciful. He is patient. He is faithful. He will NOT leave me nor can He love me any less. I can have nothing & He will still bring me His everything.

I love that so much.

Love Like Jesus… Even When It Is Really, REALLY Uncomfortable… Hug & PRAY with Them

Do I really, really wish more people loved others the way He loves us? To feel a tangible love & friendship where I don’t always feel like I have to convince them I’m not too much? Where I don’t feel I have to muster up cliff notes that won’t bore them or scare them or make them uncomfortable? A love that is present & warm & caring, even when it doesn’t benefit them? Of course I do. That’s why God calls us to love other people that way.

To comfort the faint-hearted, not to sing when others are broken & hurting, to mourn with those who mourn….

Not avoid. Not fix. Not quote platitudes. Just presence… just an attitude that says, “even when you’re not all together, I love you & I’m not going anywhere.”

Do You Ever Feel Invisible?

Can we be more of that to each other? Allow each other not to always have it together or have all the answers or always respond in the perfect way to all of life at all times? To have big emotions we don’t know what to do with? To be human…?

Not excusing sin, not supporting strongholds… but also learning compassion, recognizing weakness is human, bearing with one another in love, as God calls us to.

Can we take the time to SEE each other, really see them… even when they may be at their worst & have nothing to offer the friendship?

Can we love more like God loves us?

How Can You Love Others the Way You Wish to be Loved?

Do you ever feel invisible?

What would help you in it? How can you love someone else the way it would help you?

How can you be present… even when you may not get anything from it? Even if it feels burdensome to you. How can you love them anyway? As Christ loves us?

What helps me? When people still invite me, even when I’m low energy & not much of a contribution to conversation/fun. When people genuinely want to know how I am & pray WITH me through it. A long hug–you know, when it gets to that fine line between “I’ve got you, no matter what,” & borderline completely awkwardly long? Like that. When people remind me of truth, but also remind me that even in my weakness, God never gives up on me. When people are willing to be a sounding board… getting to talk about what makes my heart ache oftentimes takes the power away from whatever is plaguing me, so a listening ear does wonders.

Shine HOPE by seeking to really see people in their hurting & let them feel seen. Even if it’s uncomfortable. Love the way you would love to be loved, even when you don’t really understand their hurt…. You don’t have to understand why they’re hurting so much in order to love them so much. Remember that. God doesn’t ask us to justify why we’re hurting, He just comforts & offers His sufficient, faithful love… let’s do that.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 7 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!!

Scarlet Cluster Studs (INDIA)

Artisans in India are earning a fair and dignified wage as they handcraft these elegant and festive Scarlet Cluster Studs. Each gold-framed earring features a cluster of four scarlet-colored gems in a gold-tone setting, creating a beautiful fair-trade fashion statement. Every pair of Scarlet Cluster Studs create necessary jobs to end poverty cycles and keep families out of the slums of India!

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!

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

How Do You Know if You’re Living with Blinders On?

If you saw on my social media the sermon notes I took down this past Sunday, you will have a clue as to the direction of this week’s blog post: How hard it is to live in light of eternity, when our everyday activities are right in front of our face all the time.

I can’t say I am always too good at this. I tend to live life with blinders on… run the errands, do the chores, do my tasks at work, come home to relax, etc. before considering the fact that really, when it all boils down… none of it is anything that will affect eternity or have any significance or worth after I die.

So, how do I do things differently? How do I live with a mindset of what will last? What truly matters once I am gone? After my loved ones are gone? Once Jesus returns?

If It Were Up to Me…?

One question that keeps ringing in my ear is the one I wrote on those sermon notes… “If it were completely up to me, who would go to Hell because I felt too uncomfortable to tell them about Jesus?”

That’s rough, isn’t it?

It seems a little too uncomfortable even reading or asking that question.

But there is some truth to it. No, it’s not entirely up to us. God doesn’t need us. But God DOES use our willingness to live in obedience & surrender to Him. It can bless others, help their road be less damaging, be a demonstration of HOPE to a world in desperate need of it. PLUS, it brings honor & glory to God.

We can play a part. We can plant a seed. But we can’t bring anyone to Christ—that’s God’s job. He does the saving, not us.

Where Is Your Focus Pointed?

How do you start your day? Do you grumble at your alarm clock? At the lack of sleep you had last night? (Saying from experience here.) Do you grab your phone for some mindless scrolling? Or do you pay attention to the fact that God sees you, right there, in your groggy fogged state, in whatever attitude you have at that given moment—He sees you. Do you take a minute to say hi? To confess your grumpy attitude, if you have one, & ask for an adjustment in perspective? Do you ask Him to guide your day, grant you wisdom, help you to see opportunities, help you to live for Him that day?

What about getting ready in the morning? Is there worship music playing? Are you praising Him? Talking to Him? Are you reviewing Bible verses as you brush your teeth to help you stand firmly on truth? Spending time with your Bible & study notes?

Where are you setting your focus?

(*My website offers a free Bible Study Notes Guide printable resource if you need help getting started on this. You can find it in the “Abiding in Him” section of the Resources & Recommendations page on my website.)

Where Are You Pointing Your Family?

If you have a family to cook for, are you seeing it as an opportunity to serve them lovingly? To create an environment where they feel safe & loved? Or are you doing it out of felt obligation? Do you take opportunity to demonstrate & teach the importance of taking time to thank God for His provisions before you eat, as Jesus demonstrated? Or just rush through the meal?

In the chores & the errands, do you see it as a way to bless those who will benefit from it? To create a warm, safe, loving environment for everyone to come home to? Or just work to be done?

At work, do you serve as if serving God? Trying to do it willingly & cheerfully? To be a blessing to others? Or just to get a paycheck at the end of the day?

I heard a comedian that gave me such a wonderfully fresh perspective on this. He talked about how he came to work every night, to perform his comedy bit, working on new material & practicing & doing the shows, to GET PAID… but that God got his attention one day to view it not as what he can GET, but rather what he can GIVE. That some may be stressed from piles of assignments at work, feel underappreciated or unseen, struggling through loss, etc. & that he had the beautiful opportunity to GIVE them space to smile & laugh & feel LIGHT. What a beautiful perspective!!

How can we apply that to different areas of our lives? Where can we GIVE?

Living the Gospel Out Loud

When others talk about their stresses or hurts, do you take a minute right there & ask if you can pray with them right then & there? To come alongside them in it? Or just promise to pray a prayer for them that you’ll forget about later?

Do you ask God for opportunities to be a blessing to others who may be secretly hurting, who may have needs you’re able to meet?

Do you talk about Jesus? Do you ever bring Him up in conversation? Do other people know that you know Him & trust Him with your eternity?

When you hear the lies of culture, do you take a moment to point out what the Bible says to counter in it with Truth? To point to a steady, sure, reliable foundation….

Do you read your Bible so you can get to know the character of God, to recognize the voice of truth when God tries to lead you? Do you know your Good Shepherd’s voice? Do you know His Word, the Bible, well enough to know the Truth, to know His leading, to hear His voice? How is your discernment?

Do you talk to Him all throughout your day? … Recognizing that He hears your every thought & can help you through every step as you allow Him to take the lead?

Do You Pray Without Ceasing? Talk to Him throughout Your Every Day?

Do you seek His comfort & pray when you’re down or burdened or hurting?

Do you seek His wisdom & pray when you’re anxious, worried, or stressed?

Do you seek His strength & pray when you feel weak, incapable, or insecure?

Do you seek His help & pray when you feel ill-equipped, unsure, or out of your depth?

Do you seek His words & pray when you want to talk about Him or His Word to others, but you just don’t know how to say it?

He is always listening. He is always capable. He is always strong. He is all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful.

ASK Him.

Living in Light of Eternity? Or Just Right Now?

Do you live your life in light of eternity? Or just right now?

How are you living?

Will it matter when you die?

Will it have affected the lives of those around you for eternity after they’re gone?

What changes will you make? Will you ask God where to start? Will you ask God to give you wisdom in the how & strength in the change? Will you have the courage to ask Him to help you live more in light of eternity vs. just right now?

How are you living?

Shine HOPE by living every day in light of eternity, realizing the difference between what will be here today & gone tomorrow, versus what will last long into forever after we’re dead & gone. What will you invest your life in? Will it matter? Shine as a beacon of hope in Jesus Christ, so that, if it were up to you, everyone who even passes by you will have every opportunity to know how they can spend their eternity in Heaven & never feel the painful pangs of Hell. Live like forever matters… because it does… it really, really does.

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 7 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!!

Sealed with Love Ornament–NEPAL

HOLIDAY EDITION – While supplies last! Create safe jobs with fair wages for the women in Nepal who handcraft the adorable Sealed with Love Ornament through this dignified partnership. Your Christmas tree will be so charming with this festive mother and baby duo holding a present. Each ornament is crafted using 100% wool and traditional wool crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations. 

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!

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

Here’s to 42!

Well, tomorrow is my birthday & it’s the big 4-2 happening here.

Nothing big planned—just planning to go walk around the mall & get dinner with the hubs. It’s how I like it. Simple, good company, small, quiet, good food, & maybe a few presents & light pink balloons, too.

Aging is interesting, isn’t it? For one, I do not feel 42. As my mom says every year, “how are you ________, when I’m still 29?” That’s how it feels, doesn’t it? I wonder if it’s because our souls are eternal & our bodies are not. Our bodies are slowly wearing down over time (I definitely feel that truth more & more with each passing year), but our souls are forever young.

Not Ashamed to Say It… I Love My Birthday!

But I think getting older is cool. I LOVE my birthday. I’m a complete kid with my birthday. It always involves a lot of pink & all my favorite foods & presents I get to pick out (which makes it twice as nice because I so enjoy shopping (even just window shopping is super fun for me—seeing beautiful fabrics & creative designs & people’s artistic expressions).

But beyond those things, I think celebrating my birthday each year is really cool because it’s a reminder of another year I have completed. Another year of experiences lived. New hobbies or lessons learned or new friends met. New lessons God has taught me. New things overcome.

Every year passed is another year of time with family & friends, of traveling, of seeing how God wants to use me during my time on this green earth… it’s like leveling up in a video game—an achievement I have earned (with SO MUCH of God’s help), an achievement worth celebrating.

Another year of life LIVED. Another year of seeing God’s blessings, even through the darkest, hardest of times.

Don’t Fear the Grays–Embrace Them! They’re a Crown of Glory!

God actually says that gray hair is like a crown of glory. (Provers 16:31) Why? Because it shows how much you have faced to EARN that gray hair. A life long-lived.

“Even to your old age, I [God] am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4)

“Wisdom is with the aged,
    and understanding in length of days.

With God are wisdom and might;
    he has counsel and understanding.” (Job 12:12-13)

“So even to old age and gray hairs,
    O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
Your righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done great things,
    O God, who is like you?” (Psalm 71:18-19)

In My 42nd Year…

In my 42^nd year, I hope to surrender more of myself & my way to God’s will & way. To be used by Him. To surrender more to His leading, to do more of what pleases & honors Him. To use my time well.

In my 42^nd year, I hope for more warm & happy memories with my family & friends… more edifying (building up) & encouraging (lifting up) & exhorting (urging forward) conversations. (AKA, more “3E” conversations.)

In my 42^nd year, I hope for more opportunities to travel (& maybe a couple Disney trips thrown in there, too–Tokyo Disney is so cheap & so fun!).

In my 42^nd year, I hope I will be able to look back at the end of it & see how much I’ve grown, how many fears God has helped me overcome, how many better habits I’ve established & incorporated with God’s help, how far God has brought me from this moment right here writing this.

To 42 Years, & Counting

You see, deserving or not, God never gives up on me. His love compelled Him to give His all for me, when I deserved none of it. He didn’t have to. He wanted to. And He still gives & gives & gives! Peace in the storms, wisdom when I’m lost, strength when I’m helpless, & gentle love through it all.

And I trust that He will continue to work on me, weeding out the not-so-greats & pruning the could-be-betters. He is faithful. He is working. He doesn’t give up on me. Not now, not ever.

And I want my year 42 to reflect that in every high & in every low, not because I have a right to have this platform, but because He has a right to have this platform be used to proclaim His glory with every single letter written from now until my final dying breath.

With every breath, may I praise the LORD.

Shine HOPE, by allowing your age, the number of years you’ve lived, be a proclamation of how far He has brought you, of accomplishments, of experiences lived, of lessons learned, of life LIVED. To God be the glory, forever & ever. 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 7 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!!

Snowdrop Owl Ornament (NEPAL)

HOLIDAY EDITION – While supplies last! Create safe jobs with fair wages for the women in Nepal who handcraft the adorable Snowdrop Owl Ornament through this dignified partnership. Adorn your Christmas tree with a beautiful Owl Ornament featuring pearl beaded accents, crafted using 100% wool and traditional wool crafting techniques that have been passed down for generations. 

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!

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.

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!

Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

HERE’S TO YEAR 42!!