My Heart Has Gotten Colder

My husband & I have started trying to pray together before bed so we can share whatever may be on our heart/mind with each other & with God.

As we were praying, I just realized that my main prayer was for my lukewarm heart. I have talked the last couple weeks in my blog about people-pleasing & living in constant need of approval even in how I worship or anything. How it has dimmed my light—taking my focus off pleasing & honoring God as my main focus & instead putting too much stock in whether or not I am pleasing enough to everyone around me.

Well, you may already be aware of this, but the truth is—it is always impossible to please everyone. And in trying to do so anyway, you must water down yourself to be more palatable to more people.

And that’s what I have done. Watered myself down. I stopped drawing & dancing & singing & enjoying the little daily blessings from God all around me because I was too afraid of not doing something well enough.

It’s Okay to be a Work-in-Progress

Hearing “The Magical Yet” read last year sparked this realization first in my heart. I had begun to be too afraid to ever try, to ever do… because what if I am not good enough at it?

I have even projected this feeling to God, as if I am never good enough for Him either & have just sort of walled myself off from feeling passionate about Him even for fear of “doing it wrong.” As if He is also constantly disapproving of my constant inadequacies.

But He knows I am inadequate. He knows I am not enough. That is the very reason He sent Jesus to die. To rise again. (Isaiah 53:5) That is the very reason He says I need to abide in Him & Him in me. (John 15:5) I need Him.

Don’t be Afraid of Your Need to Grow

I need to retrain my focus. I need to let go of fears of insufficiencies holding chains over me from progress & joy. I need to let myself try, fail, do, sing, enjoy the blessings of God around me every day, living a life of praise & not fear.

Not to live my life my way or do whatever I wish, but to stop worrying so much about whether everyone else is praising me or criticizing me over every little detail of my life. As long as I live according to how God says & walk obediently to Him first, naysayers can be naysayers.

That is where I begin again. With my eyes fixed on Him.

Only His Opinion Matters When Others Disagree

Imagine if Jesus’ disciples, or if the authors of the Bible (inspired by God) were to stop worshipping or living according to God’s direction because other people didn’t approve of it always all the time?

What if Jesus had just stepped down & said, “Oh, okay, sorry everyone! I won’t bother you anymore with the truth that is upsetting you so much.”

Jesus was HATED by church leaders even.

Don’t Go Hating on Church Leaders

Now, in their case, they had grown so accustomed to all of their rules upon rules & their way of doing things, that when Jesus challenged them on it, they hated Him for it. They hated Him for challenging their spiritual authority. They hated Him for challenging their role as leadership–their power.

They needed a lesson in humility, didn’t they? In finding their hope in Jesus Christ & not in themselves.

They had felt satisfied that “as long as we do such & such or avoid such & such, we are good!” But Jesus challenged them with the fact that even their THOUGHTS mattered to God. Even their MOTIVATIONS in their actions mattered. (Matthew 5:17-6:15)

Not just checking off the right “Christian-y” things to be a “good” person.

God cares about the HEART.

But, all this to say—the leaders convinced themselves they meant well, but they were missing the whole point.

Well-Meaning Is Not Always the Same Thing as God’s Will

Then there were even the fellow Christians. They were obeying truth & cherishing & surrendering to Christ—but it was still easy to think on human terms & to judge a situation based on what made logical sense to them.

Like, when Paul said he was going to return somewhere where the people there had already made it clear they were out for his blood for the things he was saying—speaking truth & the hope found in Jesus Christ alone….

And, like anyone who loves & cares deeply for someone, all the fellow Christians could think & say was: “You CAN’T go THERE!! They will KILL you!”

His response? “What are you doing, weeping & breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:11-14)

Even Christians Get It Wrong Sometimes

Paul’s well-meaning Christian friends were focused on earthly things—the safety & security of their friend—wonderful things to care about when it comes to the life of someone you care about… instead of focusing on the eternal—that even IF he died, if God WAS leading Him, then God had more than a good enough reason, & that “even ‘til death” was MORE than WORTH it.

He understood that death was a small price when considering sharing the hope we have because of Jesus Christ—he was eternity-focused.

His friends weren’t being evil for caring for his well-being, but they could have kept him from obedience to God’s leading if he had tried to please them above pleasing God.

We’re All Human… But We All Need Each Other

Now, we have to be careful talking about misguided church leaders & well-meaning but misguided church-goers, because the Bible is very clear that we need to be plugged into a church. (Colossians 3:13; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Timothy 3:15) We need fellowship. We need the coming together. We need a shepherding pastor looking out for our spiritual well-being & growth. (Acts 20:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:17)

But they are all people, just like me. And while much can be gained in sharpening one another (Proverbs 27:17) & edifying (building up) & encouraging (lifting up) of one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)… when their opinions begin to trump obedience to God’s leading, it becomes a problem… a big problem.

I need to learn to separate the two.

They are all supplemental to all I get from abiding in Him & letting Him lead my life. They are not the main thing.

Everyone Will Always Have an Opinion to Share, but be Right Before the Lord & Let the Rest GO

I think about David. He was so overcome with joy & praise & awe & wonder & worship that he was dancing his heart out so much so that his wife chided him for embarrassing her in front of her maidens. (2 Samuel 6:14-23)

But his response was beautiful because he said he should have danced even more wildly as an outpouring of praise.

If I am truly living to please & honor Him with everything I do in my life, I don’t need to be worried about how everyone else might turn their nose up at me or roll their eyes or raise their eyebrows in judgement.

I just need to worry about pleasing & honoring God in my response to Him & His lead.

Sometimes It’s Just NOT Your Business–If It’s Not Direct Sin, It’s Between Them & the LORD

The Bible addresses judgement in several ways. One of which is: “who are you to judge your neighbor?” which is not saying to not point out sin… it is saying. for one: don’t be self-righteous in judging someone else & how they worship because it doesn’t look like how you do it or how your church did it growing up. (James 4:12)

Don’t think, “oh, they listen to worship music other than HYMNS? Can they even CALL that WORSHIP music?!” or “They raise their hands in church? What, do they think that makes them extra spiritual or something, lol?”

Stop doing that. If you’re concerned that SIN is involved, try PRAYING for God to reveal that to them & give them discernment rather than being a busy-body judging every person’s intent by their actions which you may not understand or relate to.

And get this—even if they ARE doing it with wrong intent, which you cannot possibly know unless you know how to read minds—it should NOT affect whether or not YOU worship. You focus on YOU.

Fixing My Focus

I have let all of everyone’s opinions shape me. Even if they weren’t even intending to do that to me…. I need to be fixing my focus.

I let the turned-up noses, raised eyebrows, & rolled eyes shape how I worship God.

I let the well-meaning opinions of others sway how I handle situations versus keeping my eyes eternity-fixed.

I let the customs of certain church bodies guide me versus looking to God as my guide & unwavering standard, & rather than understanding every group of people is going to do things a little differently, but that doesn’t make it “more right” than the way another church may do things—unless one is acting contrary to God’s Word.

I need to stop judging. I need to stop being so concerned with being judged.

Eyes fixed on Him.

That is where I begin again. With my eyes fixed on Him.

Turning Back to the Heart of Worship… Where It’s All about HIM

Who are you trying to impress? Who are you looking around to see if you’re “doing it right”? Who is your standard?

Are you getting to know Him & what pleases & honors Him through the Bible & prayer with Him? Are you bowing to Him alone? Are you looking to Him for approval? Or to the crowds, your church, your family, Christian leaders, authors, speakers? Who are you seeking to please? Him? Or others?

Where is your focus?

Shine HOPE by LETTING GO of the chains of everyone else’s expectations & opinions & well-meaning contradictions to eternity-focus…. By letting God be your guide in all, with your eyes fixed on HIM as the One to please above all else.

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 over 5.5 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!!

Indian Rose Bracelet (INDIA)

This exquisite, beaded bracelet is a testament to the skilled craftsmanship of women in India, who meticulously handcrafted it using radiant pink jasper beads and delicately incorporated gold accent beads featured throughout the design. The Indian Rose Bracelet is beautiful while creating dignified, necessary jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty of India. In an area where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops, the women in this Artisan community can work in a safe environment.

***Purchase this beautiful bracelet to support empowering women in India out of poverty!***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

True Humility Breeds Confidence

I have talked about this before on my blog, but, considering last week’s topic of “How I Let My Light be Dimmed,” I thought it was appropriate to talk about it again because it seems to be something that is quite often confused.

Confidence is NOT the opposite of humility. In fact, true humility will breed confidence.

Pride is the opposite of humility. Timidity is the opposite of confidence. But humility & confidence, in their truest sense, will always exist harmoniously.

Why is that? Because true humility recognizes that we deserve nothing, that anything good in us is of Jesus Christ–not us, & that our true strength & worth come from Him alone.

And when you recognize that very true fact, it breeds true confidence, because true confidence is knowing that because all of that is true, even if you feel completely unfit & incapable, you know that He can do all things, so anything HE calls you to, HE will get you through. (God didn’t tell Moses to brush up on His turning water to blood skills… He told Him to be His mouthpiece & to let HIM do the miracle.) (Exodus 4:21)

I Don’t Handle Stressors Well

I became timid, more & more timid, over the last 10 years. And, as I mentioned, timidity is not the opposite of pride, but of confidence. Timidity says my faith in what God is capable of has waned. And that’s not a good thing.

No wonder I am so whiny all the time. No wonder I feel like I have to “self-medicate” my way through stress by turning to anything that makes me feel a sense of comfort, like binging tv, games, etc.

No wonder I often feel so beat up by life.

Honestly, I have been struggling. It’s come in waves… Guam last time… Hokkaido… healing beginning in Misawa… then a very rough year all around last year. Life has beat me up quite a few times over these past 10+ years.

Life Beat Me Up, So I Chose ME–Wrong Move

I have become terrible at dealing with stress. I feel like a weak, broken version of myself sometimes & it just feels upsetting. Tack on there my bad back & waves of really low energy days sometimes… & I just so often feel like a victim rather than a VICTOR in CHRIST.

I cry a lot more than usual. I feel despair & to be gruesomely honest, some hard days I just dream of having a heart attack so my weak self doesn’t have to feel so weak anymore & I can just enjoy heaven already. I feel too weak for this world sometimes. Too frail.

But doesn’t that really speak to the fact that my humility isn’t quite where it ought to be? My confidence is so frail because my humility is not right. I am thinking I need to fix it, but can’t… versus trusting His provision, care, & strength to be sufficient, even in the even if.

Because, if I better recognized where my true strength comes from, I wouldn’t be so sniveling & ready to die. I would be confident because I would know my strength is not determined by my strength, but by HIS.

Of Course I Need Him

It is true. Some circumstances, I have prayed & had the wisdom to see my need to call out to Him & He has helped me & I have sought to share testimony of that publicly whenever possible so that He may receive the glory & so that others may be reminded of their mutual need of Him.

It has not all been woe-is-me awful… but the general sense of me is almost this beating up of myself over & over again for always needing help-–as if reality for all of humanity is not all about needing His help every moment of every day, always.

When Life Hits Me Hard, I Just Want Heaven

Now, before you go worrying about me, I am not thinking about dying every day, all day. But when hard, stressful, or hurtful things slap me out of nowhere, through my secret, hidden tears, all I can think about is, “God, can I please just have a heart attack, die, & go to Heaven to be with You? I don’t want to feel this broken anymore.”

I’m not suicidal. But sometimes I really want to die. So morbid, I know… but it’s the truth. Not all the time, but when life hits me hard, I just want Heaven. That’s “my truth.” (If you were hoping to read my blog this week for a quick pick-me-up, well, I’m really sorry.)

My Prayer

“God, forgive me. My pride really has snuck up on me slowly & taken way too much from me. I actually have had the audacity of believing that because I don’t measure up… because people have been really critical of me… because others made me question whether or not to worship You because I became too afraid of ‘what if I’m doing it wrong’… because life was really hard & didn’t stop being hard… because others were unkind & hurtful to me… because life hit me hard with a brutally hard move & a super typhoon… that because of all that, I really thought I needed to take the reins of my life back, that maybe I wasn’t the “enough” I was supposed to be.…

… It wasn’t a conscious decision… it wasn’t a choice I mulled over & decided on… but I made the choice all the same…. I chose to trust me. What I could see, the hurt I felt, the confusion I felt, the hopelessness I felt. I chose to trust me.…

… Please forgive me, LORD. Please help grow my confidence through humility. Help me to rest in You so much that I have the confidence to face ANYTHING, knowing YOU are the reason for that confidence—not me. In Jesus’ worthy name, AMEN.”

Bye-Bye Humility Leads to Bye-Bye Confidence

Well, there it is. Now I know why I have felt so weak & fragile & broken so often lately.

Because I am… & because I have been trusting in what I thought I should be able to handle… trusting in me instead of Him.

Bye-bye humility leads to bye-bye confidence.

“Lord, I need You, oh, I need You… every hour I need You. You’re my One defense, my Righteousness… Oh LORD, how I need You.” (“Lord, I Need You” song by Matt Maher)

Shine HOPE, by breeding TRUE confidence in your life… confidence bred from a humility in recognizing that anything good or strong in you is from HIM, & because that is so, you can do & get through ANYTHING a VICTOR rather than a victim.

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 over 5.5 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!!

Desert Sage Studs (INDIA)

LIMITED EDITION – While Supplies Last! These dainty Desert Sage Studs from India feature a topaz circle set in a silver setting. Perfect for everyday wear, the adorable studs create lasting change for families in India. Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Thank You for Your Prayers & Patience

I want to thank you for your patience if you were looking forward to my newest blog post being published as scheduled last week. We were just in the states, had a death in the family unexpectedly while there, & had to reroute to Georgia for her memorial service… so I didn’t have my laptop or anything else I needed to work on my blog, as I had been expecting to be home sooner than I was able to. Again, thank you so much for your patience for the missed week. My husband’s Noni is now celebrating eternity in Heaven with Jesus.

A Bad Habit

I have a bad habit of trying to be a people-pleaser. Whether it be boyfriends of days past, friends, family, my husband even, or anyone else really… I want to be liked.

Wanting to be liked is not wrong… it’s natural even… but when it creates compromise, well, then it does become a problem.

So, I take criticisms a little too harshly sometimes. I want to appease. I want to be likeable. And when, despite all that, it fails… well, I don’t always take it too well.

A Healthy Perspective Shift Took Place

When I went to Liberty University for my bachelor’s in Business Marketing, 2007-2010, something with that shifted. My perspective started turning more to how I could live to please & honor God more than how to have everyone like me.

It really lit a fire in me of new confidence. I was on student leadership, led a weekly Bible study, did accountability with the girls in my group, & every class or conference I attended emphasized the true reason we ought to be there—to do our best with the opportunities we’re given so that we may be used by God & give God the glory. The emphasis was always: for Him, by Him, through Him, because of Jesus Christ.

I was no longer burdened with whether or not everyone approved of every little, tiny thing I did… but on whether my actions, thoughts, & words honored God & gave Him glory. It was truly freeing.

I Over-Compensated for What I Felt Were My Many Flaws as a New Wife

But then, I got married a couple years later & that healthy perspective shift began to slip a little in the wrong direction, at no fault of my husband’s–my inner insecurities just were rekindled because I was afraid I could never be enough for someone to stay.

Growing up, my whole life, I never felt like I could possibly ever be loved forever. I was “fat,” talked “too much,” was “annoying,” etc. I just assumed that even IF my personality could be framed to be likeable enough to get married, that I would somehow prove myself insufficient, annoying, or disgusting enough physically to drive said husband away eventually.

Plus, I had never managed a home before, so I was AWFUL in that department. Cooking & cleaning were NOT my strong suit. Basically, add it all up & I didn’t feel I had much going for me wife-wise.

So, I tried really hard to be the best wife ever, even if it wasn’t genuine… even if it was rooted from fears & insecurities—trying so hard to constantly mask over or over-compensate for all the many reasons I felt there were to eventually leave me.

What If I Wasn’t Worshipping “Right”?

And then, I met a group of people that I was meant to look up to who were constantly criticizing my every opinion, choice, or preference.

… My music choices because they weren’t hymns… my clothes because I wore shorts (to my fingertips)… & many other things I had never even considered could ever be framed as doing something wrong or dishonoring to God…. I began to question everything & became so insecure in thinking I never measured up, wondering & worrying constantly whether all this time I had been dishonoring God.

Worried about liking anything or trying anything or singing to anything or listening to anything unless I expressly knew that specific thing was approved by said people. My worship to God became defined AND limited by paranoia & fear of “what if I did it wrong?”

I became paranoid about every decision, not wanting to worship because I didn’t know if it was the “right kind.” Afraid to be creative with my outfits because maybe something was wrong with it. Afraid to speak up because “what if someone didn’t approve?”

There I Go Offending Someone Again…

Then, I met someone who, when I had spoken up about something in the Bible, because I had strongly felt the Holy Spirit prompting me to do so… told me I had bothered someone else & that it’s best if I don’t speak up, not bothering to give me context or opportunity for clearing up said situation for a chance of reconciliation with that person. Cue further paranoia & fear of living out loud for God because I felt like I never did it perfectly to everyone’s liking & approval.

Now, I don’t just speak out willy nilly. Whenever I feel a nudge, I pray about it first because I don’t like making waves. I don’t like annoying people or feeling like it’s “not my place.” But part of the gifting God has given me is being His mouthpiece for truth, even when truth had been intended already or even when truth isn’t popular.

For someone who likes being liked so much, you can imagine how much joy this gift brings me some days. (*sarcasm)

How I Let My Light be Dimmed

All of a sudden, woven in over the course of 10 years or so, I became too paranoid to worship “wrong” & too afraid to speak truth in a public setting, even when prompted by the Holy Spirit & prayed over. Too afraid to sing my heart out. Too afraid to live for God because I felt like I never did it quite right. Insecure in making friends. Insecure in my marriage. Insecure around other Christians. Insecure in praising God even.

I don’t want to live like that anymore. I want to cultivate a heart of worship in all areas of my life, every day. I want to live a life of raised arms, a bowed heart, & giving my everything to God without wondering if I am doing it all to everyone else’s liking. I want my life to be a reflection of living to please & honor Him…. My eyes focused on Him alone as the One I need to please.

I Want to Feel Free to Live for Him as He Leads Me

I want my FREEDOM back. Not freedom to “live how I want,” but a freedom from people-pleasing Christianity. Freedom from trying to be a man-pleaser rather than focused on being a God-pleaser. Freedom from trying to check all the right human-made boxes & instead, live bowing to His lead.

Freedom from worrying whether or not I “worship right.” If the song, or even just my heart, is lifting Him up while bowing my heart to Him…. Guess what…. It IS worship.

Because, if I live like that… if I live to foremostly please & honor God with my everything… that is the true heart of worship & I will remember that everyone has their opinions, but if I am living to be obedient & honoring & glorifying to God Almighty… differing opinions don’t really matter all too much, do they?

I Want to Live a Life of Worship

I was born to shine for HIM. To love Him first & others second. Not to be liked or approved by ALL people, but to serve & honor Him, even when I am not liked or approved.

He is Whom I wish to live for & Him alone. I want to SHINE for HIM.

Shine HOPE by keeping your eyes fixed on Him, living your every day to please & honor Him, letting everything else just slide off your back, remembering HIS opinion matters MOST. Get to know His Word & get to know Him every single day. He is worth living for 100%.

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 over 5.5 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!!

May 2024 Hope Mail (VIETNAM & INDIA)

FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of May

This exclusive May Hope Mail package makes a great gift for any occasion! Receive free shipping on this May Hope Mail package that includes our Coral Cotton Wrap handmade in Vietnam, Bird Song Pineapple Lip Balm from India, and our adorable Love is a Flower Sticker mailed in a stylish Fashion as a Force for Good envelope.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Your Personality Is Not Your Own

Okay now, get ready… because I may be about to ruffle some feathers.

Or maybe you’ll flow right with me on this… we’ll see how it goes.

Your personality is not your own. And I know it really feels like it is because it feels like a defining factor in describing who you are as a person.

Now, I know that when I add—“God’s workmanship,” after saying it’s “not your own” can come off as, it’s not you, it’s how God MADE you…. But no, that’s not at all the direction I am going with this, so let’s talk about it.

He Made You. He Gets to Say “Who You Are.”

If you think about it… have you ever seen someone have a complete personality change? Maybe they became a Christian & they just didn’t act the same anymore afterwards? Maybe they just grew up? Matured?

Our personality, from my observation, is usually built up over time & it can change or shift over time as you mature.

It’s sometimes built on necessity… saving face or trying to not get picked on or look like you stand out too much… or maybe you WANT to stand out. It’s defense mechanisms & how we learn to fit in & find our place in the world around us.

Now, I don’t deny that there are probably certain things you may be more prone to lean towards because of how God wired you… but we need to be careful not to cling to “our personality” so much that we deny God access to change anything about it that may not particularly please or honor Him.

(You can read more about that in a previous post: “What Do Star Signs, Enneagrams, & Mental Disorder Labels Have in Common?”)

Because, when it all comes down to it… HE made you… so HE gets to say what “your personality” is. We can’t use “it’s just the way we are” as an excuse, basically, versus being willing to be changed from the inside out.

Using It as an Excuse Not to Grow

I see this type of excuse when I hear women say, “God says to be meek & mild, but He just didn’t wire me that way,” followed by a shrug.

But, if God says it… then He knows it IS indeed possible… which means that when we say stuff like that, we’re honestly just excusing the OPPOSITE of what God calls us to while also blaming it on Him.

God made you. You are (under all you have grown up used to) the way He made you. Everything else is subject to change.

Don’t limit God based on what you feel are your own limitations. He made you & He can change you. So, let Him.

God’s Workmanship & Shaping to His Likeness

And when you feel up against a dead-end because of “how you are” clashes with how He says you ought to be… well, be willing to say to Him in prayer: “God, this is not at all natural to me, but according to Your Word (the Bible), it’s what honors You most, so I want this to BECOME natural to me. Please change me to better honor & please Your will, LORD. Change the ME I believe to be, to the me YOU created me to be. AMEN.”

Shine HOPE by always staying moldable… allowing Him to shape you into HIS likeness, versus clinging to the “you” with which you feel most comfortable.

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 over 5.5 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!!

Vintage Vines Oven Mitt Set (INDIA)

LIMITED EDITION – While Supplies Last! Add a touch of artisanal inspiration to your kitchen decor with the Vintage Vines Oven Mitt Set! Every detail is block printed, a traditional way to stamp and print ink onto fabric. The set includes one oven mitt and one potholder with a slit, both featuring a beautiful vintage-inspired floral design in light pink, orange, and brown colors.

*****Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.*****

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Why?

Do you know why I think Christianity doesn’t seem to “stick” for some people? Why either they start out following Jesus & then turn away… or whether they just don’t want to accept Him at all in the first place?

Because the fleshly nature does not chill out once you become a Christian. In other words, you still want what you want sometimes, even if you know you shouldn’t want it.

Paul talks about this war with the flesh… doing what he doesn’t want & not doing what he wills to do. (Romans 7:15-20)

It’s talked about in 1 Peter: “… abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul….” (1 Peter 2:11b)

And in James… “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15)

And in Luke: “… they go out and [the truth they’ve heard] is choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and brings no fruit to maturity.” (Luke 8:14)

I mean, I have been a Christian for 35 years now & I feel it still. And whenever I think I am finally immune to it… there it is again.

Denial of Self Is HARD Some Days, Isn’t It?

Why do I think Christianity doesn’t seem to “stick” for some people?

Because it requires & calls us to a constant denial of SELF… & we, as humanity, tend to really like SELF.

Whether it’s us doubting God’s Word as valid “enough” or logical “enough” because it makes no sense to us or seems to oppose what we perceive of the way things “actually” work….

Whether it’s going through cruel circumstances that seem to rip you to shreds & leave you so broken that you question how a good God Who claims to love you could do this…. (Read Job.)

Whether it’s facing hard that won’t ever seem to stop & you just want to numb or cling to easy instead of consistently having to turn to God as your help. Feeling consistently insufficient is HARD.

Whether it’s living the day-to-day with the desire to live it YOUR way with no shame or guilt hovering over your head like a dark, annoying cloud.

SELF-denial is HARD sometimes. Can I get an amen? Because I FEEL this sometimes. I have been through seasons of ALL of the above… & more.

Self-denial some days feels to be obviously the best option (because, really, it actually IS), while other days it can feel frustrating & awful.

God Calls the Shots… Not Me

Christianity requires self-denial. We have to come to the end of ourselves, recognize that the ONLY real, true standard is set by the God Almighty Who made it all & Who is outside time & space, that it’s His world, whether it makes us comfortable or not… & as such, He alone gets to set the standard, whether we agree with it or not… & that we can never live up to said standard 100% of the time perfectly because we are sinful people… we choose US even in small ways & often in big ways… that we can’t save ourselves from the wrath of God that we deserve because of this… & finally, an accepting of the free gift of Jesus paying for our sins on the cross & rising again victorious over our sin & death.

A ”Not I, but Christ,” attitude & heart posture.

And yes, the freedom & forgiveness that fills in all of those rotting spaces in our soul is refreshing & freeing & wonderful. It is beyond worth anything we may in turn forsake to glorify Him instead of ourselves.

But afterwards… our fleshly self doesn’t just take a hike for good… it just doesn’t have the final say anymore. It doesn’t automatically win anymore. It doesn’t have full control. … But it still wants it sometimes.

But giving God full control is a very, very good thing… because God’s standard, get this… is ALWAYS for OUR good & HIS glory. Always.

Why Do I Still Wrestle, Then?

So, why do I have to be so annoying? Why do I still wrestle with SELF trying to win when HIS way ALWAYS proves better in the end?

I’m like a little kid who screams, “I DO IT!” sometimes when God tries to direct me His way.

Or sometimes I think on what He calls me to & I think… “but being on the couch in my pjs seems much better… let’s go with that instead.”

Or, I think to myself, “They don’t DESERVE that! Why would I do that for them or why would I forgive THEM?!!?” (See “Unforgiving Servant” story in the Bible in Matthew 18:21-35, as well as all of the book of Jonah.)

Or, I am so cranky from my alarm waking me from that cool dream & that relaxing state of sleep that I just don’t wanna ANYTHING. (Repenting over the grumpies is an unfortunately very real morning routine for me, folks.)

Or, I want to grab a snack, pop on the tv, play a game, or literally anything else to quell my restless, stressful thoughts because it’s instant gratification rather than praying for help & maybe being told to “go for a walk” or something way less instantly gratifying….

The amount of times in a day that I let my flesh win, even in the little choices or attitudes, is really quite embarrassing.

Self-denial is HARD. Why do I still wrestle when I know He ought to win?

I Have to First Say “No” to ME in Order to Experience the Many Blessings of Trusting HIM

Taking up my cross daily & following Him is HARD. Rewarding & worth it & fruitful & satisfying & fulfilling & uplifting? YES. … But HARD because it means I have to FIRST say ‘NO’ to ME. And I don’t always like doing that.

I get it. We want to be gods in our own little personal world. We want to cater to the ME. It’s not always comfortable yielding to Someone else, especially when it doesn’t make any sense to us or it doesn’t seem to be what we’d want.

And the me-first, main character culture of today is NOT helping things, because it reinforces what we already want to be true. But this is His Story. History is His story. Not mine. Not yours. HIS. We are all side characters in HIS story. Supporting roles, if you will. NOT the main character.

And I get it. Stepping out of the spotlight in your life… & letting Him take center stage instead, even when you feel you have such great things to offer… is hard.

But it’s not our stage. It’s HIS.

And that’s hard some days. The fact is… it is hard to yield ourselves, our will, our intellect, our comforts, our way… to Him. To trust HIM to be our sovereign sufficiency & and not anything or anyONE else.

Do We Believe God Is Stronger Than:

… a cup of coffee in the morning

… a good night’s rest

… self-care

… a bad mood

… a lover’s embrace

… our hopes & dreams

… feeling wanted

… companionship

… comfort

… success/accomplishment

… ________________________________________

Or, do you feel like you need Jesus + ____________________________?

Not to say that they’re all bad things… not to say most aren’t helpful… but do you feel like God is strong enough even without them?

Or do you feel like you need God + ___________________________?

What fills in that blank for you, if you are COMPLETELY honest with yourself?

The Things I Chase

For me, it’s numbing things like tv, games, random videos, snacks, etc. when I feel restless, weighed down, stressed, or tired… because it’s easy & quick, even though none of them solve anything… just cover it up for a while until it comes back up again… because I’m too scared sometimes of what God will ask me to try instead that’s not so quick & mindless a solution. (As if God doesn’t know how to help me THROUGH that issue to SOLVE that issue… versus just avoiding it forever.)

For me, it’s still struggling with fantasizing, with loopholes of it never being about real people, because I am too scared to trust God’s way without it. (As if God didn’t CREATE sex for marriage & as if He can’t help me a better way because He knows best.)

For me, it’s being too scared to just randomly go up to a stranger & talk about Jesus when I feel His nudging on my heart. (As if God doesn’t know EVERYONE’S thoughts & as if He can’t see their questions, hurts, & doubts when they lie awake in bed at night & how to answer them through my willingness to be used by Him in that moment.)

For me, it’s wanting to withdraw because of how awkward I feel trying to find my place in a group setting where I don’t know where I fit. (As if God can’t give me courage.)

For me, it’s wanting to wallow when I feel lonely. (As if God can’t hold & love me through it.)

For me, it’s hating hard that won’t quit & wanting to blame God or shut down. (As if God can’t sufficiently BE my strength in those seasons if I keep calling out to Him.)

For me, it’s wanting to hold a grudge when someone is consistently & unapologetically rude or mean to me. (As if Jesus didn’t already pay for that & even pay much more for ME.)

For me, it’s clinging to the comforts He supplies rather than Him when I get too comfortable with those comforts. (As if He doesn’t already know my needs & as if He can’t perfectly supply every time withOUT those comforts I cling to.)

I could go on… really. (I told you it’s embarrassing.) 35 years in & I still face this war in myself some days. I’m forever not perfect. Always “failing forward” as I heard somewhere.

What Is It for You?

What are you tempted to trade God for?

Where does your flesh tend to win?

When does it get hard for you to keep trusting Him & going to Him?

What would make you walk away? What is your breaking point? … Or are you all in, bowing to Him as LORD come what may?

What areas do you tend to feel your flesh nature scream for attention & preference?

Shine HOPE by determining to intentionally bow all of that to Him, relying on Him no matter what & not trading Him in for anything else. Because nothing, & I mean NOTHING satisfies like God can, through Jesus Christ our LORD.

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 over 5.5 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!!

Beehive Trivet Set (INDIA)

This set is perfect to display ethically made home decor to upscale your home design! Create a beautiful display that showcases the craftsmanship of our Artisan Partners in India who handcraft the detailed Bumblebee Trivet and Honeycomb Trivet! The Bumblebee Trivet features a single-line bumblebee shape, and the Honeycomb Trivet features a fun honeycomb design.

*****Every purchase of the Beehive Trivet Set supports families in areas of extreme poverty in India, empowering them to end poverty cycles for their families, send their kids to school, and earn fair wages for their work.*****

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Why Did Jesus Rebuke Them?

I’m working through a Bible study right now on Matthew 5-7 & we’re at the part about fasting. Well, the point of the passage is really not even about the fasting, but about the motive behind the fasting. (Matthew 6:16-18; Isaiah 58:3-12)

You see, the people were prostrating themselves, bowing low, sackcloth & ashes, the whole deal… but Jesus rebuked them for it all. Why? Motive matters.

They hoped they could all live the way they wanted, but as long as they followed all the “right” Christian-y steps, they were all good & God would listen to them when they fasted.

In other words, there was no bowing of their HEARTS to Him… just the physical bowing of their heads.

And Jesus rejected it.

What’s Your Why?

I see that even with how some people celebrate lent. The restaurant advertisements during lent are getting a little ridiculous because lent is supposed to be about denying yourself something you love to draw your heart closer to God & submitting yourself more fully to Him… but has become (for some) a show of giving up one pleasure & just exchanging it for a different pleasure instead during that time period. Doesn’t that kind of defeat the whole point?

And holidays can be the same way, in a sense. Certain holidays, like Easter & Christmas, are meant to be a remembrance of Him & are meant to stand as a reminder to worship & praise Him for all the good He has done. A testimony of His goodness & glory.

Who Is the Figurehead That Represents Christmas?

For example, I’m not opposed to Santa, mainly because he is based on a real human who saw a need & sought to be a blessing to those around Him. But I’m sure if he was looking down from heaven, he would be disturbed by how far it’s gone… making him the figurehead of Christmas instead of Christ.

So, no, I am not opposed or revolted by Santa, but I do think it’s gotten so saturated as the general figurehead of Christmas that he vastly drowns out the real reason we’re reminded to celebrate… the coming of God become man to earth–JESUS–to ultimately give His life as our ransom.

That should be sobering… humbling… invoking of WORSHIP to God Almighty.

What’s the Big Deal about Easter?

And Easter… & the bunny… & the eggs… & pastel… dressing up.

None of those things are wrong at all… but do they reflect the reason we celebrate Easter? Do we follow cute traditions more than we make it about Him? That Jesus bowed His life to us on the cross to pay our debt to God by giving His own life for us & then rising again victorious over death & our sin?

What is our focus? What is our motive? What matters MOST to us if we’re really honest with ourselves?

Do we have all of our Christian-y rituals down? Check. Check. Check?

Or are we really reflecting on having a bowed down heart versus just a bowed down head?

Everything We Say, Think, Feel, Do… Reflects What We Think about Jesus

I get accused sometimes of “trying to make everything spiritual” or that my takeaways “don’t always have to be something spiritual,” but if not, what am I making my life about? ME?

Like it or not, every decision we make… Every word we say…. Every motive matters. Everything reflects what we think about Jesus. Everything is, essentially… spiritual.

Is it just “what can I get out of this?” Or is it, “how ought I surrender more to His control?”

Should I be satisfied with a “good enough” level of surrender? Or should I always strive to aim for more surrender to Him?

Where Is My Heart? … Where Is Yours?

Am I living for me, with a dash of Jesus sprinkled in there for good measure?

Or is my all dedicated to Him as an offering & a sacrifice for His use?

Living for me with God as my backup plan or aide in MY way?

Or living fully for Him?

Bowing low, sackcloth & ashes, denial of self to somehow make a point to God, to somehow manipulate Him into action?

Or bowing my HEART to Him as my LORD God, Lord of my life?

What do I hold back from Him? What parts do I reserve just for me?

Is my sprinkle of Jesus in my life just so I can feel I “did my part” as a Christian?

Or do I live to let Him have ever more of my life?

Who do I trust more with my life? Me? Or Him?

I am Convicted of This Regularly… It’s Too Easy to Live for Me

I am definitely not writing this to say that I have it all figured out nor do I think I always make the best choices.

But I do understand that I ought to do better. Not because it earns me something from God. Not to “get God to listen to me.” Not to be “a better person.”

But because He really actually deserves it. It’s what we’re made for.

Everything in our lives should reflect worship to Him. Because it is what He deserves.

It shouldn’t be about living our routines & our lives & our desires & our dreams… but in bowing all of that to be changed by Him if He so wishes.

He Is More

He has a plan that spans before & past my lifetime. How can I use the time I have in order to point to Him as the One true God, our only HOPE?

He has wisdom & knowledge & understanding I cannot even begin to fathom. How can I bow what I think I know to trusting He DOES know?

How can my life be more than just doing all the right things, to living a life surrendered to His will, His way, His help, His glory? Trusting He will more than care for me along the way?

Why Do You Celebrate? Where Is Your Heart?

What’s the big deal about Easter? Why do you celebrate it? Or why don’t you? What is it about? What do you look forward to? Where is your focus?

What do your plans on this day reflect about what it means to you?

One thing I like to do each year to help me remember what it’s really about… is making quiche. We don’t make it often, but I love the picture as I am making it of the eggs being broken & poured out, just like Jesus offered up Himself to be broken for our transgressions, pouring out a demonstration of His love for us through His death for us… rising again triumphant! That sacrifice nourishes us & gives us LIFE.

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

What Would God Say to You?

What would God say in response to your sacrifices for Him? In response to your works for Him? In response to the way you live your life... if His message in Isaiah 58:3-12 was directed at you?

Is your heart bowed to Him? Or just your head?

Shine HOPE by choosing to not just go through the “Christian-y motions,” but by choosing to submit however you feel about it to be changed by Him to bring Him more glory through the short life you do have… by surrendering all the more as time goes by, letting Him be LORD of your LIFE… ALL of it.

Here’s to forever being fellow works-in-PROGRESS.

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 over 5.5 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!!

April 2024 Hope Mail (INDIA)

This exclusive April Hope Mail package makes a great gift for any occasion! Receive free shipping on this April Hope Mail package that includes our Misty Teal Earrings handmade in India, Silver Duet Bracelet from India, and our adorable Umbrella Sticker mailed in a stylish Fashion as a Force for Good envelope.

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

I Felt Like the Fat Kid

I grew up feeling fat. Weight was talked about quite a bit in my growing up years… so it became something I thought about quite a lot in my growing up years.

In fact, I thought about it so much that I felt like the fat, ugly friend in every friend group I happened to be a part of.

Looking back at pictures of me from those days, I am quite shocked to recognize how comparable I looked to those friends weight-wise. But my perception back then told me differently.

My Failed Searches for Worth

This has been a long-term problem for me. One where I finally found eventual freedom.

If you remember me talking about being a flirt back when I was younger, a big part of that was me trying to feel like I was worth paying attention to… worth feeling valued or wanted… worth someone’s love. (Read Chapter 5: God Made Me, to hear more about that story.)

And as you may also remember, that method failed me greatly & led to a different kind of prison. Instead of—get skinny or you can’t be loved… it became—stay interesting or you can’t be loved. Different problem, same prison.

And even though I grew through that, in learning to trust that if God made me, than He would be the One to know how He made me… better than I did… even if it meant I lost friends.… I found my security in God reassuring me that I didn’t need to prove myself enough or build up façade upon façade to earn friendship…. But even with that growth–I still felt like I wasn’t worth love because of the way I looked.

I Believed the World around Me Mocked Me When They Saw Me

I still felt like the frumpy, fat, ugly friend… the girl no guy would want to marry or love.

I still filtered every interaction or conversation or perception through believing others were internally (or behind my back) looking down on me & thinking less of me because I was not skinny.

I thought it wasn’t just my surroundings, but that everyone judged people’s value by the way they looked. I thought everyone mocked me when I passed by or that everyone must be discussing my body weight behind my back. That’s what made sense to me.

The Prison Isn’t Just for “Fat” People…

Then, I met a friend who used to be a model & she shared that even having ideal measurements & meeting high standards & receiving tons of praise & admiration… she used to be in the very same prison I mentioned earlier: Stay skinny or lose your value.

Different problem (because she WAS skinny), same prison (because she feared losing her worth if NOT skinny).

And that made me realize that losing my weight could never really release me from that prison.

Weight & worth are not connected. Weight & beauty are not connected. A woman can be overweight & still be very beautiful. I have seen it!

Weight Is Just Weight

No. Weight is just weight. Does eating poorly tend to make you gain weight? Yes. But then, your concern should be focused on getting your health in check… not on whether you now have lost your deserving to be loved.

Does that make sense?

We NEED to separate those two ideas.

Weight DOES NOT equal worth.

Weight DOES NOT make you ugly or beautiful.

“Watch Your Health” Should be the New Phrasing

Watching your weight should be a health concern ONLY. To make sure you are properly caring for your body—fueling it versus just feeding it.

To make sure your organs & blood vessels aren’t being restricted or damaged long-term… to make sure you have energy & strength to live your life the best you can… to help your body be strong against diseases & recovery well after injuries.

Weight can be still be an issue you need to work on, but NOT because it will somehow make you worth loving—because weight can’t give or take that away.

My 2 Beautiful College Roommates

God gave me a beautiful gift in college, in the form of 2 fun, caring, sweet roommates my senior year. Love them to pieces to this day, even though we rarely talk.

They were so genuine & caring & just fun to be around. It was what college roommate dreams are made of. We were silly goofballs together & just enjoyed hanging out & chatting in our room. I felt like I had gained 2 extra sisters that year.

But, they both looked like they could be fashion models & when I was first introduced to them as my roommates, I was SO intimidated by their beauty, making me feel like the ugly duckling in comparison.

What They Taught Me

Over time, though, they taught me that not everyone who looks that way is constantly looking down on &/or gossiping about women who look like me… that my weight was not their first/primary thought.

Some nights, a young lady heavier than I would come in our room to ask a question or something while the 2 of them were up working on projects or whatnot, & I had been in bed, presumably asleep for quite awhile… & when that young lady would leave, them assuming I was long asleep… I braced myself for the presumed mocking comments to begin… or at least “well-meaning” comments about “she really should lose weight…” but none came. In fact, it was usually PRAISE coming from them, ie. “She is SO nice. She always says the kindest things & puts a smile on my face,” or, “she has the best sense of humor—she always knows how to make me laugh when I’m having a rough day—I love her!”

Those aren’t exact conversations overheard, but the idea of it is. They were only praising/focusing on CHARACTER qualities… NOT weight! I thought EVERYONE focused primarily on weight!

Then Came My Husband

Fast forward to meeting my husband. He is a handsome man. I felt like the balloon animal in the relationship… or maybe the parade float.

But he never saw me that way. He would always say something like, “I just care about you being healthy & taking care of yourself. If that magically meant you GAINED weight, I would still prefer it. Skinny doesn’t automatically mean healthy either & I want you to be healthy.”

It took about a gazillion times for him to say this before I started to believe him, but God began shifting my perspective from “low weight… or else” to, “weight does not equal worth–weight is just weight.”

I’m Not Scared of My Chubs

I’m not scared of my chub chub anymore. My tummy doesn’t disgust me when I see a roll. I don’t wear baggy shirts or cardigans to hide anymore.

My weight does not equal my worth.

But my weight still matters. I want to honor God with the choices I make. I want to steward well what He has made for me. (Psalm 139:13-16)

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

I’m still responsible for the choices I make. I will still feel the health consequences of the choices I make. But I’m not scared of my chubs anymore.

God’s Gentle Step-by Step Guiding

God is gently, year-by-year, guiding me to make better habits: doing a workout several times a week, eating a nutritious breakfast to start my every morning, making healthy & nutritious meals adapted from recipes we already enjoy, limiting how often we eat out now… all baby steps, little by little, building healthier habits to benefit my HEALTH.

(If you struggle with knowing where to start, meal-planning & balancing nutrition… I have suggestions added to my recommendations page to help you get started. These have helped me tremendously along the way! Check them out @ Body Stewardship | Michelle Hyde Online.)

Now for a Healthier Me

Do I still have a long way to go, health-wise? Yes. Am I skinny? No.

Am I still concerned with my health? Yes. Do I still feel the need to get skinny? No.

Do I still feel self-conscious about my lack of self-control, leading to my poor health? Yes. Do I still feel self-conscious about my ever-present muffin top? No.

Learn to separate the 2. They’re not connected. Weight does not equal worth, but your weight, as it affects your health, is still important for the sake of your health.

Learn to look at your body as something God designed & knit together for you. Would you want to knowingly misuse, abuse, or neglect that gift? Probably not.

Shine HOPE by learning to be a good steward of what God has given you, while learning to find your worth in Him, not your weight. You are beautifully & wonderfully made. God doesn’t make mistakes, Beautiful. Now for a healthier me!

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 over 5.5 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!!

March 2024 Hope Mail (MEXICO & INDIA)

This exclusive March Hope Mail package makes a great gift for any occasion! Receive free shipping on this March Hope Mail package that includes our Alabaster Raffia Earrings handmade in India, Luna Tassel from Mexico, and our friendly Hummingbird Sticker mailed in a stylish Fashion as a Force for Good envelope.

*****Every purchase of this set empowers women in Mexico & India out of poverty!!*****

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

God Always Has a Plan

I was humbled so much during my time in Hokkaido, Japan.

In fact, coming through my loneliness in Guam & then on to the immense strain my brain experienced in Hokkaido (mixed with even deeper loneliness because of the great language barriers), is what pushed me to start this journey with my website & blog!

God showed me firsthand that not every person, whether missionary or expat or even living in certain areas or families—not everyone has Christian fellowship, support, encouragement, & testimonies of His HOPE around them to encourage & edify them every day.

We NEED each other. God made us for community. We are weak, fleshly humans with a tendency to stray after shiny things that look great but have nasty consequences either immediately or eventually.

So, here I am. I’m not perfect. I’m not the shining example you should strive to emulate. But I AM a woman who understands that the God of the Bible, the One TRUE God, is WORTH showing up for & pointing to through all of MY inadequacies & failures.

Zero Times

Speaking of me NOT being the shining example… Do you remember reading that I accepted Jesus’ FREE gift of salvation, Him paying my debt to God by dying in my place… at FIVE years old?

Guess how many times I had read the Bible all the way through by the time we were living in Hokkaido, Japan, 30+ years later?

Zero. ZERO times.

I had read the Bible, of course. I knew a lot of the retelling stories written about in the Bible. I could quote quite a few verses by then. (Sans the references because I am terrible at remembering those!)

I had listened to HUNDREDS of sermons at church in my lifetime, done a TON of devotionals & gone to a TON of ladies Bible studies.

But I had never read the Bible through, cover to cover, in all its entirety.

The Guilt, the Failure, the Shame… the Unwillingness to Change

That’s a LONG time to avoid reading through the whole Bible, don’t you think?

Maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “I can for sure relate!”

Or, maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “Are you SERIOUS? How can you call yourself a committed follower of Jesus???”

I definitely had some guilt floating around in my head over this that sounded much like that… but I honestly believed that because I read the Bible at church, in devotions, at Bible Studies, or when I searched for God’s wisdom relevant to particular struggles I faced… that it was enough.

I Was Fooled

The other stuff in the Bible just seemed like a long, drawn-out history lesson & I will tell you right now that history was never my favorite subject in school (it seemed so tedious trying to remember a million names of people & places & battles & bills & dates, etc. etc. etc.).

I ALSO realized that my attention span was not up to snuff when it came to sitting down to read more than a chapter or so of the Bible at a time. How was I supposed to read when I would get a headache or a ton of stuff was on my mind or I was tired & groggy or a lot was going on when I sat down to read, etc.?

I thought I just wasn’t good at that & that it wasn’t my fault I couldn’t read it more.

The Book That Changed My World

But I read a book that changed my world: “Andrew Murray on Prayer,” a compilation of works written by the late Andrew Murray, translated into English.

(You can find the link to this book, as well as many other book titles & Bible Studies that God has used to personally & strongly influence my life on my website @ www.michellehydeonline.com/recommended-by-michelle/.)

I went into reading this book because I didn’t really understand some things about prayer, like how I am supposed to pray or what I can pray for or how I know God will answer me, etc. & this book has some great help with that, but what I didn’t expect, was learning how I could read my Bible on a regular basis.

Where God Commands, God Provides

You see, one of the things that Mr. Murray addressed was that we are not meant to obey God strictly through sheer willpower, but with the help of God.

He walked through many a verse that share commands from God, pointing out a common thread in many of them… the words: “by faith,” “through faith,” “by God,” & “through God.”

In other words, when God commands, He also lets us know we need His help to do it!

Mr. Murray goes on to say that so many Christians end up burnt out or fake it because they’re trying to be good Christian people in their own strength & know-how & willpower, versus asking God for His strength & know-how & POWER to empower them in their obedience.

I don’t know about you, but I consider myself infinitely WEAK when I consider how great God is, so hearing that I can rely on HIS versus my own was mind-blowing & life changing.

Unnatural & Impossible to Me… But God Isn’t Limited

Mr. Murray continues by demonstrating how, when we seek to live in obedience to God in anything that feels absolutely unnatural to us in any way, whether due to upbringing, personal weakness, etc., that instead of avoiding said obedience, or justifying it because “we just can’t do it,” we ought instead to PRAY & ask for God’s HELP.

So, I took that to heart, recognizing for once that if it is God’s will for me to do something & He holds absolute power that is infinite in nature… He WILL help me. I can count on that 100%.

Then my Bible reading attempt scenarios began to shift from failure to prayer: “God, I [have a headache, feel distracted, feel tired, don’t WANT to do it, etc.], but I know this honors You & pleases You, so I want to do it anyway. Please help me make it happen despite _________________________. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

And I wouldn’t wait until I “felt better” before I began… I would trust God would fill in because I knew this request honored Him. So, I would just start reading.

God Doesn’t Always Answer the Same Way, But He Always Provides

Sometimes the obstacle didn’t go away, but I would somehow have a strange sense of concentration & focus regardless.

Sometimes God would whisk away said obstacle altogether & I would read with ease.

Sometimes God removed the obstacle while I read & yet it returned when I was finished.

But EVERY time, God enabled me to read & stay focused on what I was reading.

God Can Even Help with the WHEN

And before we become tempted to believe it’s only in the want-to or the ability to do it… He ALSO helped me when TIME was the issue.

For example: “God, I know I promised to read tonight, but this thing came up & now I don’t have time. What do I do? I want to honor You most. Should I cancel? What should I do?” And then this urgency would come over me as if saying, “Read NOW.” I would argue, “But I have to be downstairs ready to go so I don’t hold people up if I am to go….” Again, “Read NOW.”

So, I would get out my Bible, open it up & begin to read. And wow, as I closed my Bible upon finishing that night’s reading, my hubs came running down the stairs saying, “Sorry! I had to finish something real quick that I forgot! Now we can go!”

Did I know that delay would come up? Nope.

Did God? YES.

Praying & bowing that to Him, allowed Him opportunity to reveal the WHEN, too!

God Helps Grow the Desire to Obey Him, Too

God helps us to obey Him! WOW! It’s not up to my flimsy willpower or desires or even having to know if I’ll have the time!

And let me also say that an embarrassing amount of obstacles were just me not wanting to do it… & He helped me with that, too.

I’m not saying I all of a sudden had a change of heart sometimes, but rather that I would bow that selfishness & unwillingness to Him, too, ask for His help to obey anyway, & would just sit down & read through my bad attitude, determined I would honor God even on the days when I didn’t necessarily feel like doing it.

What Side Are You Watering?

You have probably heard the saying: “the grass is always greener on the other side,” but I have also heard, “the grass is always greener on the side you’re watering.” In other words, if I am romanticizing NOT reading because it seems so much easier, takes less focus, doesn’t impede on what I’d rather do, etc., then it will be going against my downstream ease to instead do it. It will take practiced determination.

I had to pray about 90% of days the first year I determined to read my Bible daily, it seemed like… but then, the next year? Maybe only 80%, then maybe 50%… & so on.

And now, I read every night without hardly any resistance. Maybe down to 5% now?

I have been watering the side of finding joy in what God instructs… of finding joy in obedience to Him through honoring Him. Of learning to lean on Him on the days when I “just don’t wanna.”

I Am Not Made for This… & Yet… GOD

You know, the same is true for running this blog every week. I’m not fit for this. Some days I just feel so numb & checked out. Some days I just want to throw on sweatpants, plop on the couch, & binge tv. Some days I feel stubborn & selfish & don’t want to encourage anyone.

How could God call me to this when I am the way I am?

Because He knows HE is capable when I fall short. He knows He is sufficient where I lack. He knows HIS strength can more than cover my weakness. He knows HE can overcome & help me through every bad attitude & use it for my good even in showing His faithfulness when I’m least deserving.

God calls me… God calls you… not because we’re deserving… but because He is our Enough in & through it all... come what may… even on our absolute worst days… even when it’s our fault completely.

So, how do I do it every week? When I am the way I am? I PRAY. I trust He will be my HOW even when I can’t seem to muster a bit of it on my own.

God Can Help Us Obey Him

Where is this a struggle for you?

What have you convinced yourself that it’s not your fault that you’re just not good at something God calls you to do? Of what honors & pleases Him?

What side are you watering?

Do you struggle believing that the God who made you & this whole world can handle helping you through your insurmountable unwilling heart or obstacles that seem to tower too far above you?

God tells us to desire His Word (the Bible) as a newborn babe desires milk. (1 Peter 2:2) Do you have that same craving for His Word in your life? Do you need His help to grow this desire? Because, if it honors & pleases Him, you can be absolutely positive that He will be right there willing to help you do it.

Shine HOPE by turning your unwillingness, bad habits, lack of good habits, disobedience, obstacles, unwatered grass areas of your life… to the God Who is infinitely, absolutely, & completely ABLE.

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 over 5.5 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!!

Patina Earrings (INDIA)

Make a fair-trade fashion statement with the Patina Earrings! These gorgeous earrings feature a gold-tone hammered stud with a patina circle. These unique artisanal 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. Every purchase empowers these women out of poverty!

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Our Next Adventure Together

Coming through the darkness I walked through during my time on Guam (Chapter 17), my husband & I were led (through praying for God’s direction) to Hokkaido, Japan as the next step in our married journey.

I was full of hope in this new adventure, but also full of nerves in facing the unexpected & unknown. This was not a location near any American military bases. This was a place where very little English was spoken.

When we were new to Japan, we would watch a video blog of this guy who had also moved to Japan from abroad & one thing he said really proved to be true: “Culture shock comes in waves.”

You think it’s going to be the initial shock of adjustment, but the amount of adjusting has unforeseen layers upon layers that become unearthed over time as new scenarios present themselves in your day-to-day life.

Beautiful Adventure, Great Friends, But Oh So Isolated

I thought I knew hard after my time on Guam in 2012-2015 because the loneliness I experienced those 3 years was unlike anything I had ever known, but I really had no idea what hard was until we moved to Japan, where I really was mostly isolated a majority of my time there, even in small things like making small talk or being friendly with a cashier… they didn’t understand me & I didn’t understand them.

This is not to say that our time there wasn’t a wonderful adventure, full of so many happy memories & discovering newness so often around us every day… not to mention the friendships we did eventually make.

It was exciting & thrilling. There was always something new to discover or try. It was an adventure of a lifetime that very few people get to ever experience not having any support from a base to hold onto in the hard moments. We were mostly on our own.

Our Church Family

We were very blessed to eventually meet an Australian couple who had come to Japan as missionaries & who run a Japanese church where we could attend, but even there, very few spoke any English & the few that did were more comfortable in their Japanese for the most part. The English speakers lived pretty far from us & were very busy people, so we didn’t see them very often outside of church.

We loved our church. They were such warm & welcoming people who helped us whenever they were able. Some took me under their wing sometimes for an occasional day trip. One wonderful friend helped teach us some Japanese as our tutor. And still others would help us in buying major appliances with the paperwork, etc. We were very fortunate despite our language barriers.

It’s so strange how a body of believers in Jesus can feel like family, even on the other side of the world, made up of a few Americans, a few Australians, & mostly Japanese. Different cultures. Different countries. Same Jesus. Same family under Jesus. So beautiful.

Consistently Hard, But Not Bad

As for my day-to-day life, I was mostly on my own, in a foreign country, with very little support.

I didn’t hate living there at all, because I loved the adventure of it… but something unexpected began to happen… I didn’t understand how the constant newness & figuring out of things in a foreign language was taking its toll on my brain.

My brain was like a computer always having to try too hard & consistently getting overheated.

My Brain Could Never Make Sense of Anything

Everywhere I went, voices around me spoke unrecognizable words… signs were unreadable… directions on packages couldn’t be understood without help of pictures or translation apps… not being able to read the buttons on my own home washer/dryer even… not able to easily go up to someone to ask for help or ask a question or ask directions….

My brain was constantly trying to process information it couldn’t ever process.

A constant, “Does not compute…. Does not compute…. Does not compute…. Does not compute…. Does not compute…. Does not compute….” On repeat. All day. Every day. It was quite literally mentally exhausting.

The Darkness Grew Darker

I didn’t realize the strain a brain could experience in a foreign country. The voices & language around me were foreign. The words on every label, sign, set of directions, etc. were foreign. Even certain customs & ways of doing things were foreign.

Talk about quadrupling the isolation I had been experiencing on Guam…. My brain was TIRED beyond all measures of tired I had ever known possible.

And my brain started to change noticeably. The stress it was constantly under was breaking me down over time.

The Rage Monster That Was Trapped Inside of Me Scared Me

I felt constantly beyond capacity, so any inconvenience would cause me to almost have a minor mental &/or emotional breakdown.

There were random times where I would drop something at home like a cup of water & I would just drop to the floor & cry.

Other times I felt rage hit me like I have never before experienced. Drop a pencil I was using? Clenched jaw & fists as I take a deep breath through gritted teeth & pick it up. Drop it again? It gets immediately chucked at a wall. I was crumbling internally & it terrified me.

I used to say it felt like I had a rage monster trapped inside of me that I couldn’t make go away.

I tried so hard to be so accommodating to all the newness & to all the differences all the time, but I was breaking down & becoming someone I didn’t even recognize anymore. And it scared me. I needed HELP.

“Please, God… Make the Hard Stop.”

I knew I needed God’s help, but my prayers were mostly focused on “MAKE IT STOP, PLEASE!!!” And when it didn’t stop… when the hard kept going… I felt a little more despair settle in each time.

I felt a little more distrust in God settle in… which made me feel guilty… which made me slowly taper off in my prayers because I didn’t want God to “ignore me” one more time & cause me to become bitter & angry with Him… so I stopped talking to Him about it at all.

Which REALLY left me on my own to face it all. Wrong choice.

My Sneaky Pride

But God is so wonderful & faithful, that He used even my failure & rudeness toward Him to help ME.

You see, with my gifting from God, having had my spiritual gifting from childhood because I surrendered my sin to Jesus paying my debt & trusted in Him at 5 years old, I had sort of taken for granted my gifting, as if I somehow DESERVED it, because I have been a Christian for so long, of COURSE I had this gifting… as if MY faithfulness MERITED my GIFTing…. Wow.

Now, deep down, I knew absolutely that this was completely ridiculous & that OF COURSE it was FROM GOD, NOT me…. But sometimes I was really foolish in thinking maybe I also had a little something to do with it because of MY faithfulness to God over so many years.

It was something I had been praying over most of my growing up because I knew I was wrong to be thinking that, but yet still found myself feeling a little too proud of myself versus giving God the credit in my own heart.

God Was Using This Darkness for My Good

And here I was, for sure earning NOTHING because I was a complete brat, had stopped praying almost altogether, no longer depending on God through my breakdown issues, etc…. & YET, God CONTINUED to work through my gifting.

As if to say, “Yeah, this is from ME… NOT you. This is how I choose to work THROUGH you. It’s not about you. It’s about Me.”

What a humbling lesson to learn.

Me, a worm. Worthless. Sniveling. Given up trying to please God with my heart through the hard… worshiping EASE over HIM…. AND YET, He STILL chose to work through my gifting.

Because it’s not about me or me being great or faithful “enough” or any such nonsense.

It’s about it all being of Him, from Him, through Him, & FOR Him.

NOT me. HIM.

God Can Work DESPITE Me… Thank GOD!

Now, can He work more effectively with my surrender to His will & way? Of course.

But can He choose to work through me even when I am a complete & utter screw up? Absolutely.

It’s about His work, not mine.

I can have NOTHING to offer Him, & really, I don’t because He already has EVERYTHING… & He can still work through me.

How humbling that is.

What an honor that is.

He used my quitter attitude to show it wasn’t me holding me up at all along the road of life… it was Him all along.

It was all Him.

PRAISE GOD.

Can You Relate?

Is there an area you have refused to pray about anymore because you don’t feel like God is listening or that God cares? (He is & He does.)

Are you having a bad attitude about any area of your life because you feel like the hard just won’t stop no matter HOW MUCH you pray?

Have you given up?

Where could God be trying to teach you that it’s not about you being great enough to “deserve” Him, but that even when you obviously don’t, He will forever remain faithful to you regardless?

Where can you give God the praise He deserves despite the struggle with which you wrestle? Where in your struggle can you bring Him honor? How can you make sure He gets the glory instead of you?

Practice praying to see His “enoughness” in your struggle more than praying for your struggle to end. Allow God to show you He is enough for you come what may.

Shine HOPE by turning to Him & relying on Him in the hard, by living to give Him the glory & the honor & the praise in all you do. 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 over FIVE 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:

Heart Drop Earrings (INDIA)

These beautiful double heart drop earrings are handmade in India by women earning fair wages for their work. These earrings feature a gold-tone heart stud with a dangle heart pendant, 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.*****

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!

Confirmation Didn’t Erase My Fears

So, now I was official with this guy & I was totally panicky, too.

Sure, I knew God had confirmed it one way or the other, as I had asked of Him, but that didn’t take my fear of commitment away.

I was looking over my shoulder at every turn, so to speak… constantly wondering if maybe it was meant to be temporary & trying not to get too attached or lead him on or anything that could lead to any hurt whatsoever.

… Keep in mind that the one time previously I had ever fallen in love… once I was ready to consider marriage, God gave me a big “NO” I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand it because I hadn’t felt such a clear NO in my heart until AFTER I had fallen for the guy… so NOW, I did NOT want to allow that to happen again.

I was scared.

How am I Supposed to Know?

I also had words of others’ fears & heartaches floating around mercilessly in my brain: “Don’t get married unless you know that you know that you know that you KNOW!”

How was I ever supposed to KNOW? I can’t predict the future! Nor can I read minds!

This was just the worst. In a relationship… but too scared to enjoy said relationship because I was too scared to ever let my guard down & feel anything.

But, to be clear, I was pretty straightforward in my honesty during our dating relationship. I didn’t hide any of this from him, but prayed about it & spoke about it honestly.

This had to be God-led or I was out.

By MUCH Prayer…

So, instead of breaking up with him to protect either of us from hurt, I leaned on God & trusted for Him to guide me along the way through MUCH prayer.

I took it all to Him. I prayed, asking for confirmation throughout our relationship, just to make sure I was following His lead over my heart or my fears.

And God was so faithful to me every step of the way in my seeking His wisdom & reassurance.

There would be times I would pray about a very specific character trait I had learned I needed in a future spouse… things God had taught me. So, knowing He had taught me I needed them, I would ask Him to show me whether Jamie held these character traits, or at least the potential for them later down the road.

And every time, after praying silently & not sharing those requests with a single soul, Jamie would STILL somehow bring it up the very next time I spoke with him, as if he had read my mind or as if God had put him on a three-way call when I prayed.

God was faithful. He kept reassuring me. He kept leading me.

No Touchy

And one way God helped me know what was His lead versus my romantic daydreamy self leading, was by impressing upon my heart to give up any & all physical affection, to include even an arm around the shoulder or holding hands.

Maybe this seems a bit much to you… too much to ask… too extreme or unnecessary… but I knew that it was what I needed. I was too prone to slap those rosy glasses on the second a guy I liked put his arm around me or wanted to hold my hand, etc. IE. “*SWOON* We’re going to get married & have 3 babies &…. etc.” (You get the picture. It was pathetic but true.)

I didn’t want my very overly romanticizing heart to yank the reins from God’s hands & take over the second my heart swooned. It had to be for sure God-led or I was OUT.

I wanted God to have full control over the direction of our relationship & I didn’t want to ever risk clouding that discernment with romantic ideals & daydreams based on imaginings versus reality… feelings versus facts.

The Key? God Would Continue to be There to Help No Matter What

I never thought I could ever be sure about a guy. There were too many unknowns to account for… that I could never be able to account for because life is unpredictable…. How would I ever know?

But driving back from when my now husband eventually proposed, 7.5 months after our first date, I felt surer than I had ever felt about anything… because, as Jamie put it, “even though marriage holds a lot of unknowns & we can’t predict the future… he would be right alongside me through it all & God would be there to guide us no matter what came our way.”

No marriage will ever be perfect. God wasn’t wanting me to wait for a non-existent Mr. Perfect.

What He did want is for me to trust Him to know better than me on who would be a good fit for me. Not just with who I am, but who He will grow me to be… what our future held…. Not that the future would then be perfect, but that God would be right there with us in the imperfect.

Letting God Lead in My Dating Life

That really summed it up for me. Knowing God had consistently given me confirmation when I had asked for it…. Knowing God had given us both peace that wasn’t led by emotions first…. Knowing God would still be with us to help us through every hard season we would ever face.

God had us… & that is how we knew we could be confident despite the unknowns our future together held.

I had always rushed in head-first to every relationship in my past, so ready & desperate to feel loved & wanted… but the fears that consumed me had always caused me to run right back out of them even quicker than they had started the second the “L” word was even HINTED at.

But this time, I didn’t run in… I waited on God’s lead.

And I didn’t run back out… I trusted in God’s lead.

And even almost 12 years into it, I am not running out of it, because I know that no matter what we may face, God will be that same lead & same help through it every step of the way.

Who Are You Trusting to Lead You?

Does a fear of the unknown cripple you? Do you worry about making big decisions because you don’t know what the lasting consequences will be? Do you stay where it feels safe? Do you try to protect yourself the way that you know how?

Do you rush in, sure of your own abilities or assessments? Are you reckless with love or decisions in your life thinking it’s up to you to make the call?

Pray about it. Ask the God who KNOWS & doesn’t have to guess. Trust He cares enough about you to do as He promises & will provide wisdom as well as guidance in life.

What God Says About It

“Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

He even tells us, straight up, not to trust or rely on our own understanding, but on His, through prayer.

Let God Lead… Trust He WILL Lead

Trusting ourselves can look like plowing ahead without consulting Him, but it can also look like staying where you feel safe & not trusting Him to be able to adequately lead you to your liking.

I’ve done both. I DO both sometimes even still.

But each time I am reminded that I really can trust Him… & I need to trust Him.

Shine HOPE by trusting Him when you just don’t know… & even when you think you’re absolutely, positively certain.

Coming Next Week

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

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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 over FIVE 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

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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!!

Heart Drop Earrings (INDIA)

These beautiful double heart drop earrings are handmade in India by women earning fair wages for their work. These earrings feature a gold-tone heart stud with a dangle heart pendant, 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.*****

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!

Love ya lots! Have a wonderful week!