I had an interesting conversation with an old friend on my latest visit to the states.
As we were talking & catching up after the church service, he mentioned that he was going to a new church.
Nothing really seemed too odd about that to me because I know plenty of people who have switched churches from where they once attended for whatever reason.
For him, I gathered that, in praying about it, God had directed him to this other church… not because they offered more, but because they seemed to be struggling as a church.
At first, this seemed sort of strange to me, but as he talked about it, it made so much sense.
He felt that God wanted him to be part of the help that the church needed. He wasn’t going there because of all it offered him, but because he wanted to offer his service to that church in need.
I Have Stressed Over Finding a New Church When We Move
I will also add that I have been stressing about finding a new church in Orlando, when we move, because I will not go to a church & be okay if they compromise the Word of God (the Bible) in any way, shape or form…& that sort of biblical foundation can be hard to find in a lot of places these days, unfortunately.
I also really wanted to go to a church that had many ways to get involved & make friends.
But after talking to my friend, I realized I have very little reason to worry.
It’s easy to want a church with good music, good aesthetics, good programs, good ministries, ample Sunday school classes to learn & grow together… Bible studies even.
But what if God wants to send us to a church with very little of all that? What if God sends us there to help start some of that going there? To be part of the solution & growth?
Maybe He doesn’t want to send us to a ready-made church, but rather one which is a work in progress like me?
Church Isn’t Meant to be a Christian Country Club… But a House of Worship
I think it can be easy to subconsciously consider church to be a Christian country club where we go to be fed the Word & be encouraged by others to help fuel us each week.
But church is meant to be a body of worshippers, where all parts big or small, “important” or “insignificant” come together, all parts working toward the health & well-being of the whole… all there to bring God glory because of what Jesus has given for us with His life, death, & resurrection.
Do you serve in your church?
Do you get involved? Do you feel like you don’t know where to step in?
Do you feel you don’t have much to offer—time, resources, skill, confidence, ability, spiritual maturity?
The cool thing about the body, is that it needs even small things to run well. So, even if you feel your contribution can only be small… well, there you go… it’s still needed.
And as we work alongside each other, we share in the blessings of what God will choose to do with it… to multiply our efforts & use it to change the communities around us with HOPE.
Do You Go to Church to be Served… Or to Serve?
So, start by praying about it. Ask God where you can help where you’re at in life right now.Ask Him how you can contribute & be a part of the body of Jesus Christ in the church.
Don’t just come & take… come to give. God will help you if you’re willing to ask Him.
Never in a million years did I think I’d be doing all I do now, but I started small & God grew me as I continued to obey His lead in it. Now I am blessed to have been a part of so many wonderful ministries here on Guam—children’s ministry (teaching K4 & K5 what the gospel means & how God cares for them & paid for their sins)… choir & now praise team (that was so super scary for me, yet here I am!)… prayer team after service… & women’s prison ministry! PLUS this website, my blog, & YouTube channel! Never EVER in a million years!
God multiplies what we have when we offer what we have to Him!
Start small if you have to… & watch Him multiply it over time. It will amaze you.
Pray over it & obey as He leads.
Shine HOPE by serving in your local church, being a participating part of the body of Christ in serving others & working to give God all the glory!
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”(1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 myFREE 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 since Summer 2018!! 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!!
Convertible Wrap Necklace, Handcrafted in & Empowering Women Out of Poverty in India!
(Shown: Convertible Wrap Necklace (also available in silver), handcrafted in & empowering women in India out of extreme areas of poverty with every purchase, partnering with the artisans!)
This elegant, gold-tone necklace from India will give you a custom jewelry piece your versatile wardrobe needs! This Convertible Wrap Necklace is beautifully crafted with a detailed gold-tone chain featuring a toggle closure and gold charm. The toggle feature allows you to wrap the necklace around for a more layered, shorter look or wear it long to elevate any piece of clothing!
Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
In certain seasons of my life, I have sought to have lunch or coffee with different ladies at work or at church that God has placed on my heart. I would do this sometimes once or twice a month.
The purpose of these get togethers was to be more intentional in meeting new people, making new friends, & encouraging the women I met.
I struggle with large groups. I get overwhelmed & sort of zone out when I’m surrounded by people. Having a plate of food or a drink in my hand are typically my security blankets that allow me to use the excuse that, “oh, what? No, totally not at all socially awkward here… just, ya know… I’m eating these snacks/enjoying my drink.” Haha, but I know the truth. Those were my security blankets so I wouldn’t seem as awkward & out of place as I felt.
But one-on-ones are fine for me. I love getting to know new people, especially fellow Christian women, because I can hear testimonies of how God is showing up for them in their lives or working through them. It encourages me so much in my own faith, being reminded repeatedly as to why He’s the One to Whom we look as our help through life.
What Types of Conversations Do You Want to Have?
I love getting to hear that I am indeed NOT the only one with struggles & weaknesses, getting to pray for them & encourage them, while also feeling encouraged myself. Swapping stories of God’s faithfulness in our lives.
Before these get-togethers with different ladies, I began praying something very specific before each one: “Lord, help us to honor You in our conversations. Help us in having “3E” conversations… that I help edify her (build her up), encourage her (lift her up), & exhort her (urge her forward in living life for You).”
That was my purpose & my hope in these conversations, whether it turned out that way every time or not… that was my hope going into each one.
It’s then, in the past year or so, that I coined that term of a “3E” friendship/conversation. It helped me remember why I was there.
That’s what I am really longing for & praying for in this move to Orlando, Florida.
I REALLY want to find women who are this for me, too, there.
I Want More “3E” Friendships–to Edify, Encourage, & Exhort One Another
My truest longing in a friendship is someone where, somehow the conversation always leads back to talking about how God is showing up for us,how we’re seeking Him when things get hard, how we need to pray together as we seek to live for Him in everything, even when it’s easy to forget Him.
I want to be built up in my faith,challenged graciously to grow in Him.
I want to be lifted up in life, reminded of all He is & can do for us—all He has already done.
I want to be urged forward in my life,someone who will help push me to live my life more fully for the Lord, even when distractions & busyness abound.
So, please pray for me to this end.That God prepare some beautiful 3E friendships with ladies there& some men for my husband to befriend as well.
I Have Been Blessed with Some Beautiful 3E Friendships Already in My Life
During my time on Guam, I have been blessed with friendships like these who have encouraged me, challenged me, & urged me forward. I have been so incredibly blessed by my life crossing paths with theirs. (Same in Japan.)
And that is one of the biggest prayers I have for this move,that God send me some imperfect ladies who love the Lord, who are also interested in 3E friendships.
It’s what I strive to be… long to be… in my friendships.
I’m not always perfect at it. I don’t always get it right. But deep in my heart, it’s what I always long to provide to those I hang out with…because I know how easily I can be distracted from God or start leaning more on His blessings rather than on Him as my Blessings-Giver.
I NEED reminding! I NEED to be talking about it!
I Need Reminders Always to Look to Him & Live for Him Vs. Looking to Myself or Living for Myself
If you see me wearing “Christian-y” t-shirts, it is NOT AT ALL because I am trying to be self-righteous like, “yeah, everyone, be like this… aka be like ME.” Or as if I think that wearing it somehow makes me more “Christian-y.”
NO. It’s me saying, “I am struggling to remember this today… so I thought I should wear this shirt as an extra little reminder to my heart to NOT forget it!”I am basically screaming my weakness for that day to the world on my shirt… but also showing where I know my help will come from as I seek Him.
But I need these types of friendships for that exact same reason. I forget. I numb. I get distracted. I get selfish. I get prideful. I get discouraged. I NEED truth. I NEED reminders of Him as my LORD.
I want more “3E” friendships–to edify, encourage, & exhort one another.
So I want to BE that kind of friend, because I know it’s truly the kind of friend I NEED, too.
Do You Long for These Types of Friendships & Conversations, Too?
In what ways do you live this out in your own friendships & conversations with others?
Do you have certain friends in your life that are this kind of friend to you?
I am still a work in progress on this, but for me, I pray beforehand over the conversations we will have when we get together & I try to remember to ask them how I can pray for them & take a moment to sit & pray with them. God usually does the rest in bringing things to mind & steering conversations toward remembering Him in them.
And it becomes more natural the more you work on it, too… so don’t give up if you’re not great at it right away… it’s a learning process & God will help you grow in it as you seek Him to help you in it.
So, join me. Learn & grow in having 3E friendships. That’s the kind of friend I long to be.
Shine HOPE by seeking to not just get together to chat mindlessly, but by being intentional in building up your friends, lifting up their spirits with encouragement, & by urging them on to live their life more fully for Jesus. It’s what this life is all about, after all.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”(1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 myFREE 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 since Summer 2018! 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!!
Embroidered Foliage Coin Purse, Handcrafted & Empowering Women in India Out of Poverty with Every Sale!
(Shown: Embroidered Foliage Coin Purse–Every purchase empowers women in India out of extreme areas of poverty.)
Create fair-paying jobs for women in India when you purchase the Embroidered Foliage Coin Purse, handmade in India! Each velvet mini zipper pouch has an adorable design featuring a floral design that has been hand embroidered with love and care.
Every purchase of the Embroidered Foliage Coin Purse creates safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
This week is another adaptation of my lesson prep for prison ministry.
I just felt that, although not prison, we all can have seasons where we feel stuck or trapped… especially like my seasons where I am struggling with depression…. And I have learned that even in those really hard, difficult times… sometimes those are the most prime times to be able to give God the glory because onlookers can more clearly see that it’s not at all because of me.
We’ve all had times in our lives when we feel stuck. Maybe it’s a season of grief or maybe an illness or injury… maybe it’s depression… maybe it’s prison.
When we’re in these seasons, where everything just seems hard & the hard doesn’t seem to ever want to stop… when you have no control… it can all be very discouraging. It can feel disheartening & like life is just beating you up.
And in those moments, we can possibly feel like, when our world feels so dark & grim—how are we supposed to give God glory?
But here I am to tell you that it is oftentimes in these moments where we have the MOST opportunity to give God the glory.
It’s Not about How Great You Look
I always say that when you’re doing something for God, its success does not hinge on everything going perfectly, but often in how you respond when nothing goes right.
You see, it shows more clearly where you end & where He begins. It shows where you humble your weakness to Him & trade it for His help.
Alternatively, when you are strong & everything in your world is going pretty smoothly, & everything seems to just be going according to plan… when you seem strong & capable… who are people going to praise? Who is going to get the glory in that? Oftentimes… you.
But, when everything is seeming to fall apart & you clearly don’t have a backup plan, but you stop & pray over it & see it all work out… who are they going to praise in that situation? More likely Him.
When someone looks at your life, do they see a strong, capable woman?Or do they see a woman who leans upon her Lord?
We’ll Always be a Work in Progress
I am definitely not always a pro at this—although the more times that I realize my need, that I need to stop, admit my limitations, & cry out to God for help in prayer, the more easily that response comes to me in the future.
Now, I’m also not saying to purposely act like a hot mess or drop the ball on every task to show that you trust God is in control—that would be irresponsible stewardship of the task God has put before you & show it doesn’t actually matter much to you at all.
Trust & reliance on GOD is not the same as inaction on your part.
But I am saying that when you do your best & it still all crumbles apart, don’t be scared of the failure… show others Who you turn to when you don’t have all the answers. Show them Who is your strength when you feel you have none.
Who knows, maybe that is the whole reason God granted you the stewardship over that… knowing it would fall apart… SO THAT people could have opportunity to firsthand witness you turning it over to God for help when it starts to fail. Maybe that was the point all along.
Yeah, I Am Weak… I Admit It
That is why I can be so open with struggling with depression pretty badly in some seasons of my life. Does it make me look good? No, not at all. People often judge me & say I am “just being dramatic.”
But does it show others my very real human weaknesses so that they can more clearly that where I succeed must not have been all me? Yes. In many cases, yes.
I want others to know where I fail & fall short. I want people to see where I screwed it up & felt I had no hope left. I want people to see where I end & where He begins…. I want HIM to get the glory in my life, not me.
I want others to see & know that any good from my life is not because I am a success or a strong woman, but because I know from where my help & strength come from–& it’s not of myself, that’s for sure.
And that is why it is entirely possible to give God the glory when you just feel stuck in your life.
What Is Your “Stuck”?
Chronic illness? Bad diagnosis? Injury? Grief? Depression? Prison? What is pushing you down? What is your “stuck”?
Use whatever it is as your opportunity to lean into God as your help & your strength & your wisdom & your comfort. As your platform to show the world where you end & He begins… be a beacon of hope.
Let His help be shown through your stuck.
God sees you. He hasn’t forgotten about you. He will not waste a single ounce of “stuck” in your life, because they are prime opportunities to teach you (& others through you) that He can when ‘can’ feels super impossible.
That He can use even someone like you, even someone with your “stuck.”
Praise Him in the Storm
Think of the followers of Jesus (Paul & Silas) in prison. They understood the assignment. Most were imprisoned wrongly, simply for sharing the gospel, rather than breaking any laws. But did they scream their rights? Did they grumble & complain to everyone around them?
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25)
No, they sang praises to their God. They lived as a testimony EVEN in prison.
They understood that God was still with them, even in that cell & that God cared just as much for each prisoner they sat beside & every prison guard who watched over them. That Jesus died for them, too.
God Doesn’t Do Anything Without a Purpose
And what about Paul. Did you know his friends kept warning him? “Don’t go there, are you crazy?! They want to KILL you!!!”
But how did Paul respond?
“Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:12-13)
He also understood the assignment. He knew that no matter who God put him in front of, even if they had the power to kill him, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was worth dying for & that those people who fight against it so hard are also ones for whom Jesus died. He was willing to die to get the chance for an audience with those in charge to hear the hope of Jesus.
Sometimes I Just Feel SO Stuck in Life!
In my seasons of dark depression, life is really hard. It feels hopeless, like my mind is under constant oppression & attack. Like I cannot get free no matter how hard I try. Like I am fighting every day just to keep my head above water, so to speak.
I feel weak & pathetic. I feel useless. I feel embarrassed. I feel like I make God look bad.
But on the contrary. I cannot tell you how many times God has used even my darkest days to show me & even others that He can where I very obviously could not.
There’s this little phrase in a verse that I love so much… He lifted my head.
“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.” (Psalm 3:3)
I don’t know, something about this picture just really shows His gentleness when all seems lost. Like this picture of being so completely limp & weak with nothing to offer, so lacking that even lifting your head off the floor feels too much of a strain, one you can’t bear… & yet… God. His gentle, loving, sovereignly powerful care… & He lifts your head.
I don’t know if you’ve ever felt that low before, but I have. It’s like only the solid, firm floor feels sturdy enough because I feel so limp & frail that the bed or couch cushions don’t feel secure or sturdy enough to hold me steady. I just lay flat on the floor to feel that sturdiness underneath me & I can feel so limp & weak that I can’t even get myself to lift my head. And then this picture of our great, majestic All-powerful God kneeling down beside me to lift my head for me… I don’t know why, but I just get choked up thinking about it because that really is the type of gentle, loving, sees-me care He shows me in my every weakest point in life.
My Weaknesses for His Glory
My weaknesses are not something I am ashamed of anymore, because they have become the canvas on which God shows Himself all the more wonderful & spectacular than I could ever have imagined Him to be.
Every crack in me only serves as crevices for His love & power & faithfulness & grace to shine through even brighter to the world around me.
I used to pray about my depression to the tune of: “but, if You actually loved me, why, oh WHY, would You let me suffer SO MUCH for NO REASON—ie no cause of loss or betrayal or physical pain or ANYTHING to at least justify to others my suffering, but NO, I have to be in such complete, constant pain in some particular seasons, with absolutely nothing to help people be understanding to me IN IT. Why?!”
I didn’t understand how God could simultaneously love me AND let me suffer so much.
But you know what, there came a day when that answer to those prayers finally came: “Michelle, you look around & see lukewarm Christians everywhere who seem to think just going to church or praying before they eat is all I am to them & it grieves your heart. They have an ignorance of Me that keeps them from drawing nearer. But you haven’t had that “luxury.” No, you HAVE suffered… & because you have suffered so much… you have not had the “luxury” of believing the lie that you don’t need Me… no, you have been forced through that suffering to come to Me over & over & over again, learning that I am where your hope is found… learning to rely on Me. It is indeed the greatest blessing, My child… not a curse.”
Wow was I put in my place that day. The humbling realization washed over me & poured out of me as pure gratefulness. What I had always seen as my greatest curse instantly turned into my greatest blessing & benefit.
All of those years where I have suffered so much pushed me ever into His arms as my help & I have seen Him come through for me over & over & over & over & over & OVER again because of those many seasons!
And because of that… on TOP of that… I can share that same exact hope I have personally seen as FACT, through my own suffering, as a display of hope to absolutely everyone who will hear me.
I can be a beacon, a lighthouse that draws others around me to the One Who gives me hope in the most hopeless of places.
Shining As a Beacon of Hope… RIGHT Where You Are
So, no, we are never truly “stuck.” Not really.
God has a purpose in it.God has a plan. God will not ever waste a single ounce of our struggles or suffering or seasons of “stuck.” He knows what He is doing.
We can trust Him.We can proclaim Him. We can point others to where OUR own hope comes from—Jesus Christ our LORD!
So, sing His praises! Of His greatness & power & majesty! His love & grace & faithfulness! His sovereignty, His deity, His longsuffering favor toward us who are even least deserving! That Jesus died so that we may LIVE! PRAISE Him!
Read the Bible & dwell on its words & truth.
Pray & spend time pouring out your struggles & anxieties to Him, asking for His help & thanking Him for being One Who cares for you no matter what you may feel you do or don’t deserve.
Remember your salvation undeserved… & SHARE IT. Be a BEACON for HOPE.
He Is at Work
Are you feeling stuck in life right now because of your current circumstances? What does your “stuck” look like? How does it make you feel right now? Is God too small to help you or to shine through you in this?(No.)
Can you flip the script on it & instead see it as an opportunity to lean into Him, see Him show up for you in it, & live as a beacon to a hurting world?
Ask Him & watch Him shift your heart & renew your mind.
He is working.
Shine HOPE by leaning on Him & living for Him, even on your absolute worst days… & see the wonderful ways that God shows up & makes Himself known to you & to those you allow to look in on your pain… let them see Him in it.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”(1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 myFREE 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 since the Summer of 2018!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!!
Pearl Seashell Brooch, Handcrafted in & Empowering Women Out of Poverty in India!
(Shown: Pearl Seashell Brooch, handcrafted in & offering brighter futures for women in India!
When you purchase the Pearl Seashell Brooch you create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops.
This adorable pin shows off the craftsmanship of our talented artisan partners in India! Each bead is hand-sewn onto the pin to create this seashell image. This is the perfect addition to any blazer, coat, or canvas bag to instantly give you a unique look!
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
Do You Have Something That Holds You Back? If So, What Is It?
If you grew up in church, like me, then you know that it’s important to read your Bible… now, whether or not you actually do it is another thing.
I didn’t really read my Bible as if a necessity growing up. Yes, I would go through spurts where I would read it regularly… but then that would sort of feign away. I think because I had always been told different “read through the Bible in a year” plans as the way to do it, but because it wasn’t yet a habit… every time I fell behind by forgetting or having an off day, my number of chapters became so unreasonable that I would just give up.
Then came the trend of “I really just feel like I am turning ‘reading my Bible every day’ into a checklist item versus something from the heart, & I just don’t like feeling like that as my motivation—it feels icky, so I just didn’t read it today.”
Looking back, I can see very clearly in hindsight that those were 2 very effective ways Satan has kept me & many other well-meaning Christians from making Bible-reading as major a part of their lives as it should be.
After reading Andrew Murray’s compilation on Prayer book, it changed my whole worldview on Bible reading. (*You can find the link to this book & others that I personally recommend on my website–I do not receive any compensation for promoting this book: Recommended by Michelle | Michelle Hyde Online)
You see, I didn’t really get why it was as big a deal as it actually is.
God Interacts with Our Lives Way More Than We Credit Him
I also didn’t really believe or understand how interactive God really wants to be with our lives. I thought it was ONLY: “I sinned–I wronged God–Jesus paid my debt–I trusted Jesus’ payment for my sin—I get to go to heaven, not because of my goodness, but because Jesus paid my debt on the cross & rose again in 3 days to conquer sin & death. PERIOD.” (Basically, I thought the Gospel + trying to be a “good person” for God was all there was to being a Christian.)
And after that, well, my view was, for a long time—try not to screw up because you’ll make God mad, so try very hard to be a good person at all times so He doesn’t get mad at you… but it all falls on you to make that happen & to be good enough for Him—not for salvation, but because you’re supposed to… so do better. That’s how I thought.
How incomplete & skewed that thinking was.
God doesn’t exist with this squinted, dissatisfied grimace on His face, scowling down at us, constantly pointing fingers, crossing His arms, & slowly shaking His head back & forth as if to say, “well, she screwed that up again.”
And guess what… I have screwed up A LOT.
Do you know what I have learned from all of those screwups, mistakes & failures?How gentle He is. How kind He is. How always ready to welcome me back He is. How forgiving. How faithful. How loving. How wonderfully longsuffering He is in His love toward me.
His Grace Still Amazes Me
That does not serve as an excuse to disgrace or disobey Him… not one little bit. But His love for me goes so much deeper than whether or not I’m doing a good enough job at it today or not.
He knows I am but human. He knows I am going to fall into trusting myself again, get it all wrong, trip & fall & make a huge mess of everything & then come back to Him for help eventually. And He is kind every single time it happens. It blows me away every single time.
His grace still amazes me is a line in a song that I sing with tears in my eyes every single time–because it’s the truth.
He is not my scowling overlord, but my loving heavenly Father... even when I absolutely least deserve it.
Read Your Bible!
And God is very present in my life, beyond what I could have ever believed to be true as a young Christian. He is very interactive. And the more I get to know Him through talking to Him (prayer about all things big or small) & reading His Word (the Bible, regularly), the more I see Him interacting with me & my life… the more I see Him.
Reading the Bible is so much more important than we make it out to be! PLEASE hear me on that! PLEASE!!
It is NOT just words on a page. It is NOT just a life instruction manual.It is NOT just a “collection of wise words.”
IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.
It is living. It is active. It is sharper than a two-edged sword.
You can read it a billion times & not ever reach its depth, while you can simultaneously read it once & have its truth change your life forever.
It is GOD-BREATHED.
This is not something to play around with. Listen to me, why do you think there are always infinite obstacles at the ready to keep you from reading it regularly???
Satan Will Do WHATEVER He Has to in Order to Discourage You from Reading God’s Word Regularly–Will You Let Him?
Distractions, headaches, tiredness, busyness, boredom, zoning out, feeling it’s just a checklist item… Satan will use EVERY tool he can to keep you AWAY from God’s Word… because even HE knows its power!
You NEED to be reading it. I cannot stress that enough. No amount of capital letters or exclamation points could ever be enough.
You have to read it.
Yes, maybe you go to church, maybe you go to Bible study, maybe you do a daily devotional… but HOW will you know whether any of it is truth if you yourself are not studying it & reading it?
And even if they are leading you rightly, the Bible says to crave it like newborns crave milk… is that a once-a-day thing for them? NO, they crave it repeatedly every single day. They act like they DEPEND on it… because they DO.
Do we treat the Word of God like that?
I don’t CARE if it’s like a checklist item only for you… READ IT ANYWAY. CHECK IT OFF. Let it get in your head & change your heart from the inside out. You may not be like me & crave food all the time, but you still need to feed your body, don’t you? Same with your soul! How malnourished is it right now?
Pray & Trust That God Can Get You Past What You Can’t Yourself
I didn’t get where I am without reading my Bible every day & I need MORE of it… I am a work in progress with you.
Even if you have to pray, “God, You know I’m bored & I check out… but I know You say to do it, so I know it honors You… so help me to focus anyway as I read right now. AMEN.” And then READ & watch Him fight for you.
You won’t be consistent right away maybe, but building a habit takes time.
You don’t stop eating nutritional food forever moving forward because you ate really bad on one day, do you? NO. Your body still appreciates the good you DID give to it… the same with your soul. Miss a day? Come back tomorrow where you left off… every bit matters…. Let it renew you.
Reading the Bible Is SO Much More Important Than We Make It out to Be
God never prescribes “reading through the Bible in a year” plans. That’s man-made. Just start somewhere. Start small, see it change you & make you crave more every year that passes. Watch it change you as you let it.
Just a checklist item for you? GOOD—READ anyway.
Distractions galore for you? GOOD—God is BIGGER… PRAY & READ anyway.
Too boring for you? GOOD—READ anyway.
No letting Satan keep you away anymore, okay? God is on your side on this. He WANTS you to know Him… to hear His voice… to see His care for you….
But you need to open your Bible… & you need to read it.
Stop letting Satan win this part of your life & your heart & your future of seeing & obeying God better.
Shine HOPE by reading your Bible like it’s the best thing you could do for yourself–because it is. God says to read it for a reason… so listen to Him.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”(1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 myFREE 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 EIGHT 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!!
Blue Sage Jewelry Set (w/ Necklace), Handcrafted & Empowering Women in Extreme Areas of Poverty
(Shown: Blue Sage Jewelry Set, handcrafted by & empowering women in extreme areas of poverty in India)
This jewelry set includes 3 handmade bracelets, a pair of earrings, and a genuine stone necklace that are all handcrafted in workshops in India that’s committed to fighting child marriage and helping women become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. The Blue Sage Bracelet Stack is crafted using up-cycled bone to create a beautiful look, perfect for daily wear or gifting. Each bracelet is accented with one gold-tone bead and the set features a blue, green, and tan bracelet. The ethically made, gorgeous Blue Sage Earrings features layered shapes crafted out of up-cycled bone. Each earring has a tan circle stud connecting to an olive green rounded bar and a powder blue open arch pendant suspended below. The stunning Blue Sage Quartz Necklace features dyed quartz on a gold-tone adjuster chain and is perfect for everyday wear.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
Every week that I come on here to write my blog, I am familiar with the countdown it signifies… every blog post means another week closer to our move to Florida from the other side of the world, on Guam.
I don’t like it.
Yes, I feel like God is keeping me steady in the day-to-day as of now. I am recognizing when I need to end the spiral by stepping out of the chaos that is sometimes my world & taking time to pour it all out to God & ask for help.
I am working on the step-by-step process. Trying to stay present with friends & ministries here, while also planning for my future there.
It is a hard balance… but God is helping me walk it.
There Are a Lot of Not-So-Funs about Moving
When I tell you that I dislike house-hunting, I am putting it lightly. I hate it.
I hate living out of a suitcase, living in the in-between, knowing wherever you are isn’t really your home–just where you are at that current moment… no settling in. No homey vibes of comfort.
Then the house-hunting itself is so disheartening. It requires repeatedly falling in love with homes, only to have them snatched away last minute. Letting yourself visualize that space as your home, then starting the search over again.
Or maybe just not even finding anything that matches the feel of what you would like, wondering about compromise… & how much compromise… from your dream home.
The negotiations, the high hopes, the snatched away hopes, the waiting, the not knowing when it will end.
House-hunting is not for the faint of heart–& I am faint of heart.I still have trauma from doing it all here. It was the worst.
It’s painful, to be honest. Call me weak if you want…. But I just don’t like it.
Revealing an Area to Pray About
So that’s obviously where I need to be praying most right now, because it’s the thing giving me the most anxiety right now.
I need to rest in the fact that God already sees where we ought to live for reasons only He can see. It could possibly not look like what I wanted or prayed for after all, but it will be what I needed. I have to trust that. I have to trust He knows better than me, come what may–because He does.
Giving up the dream I have in my head of what I want it to look like or be like… fearing the potential need for giving that up… is what’s the hardest for me right now.I don’t want to give up on it.
But God sees what I don’t. He knows… I only think I do.I need to let Him take the lead,whatever that ends up looking like. I need to be willing to let go. I need to be willing to trust Him to do what I need more than what I think I want.
Surrender.
I hate that word sometimes, don’t you?
I Can Trust Him to Know Better Than I Do
But God knows better than me. God, You know better than me—please help me to remember that every time I try to cling to my dream… every time fear threatens to chokehold me.
You’ve got me covered, God… I can bank on that… no matter what my fears may tell me at any given moment. I can trust that at least… even when I may not be able to see it at all.
So, God, please help me. Guide our steps. Calm my heart. Help me to trust You over what I think I know. You know better. You’ve got me. You see it already. You know without having to guess. Help me trust You more with my fears here… with my hurts that are coming in feeling displaced without a home for however long that takes. You will care for me, even if I’m hurting. I know You see me. You care. Help me to remember that every minute so the fears & hurts don’t have power over me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
It’s okay to be afraid—we’re human & we don’t see all that God sees…but that fear isn’t from Him—because He already knows & He wants you to trust that fact when you can’t see it yourself. So, remember that fact when the fears come a knockin’. Because, in a life where we can’t see it all—fears will come… but He is still on His throne… He still cares for you.
So, trust Him. (I’m saying all this to myself right now, too, you best believe it.)
Where Is the Fast-Forward Button in Life?
The anticipation is killing me sometimes. I want to know NOW. I want to put the fears to rest by SEEING the RESULTS. Where is the fast-forward button in life? Can God please CC me?
Do you ever feel that way, too? Worried that maybe what you dream is ahead will all come crashing down? That everything you’ve worked so hard towards will just not come through the way you hoped?
But God is on His throne. He knows better than us. Even if it seems we got “jipped,” we can trust that God did it for an excellent big picture reason that we maybe can’t even see. He has a bigger & broader view of the situation than we could ever hope to have. Maybe we move in a less-than-ideal neighborhood because someone there needs Jesus… or because a future very best friend is waiting there.
I don’t know… but I know that He knows.
Shine HOPE by recognizing to fear is human… but it’s not from God… so take that fear to Him… lay it down… & trust He can do far above what you can do with your circumstances & your future. He’s got you. Always. 100%.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”(1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 myFREE 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 EIGHT 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!!
Magnolia Pouch–Handcrafted by & Empowering Women in India out of Areas of Extreme Poverty
(Shown: Magnolia Pouch)
Every purchase of the Magnolia Pouch supports women with fair jobs, helps educate girls, fights child marriage, and empowers families leaving slums in India. This stunning green velvet, versatile pouch is handcrafted by women rising above the grip of poverty in India. Each Magnolia Pouch features beautifully embroidered florals to create an adorable look with a convenient zipper closure.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
I am not a fan of the unknown,or, more accurately, I am not a fan of feeling like I can’t have control over a certain aspect of my life.
Because, let’s face it, fear of the unknown is really a fear of not knowing how to prepare, how to handle it, where to go, what to do next… it’s a fear of not feeling any control.
And not having any control in any given circumstance is NOT my comfort zone.
When I Have to Pray Just to Get through Each Moment… It’s Hard
That’s a big reason why feeling weak is so hard on me–like sleeplessness or prolonged injury or sickness—I want to pray the weakness or discomfort away, pray for strength, & feel capable again… without needing to pray for help every second of every day for absolutely everything just to get through the day.
That’s a big reason why moving is so hard for me, too—not knowing where we’ll live or when I’ll be able to make friends or get a job or or or…. I feel super vulnerable. I feel very little control over whether people like me or whether I’ll fit in or anything really. I feel completely out of my element… & I don’t like it.
I think that’s why I so often pray the way of getting comfortable again, feeling capable, feeling “I’ve got this” vibes. I like feeling in control of my environment. (Also why I like having a “buffer friend” in a crowd so I know that if every person there were to reject or dislike me… I’ve still got someone by my side. I’m okay speaking TO a crowd, but not trying to speak IN a crowd, if that makes sense. Crowds make me nervous because I don’t know where I fit in that crowd–it overwhelms me. I’ll do it anyway… because I like making & having friends… but it is not comfort zone approved in any way whatsoever.)
It’s Coming… & the Temptation for Wanting to Know Everything RIGHT NOW or Else PANIC Is So Annoyingly Intense Sometimes…
Well, the unknown is coming… it’s here already, technically.
And I don’t mean “it’s already here” by the fact that “really, if I were to really think about it… every single day is the unknown because I actually have very little control compared to the illusion of control I feel myself to have.”
I mean that God is moving with something in my life & I have no idea what that is going to end up looking like(& no, it’s not pregnancy)… & the huge temptation is unease in the uncertainty… the waiting… the unknown.
I want to KNOW! Now!
But, I am reminded again that God is already there. He already sees it. He already knows. And if there is any delay in getting further information, it is only because God knows the exact right timing to converge the details the exact way they need to be… & any rushing from me would potentially steal away something God is working together because I tried to rush ahead of His timing. I don’t want that.
Stepping into the Unknown with a God Who Knows
I have to be willing to be faithful with what God puts in front of me in the waiting versus trying to rush ahead to the next thing before it’s time… & trust Him with what He hasn’t quite shown me all the way yet. He doesn’t need my help… He needs my obedience to His will, His working… & HIS timing.
Am I so tempted to want to micromanage God a little bit?Honestly, yes.
But would that end up being in my best interest?Probably not, no.
As much as I want so badly to have a say & to be “in the know,” I have to be willing to recognize that He has got things handled far better than I could ever hope to manage.
—God’s got me.—
I Want to Wait on Him… & to Trust Him in the Waiting
So, as much as I may want to rush to the last page of this chapter to see what He is working on behind the scenes, I need to step back & pray about it…pray for peace in knowing He’s handling it… pray for wisdom & discernment moving forward when it’s time… pray for the ability to be present & obedient in the waiting.
God’s got me. He sees. He knows. He’s got me.
“So, here I am, God. Yes, I see You. I know You… You’re working. I don’t have to step in… You’ve got it… You’ve got me. I need to get better at trusting You. I know that. So, help me in the waiting. Help me when the details are still so unclear, when excitement & anxiety & worry all want to swirl together around me & sweep me away.Still me. Remind me You’ve got this & You don’t need an ounce of me to step in to help. Let me let You & help me to be faithful & to show up in the waiting, obeying You where You have me right now.You’ve got the future covered. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”
So, if you’re stepping into some sort of transition, too… some new season… a new unknown… will you sit with me in it? Trusting you don’t have to agonize over all the details… you just have to wait on Him, trusting He’s doing His work even when you can’t quite see it…to rest in Him in the waiting… to be faithful with what’s in front of you right now, trusting His lead & His timing not to need an ounce of your micromanagement. He’s got us.
What a comfort that is… to know that I am stepping into the unknown with a God Who KNOWS.
Shine HOPE by resting in Him during the seasons of unknown, trusting He has a plan, He is working, He’s got you.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 EIGHT 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!!
Marcella Earrings–Helping Empower Women in India out of Poverty!
(Shown: Marcella Earrings, handcrafted in India! Buy a pair & help women find fair wages in India!)
Our stunning Marcella Earrings are handmade in India by women earning fair wages for their work. These earrings have an asymmetrical design. One earring has a pearl stud that features a gold nugget at the bottom of the chain. The other earring has a gold stud with pearl accent beads throughout the chain. Every purchase creates safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
I hear a lot of people feeling pressured to have their life cleaned up before they can come to Jesus, but that is not how the Bible displays the grace of God.
On this recent Sunday, the pastor read from the story of the sinner on the cross.
This man, told about in Luke 23:38-43, recognized that Jesus did not deserve to be on that cross beside him, but that he himself definitely did.He acknowledged his own sinfulness… he did not deny it.
But what that robber also didn’t do was have opportunity to clean his life up before having any chance for heaven. He had no right to heaven & no more time left to prove himself worthy for it going forward. He was already at the end, time was up.
But yet, Jesus verbally welcomed him into heaven.
… Not based on this sinner’s deserving (he had none)… not on his work to make up for it or change (his time was already up)… but based on his belief on Jesus as the One Whom he needed to save him from his deserved wrath.
I know a lot of us know this, & yet, we can get so caught up in judging someone else’s faith or place in heaven based on their weaknesses & past. God cleans us up through our faith on Jesus Christ to pay for our sins–we don’t do the cleaning up–He does.
I STILL Don’t Deserve Heaven Sans Jesus Covering My Sins, Even All These Years Later
I don’t know about you, but I, being saved now for almost 40 years, understand very clearly how undeserving I STILL am.
God is a faithful Vinedresser.(John 15:1-8)He is still weeding those things out of me. He is still cutting off things that distract me from getting properly nourished through Him & from being the most fruitful I can be.
God is faithful in tending to how my heart needs to change, how I need to be renewed & molded to be more in the likeness of His Son, Jesus Christ. Infinitely being gently corrected & changed, beyond what I deserve.
I see this a lot with sins that are embedded in a person’s perceived “identity.” I have heard people say that those who struggle presently with it cannot be a Christian while still believing those things or living in them.
But I challenge them on the power of the Gospel.
I still have seasons where I am foolish & allow myself to be deceived, where I have excused circles around my sin habit.But God is always gentle, forgiving, & faithful to continue pruning my heart, just as God got David’s attention through a prophet He sent to confront David near a year of David having deceived circles around his own quite major sins.(2 Samuel 12:1-8)
Despite our facing of the natural consequences of our wrong choices, how merciful God is to us.
We Are Naturally Often Afraid of Seeming Like It Means We Are Excusing Our Sin in Mentioning God’s Ever-Gracious, Merciful Nature
The fear we may face of talking about the possibility of being saved while living in sin is usually wrapped around the thought of it being an EXCUSING of sin, as if, “well, it IS paid for, so stop making a big deal about their sin… stop making that a deal-breaker.”
There is no way I am saying that. Sin matters. Your choices matter. Your obedience to God MATTERS.
Sin still causes damage. Sin still hurts us, others, AND God. Sin still tests & angers God, because God knows the damage & hurt it causes & tells us not to engage with it… & when we instead trust OURSELVES—we are then putting our own limited “wisdom” above the God Who made us & the world & everything in it. It is severely insulting to Him. It still has a cost.And sin still makes a mockery of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on that cross for our sin.
So sin still very much matters.
We Still NEED to be Seeking God WHILE Letting Him Prune & Change Us from the Inside Out
Pursuing holiness & obedience to God, living as a testimony of His truth & living FOR HIS glory—STILL MATTERS.
There are so many verses that attest to the opposite of living apart from regular, repeated sin is what allows you to be truly saved.
But by Christ alone.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:3; Romans 10:9)
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
“… for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12-13)
Even the prodigal SON passage displays this. (Luke 15:11-32) This story is not one of a stranger becoming a son, but rather a son making a mockery of his Father’s great generosity, WASTING it, & the welcoming grace that awaited him upon his humbled return.
I Didn’t Get Cleaned Up All at Once… But I am Failing Forward with God’s Working in Me
And then, there’s my life. Almost 40 years of mistakes, of failures, of wrong beliefs that were not called out or righted right away. Living sinfully because I was convinced I was doing nothing wrong, or that it “wasn’t really that bad.”
The gentle guiding, teaching, convicting of my heart throughout my life.
I was deceived. I let myself be led astray. I was foolish.
God kept weeding things out of me that shouldn’t be there. Ever faithful, ever working on my heart, ever making me more like Jesus.
God kept leading me & bringing sin to mind so I could lay it down. Sometimes I fought Him, but He kept working on me until I finally obeyed Him over trusting myself. It wasn’t all it once, it wasn’t always a willingness, but knowing it was a necessity, that God knew better than me, even when I didn’t want to believe that.
Only God Knows–Speak Truth, in Love–Warn of the Consequences–But Mostly, PRAY for Them
Is it hard to watch someone proclaiming Christ to be living in sin? Yes.
Does it make it seem like they’re not really saved because they’re not CURRENTLY living like it in this season? Yes.
Will that sin harm them & bring them destruction? Yes.
Does God still HATE our sin while still loving us? Yes.
Ought we warn people about their sin? YES.
Ought we turn away from our sin, even if we enjoy it, believe in it, & have been deceived over it, understanding that God ALWAYS knows better than we do & because obedience to Him still matters more than getting to live the way we want to live? YES.
If what we desires contradicts God’s Word—we’re the ones who are wrong, not Him.
He must be heeded.
We must obey His Word over our desires.
He is in charge, He knows everything—NOT us.
Sin (Doing Opposite of What God Commands or Says Is Right) Destroys. PERIOD. Don’t be Fooled!
But when we see someone proclaiming Christ while living in sin that they have convinced themselves is just fine, we need to warn them not to choose themselves over Christ… of the destruction, deception, & dishonor to God that it brings… while loving them anyway.
“But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)
BE CAREFUL.
God says that if we don’t HATE everyone that matters to us compared to our LOVE for HIM–in other words that we need to make Him FIRST above ALL ELSE in our lives–that we’re not worthy to be His disciples.(Luke 14:26) If you are choosing yourself or anyone/anything more than you are willing to love & obey Him, you are living in a way that dishonors Him. You are living in sin.
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
If you even have an INKLING of a thought that maybe you are wrong about what others call sin… AND you proclaim to trust in Christ… you MUST be willing to defer to Him & His Word over yourself.You must be willing to ask God to examine your life & weed out what He wishes.
Your sin may be your security blanket, but that particular security blanket it eroding away at you, eating at you from the inside out, destroying you. DON’T TRUST IT.
God Cleans Us Up–Come to Him First
God’s Word brings LIFE. Sin DESTROYS.
Every time. Every SINGLE time. Do not trust it.
Lay it down. Let Him have it. Turn it over to Him.
If you are living in sin, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are not saved, but it does mean you are actively making a mockery of the sacrifice that was offered in the life & death of Jesus Christ our Lord…. GOD FORBID we mock His sacrifice for our lives & our forgiveness before God!
Shine HOPE by not determining FOR God the eternal standing of anyone… by refusing to inaccurately represent the need for our goodness to accompany the grace of God in being allowed admittance into Heaven, by warning against the destruction brought on by trusting self over God Almighty, by refusing to make a mockery of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ by living our way over His… by living ALL you do for the glory of GOD.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 EIGHT 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!!
July 2026 “Hope Mail”-Empowering Women out of Poverty in India!
FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of July! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!
Your purchase of July Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty.
July hope mail includes the beautiful Brisa Hoops, perfect for summer styling! Each handmade earring is crafted with a gold-tone hoop and beaded fringe details.
Every purchase of this month’s Hope Mail creates safe jobs for women to become financially independent in areas of extreme poverty in India and helps fight child marriage.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
I need to warn you about a pattern I see growing in many church cultures—the “God just wants me to be happy” lie.
Does He care about your well-being? Yes, of course He does.
Does God love you with a love purer than any human being could try to muster? As displayed on the cross of Christ, & of God creating us despite knowing the many ways we would fall short or reject Him, YES.
Does God want the very best for you? Also, yes.
But God also is wiser than we can comprehend. He knows that good does not equal easy & that hard is not always bad.
He lets us face really hard things because He knows He is infinitely capable.He knows how readily we want to trust in ourselves instead of on Him.He wants us to put our trust in HIM more than we put it in ourselves.
And if we never face hardship or pain, we will forever live in the anxiety of our own insufficiencies & live forever afraid of where our sufficiency will end or not prove to be enough.
But when hard things happen… when we are forced to look beyond ourselves… we learn that He HAS us. He IS God. He CAN be trusted… that He infinitely CAN where we absolutely cannot.
Facing Trials & Hardships… As Hard as it Sometimes Is… Is Actually for Our Good
Facing hardships & the uncomfortable grows our peace because it grows our understanding of God’s faithfulness, goodness, & infinite power…His immeasurable grace & love towards us.
He never wastes a SINGLE tear. He NEVER quits on us. He has a plan that goes beyond what we see.
His goal is our holiness, our wholeness, our being fulfilled in Him… more than on our temporary, fleeting, unreliable happiness. PEACE.
I would know. I chased happiness for years & ended up dryer & dryer as time went on… it ended up emptying me instead of fulfilling me.
But when I humbled myself at His feet & trusted Him over my own pursuit of happiness… well, I found joy that the trials of life couldn’t touch. Because I was no longer relying on that temporary, fleeting, unreliable thing… but on the eternal, steadfast, faithfully reliable GOD.
The “God Just Wants You to be Happy” Lie
My life isn’t always happy. Some days really hurt. But even in those, I have hope because I know Who has me. I know He’s using it to shape me. I know He won’t waste it. I know He will use even the most painful of circumstances to teach me more to lean on Him instead of myself, to show better compassion, to be more gracious… to have more peace come what may, because it’s more rested in Him vs. myself.
Don’t chase a lie. Don’t chase happiness as your pursuit. Chase truth. Chase HIM.
Shine HOPE by living like you know where your hope comes from—not in the endless & fruitless pursuit of happiness… but in the God Who made you & Who gave His life for you through the sacrifice & resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ!
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 EIGHT years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Champagne Seashell Pouch, Handmade in India, Empowering Women Out of Poverty!
(Shown: Champagne Seashell Pouch, handcrafted in India!)
Create fair-paying jobs for women in India when you purchase the hand-beaded Champagne Seashell Pouch, handmade in India! This stunning mini pouch features a beautifully detailed, shell design.
Every purchase of the Champagne Seashell Pouch creates safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
How Can I Have That?
I think maybe one of the reasons I can tend to doubt these sorts of promises, is because I just don’t always feel it & maybe sometimes I really don’t even understand what it means.
We know we have God’s presence with us always, as He promises “He will never leave us nor forsake us.” (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5; Deuteronomy 31:8) So, combining this verse & that, we should always be experiencing this “fullness of joy,” correct? Well, sort of….
I am for sure wearing out this point/topic, but here we go again… chances are, we’re probably missing a VERY key point… abiding in Him.
The POTENTIAL for this “fullness of joy” is for sure always there, but to access it… to experience it… to benefit from it… we need to be spending time IN His PRESENCE.
How to Make Really Hard Decisions When Either Answer Feels Wrong
Similarly, I had an experience a few months ago where I was feeling super over-encumbered by my to-do list. Lots of plans/activities going on, trying to plan for a big trip, coordinating details, booking tickets, making reservations… all ON TOP OF my regular schedule of work & various ministries I participate in… & then I got asked to come in to work to help with something outside of my normal schedule… & they were desperate for help.
Now, this is an especially sticky, hard situation for me, honestly… I knew how busy I already was, but then I felt like I’d be the “bad guy” if I said “no,” because I knew they really needed me.
And the help they asked for was over TWO days, not just one.
Oh, cue the inner turmoil between “I don’t want to look like I don’t care,” & “but I am already way in over my head!” “What do I DO!?!?”
I kept praying about it throughout the morning & emailed back saying as such, to give me time to look over my schedule. I desperately wanted to just say no, but I really didn’t want to leave them hanging in their need.
When the Answer Still Didn’t Come… No Peace Either Way… What Do I Do??
And the answer wasn’t coming. I kept praying. Still nothing. No certainty. No fog lifted to reveal an answer to my dilemma of which I felt absolute peace. No reassurance to turn it down. None to take it & add more to my already busy plate. Just nothing. And I KEPT PRAYING…getting a little more worried with each passing hour before I needed to make a final decision, feeling the pressure increasing.
So, I started praying to that effect, “God, You know I have a deadline… that I need to make a decision… You are the only One Who knows whether I can feasibly accommodate it or whether I would sacrifice my necessary trip preparation responsibilities to do so. PLEASE help me.… Why aren’t You answering me? Why can’t I find peace either way? What should I do?”
Then God Answered… Not My Question… But Where I Needed to Find My Answer
Then it came… this urgency that I needed to STOP my busyness. I needed to STOP scuttering around. I needed to STOP & sit with Him for a minute so I could more clearly hear from Him.
I needed to stop treating Him like my secretary, tossing out a request & carrying on with my tasks while I await His getting back with me. I needed time to just BE in His presence so I could more clearly sense His leading.
So, I did that. I stopped working on my list. I stopped my scuttering around the house. And I went in my room & I knelt down & said, “Ok, God, I hear You. I’m sorry for not taking a minute with You about this, expecting You to answer on MY schedule. Please help me know what to do. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.” And I just STAYED there in silence & awaited in His presence until I could clearly tell what He was trying to tell me.
And you know what happened? All of a sudden, things came into focus & I knew what I needed to do… that I could replace some unnecessary regular plans with instead working some extra hours so that I didn’t need to compromise my responsibilities & I could help them as well. Like a solution that came to mind clear as day. A solution that traded versus added. A solution that hadn’t occurred to me before then. God gave me the wisdom I requested in that still quietness in His presence.
In His Presence… That’s the Key…
I think this “fullness of joy” that He promises us is in the same vein as this.We need to allow ourselves to just BE in His presence.
It is realized when we STOP. When we decide to put aside all else & just take time to be in His presence… to talk to Him likeour best friend Who cares about ever single little mundane detail of our lives like nobody else ever could.
It is when we determine to JUST BE with Him… nothing else in that moment… just you & Him.
It refills your cup somehow. It satisfies something in your soul you didn’t realize could be filled or satisfied… those little “that’s just how life feels… stressful & rushed,” that it doesn’t need to feel that way.
Extra time,but time that seems to fill you up.
Extra effort,but effort that seems to settle everything else.
Abiding in Him is an EXTRA in life… but it’s an extra that repays more than you could ever spend.
He sustains. He nurtures. He listens. He cares. He satisfies. He fills. He strengthens. He encourages. He emboldens….
HE IS where we meet fullness of joy.
“IN His Presence Is Fullness of Joy”
So, if you’re not feeling it… this “fullness of joy” mentioned in Psalm 16…are you taking time to BE in His presence?Or are you just flippantly tossing a prayer His way, thinking that ought to be enough?
Not a genie. A Friend. A God Who made you & loves you more than anything… He gave His Son, Jesus, to pay your sin debt to Him. He LOVES you. He CARES about you. He wants you to be in His presence. He wants to fill you with joy even in the midst of the worst of circumstances.
I have seen it. I have experienced it. I have felt it. And I still sometimes forget I need to set aside time for it.
Easily distracted… easily convinced it’s all up to me & I’m too busy… but I NEED it. I NEED Him.
You need Him, too.
Shine HOPE by spending time with Him, abiding in Him, gleaning from Him, turning to Him… being in His presence.
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
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 EIGHT 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!!
June 2026 “Hope Mail” (Handcrafted & Supporting Women in GUATEMALA)
(Shown: June 2026 “Hope Mail,” Handcrafted & Supporting Women in Guatemala!)
FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of June! Enjoy free shipping and 10% off your Hope Mail package when you subscribe every month!
Your purchase of June Hope Mail provides one day of school for a girl in an area of extreme poverty.
June hope mail includes the Antigua Horizons Pouch, perfect for carrying summer essentials! Each handmade pouch features genuine leather and upcycled traditional fabrics to create a beautiful and functional zippered pouch.
Every purchase of this month’s Hope Mail creates safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in Guatemala and allows mothers to send their children to school.
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
Today has been a rough day, if I’m completely honest. Our kitty cat of almost 13 years, Cisco, passed away April 30, on a Thursday morning.
That Thursday held a lot of tears & grief. Friday was hard, too, because I work with kids & they who often lack tact were constantly asking about him… (way too much for a mere 24 hours after losing him). I also tried cleaning up his stuff & had to stop because by the first room done, I felt like I had just erased him from that space entirely. Too soon.
By Saturday, I recognized my fear of praying for help through the grief. I was afraid of just picking myself up, brushing myself off, & moving on as if he no longer mattered, as if forgetting he ever existed & moving on without him. But I expressed that to God. God helped me find a balance between reminiscing versus crumbling whenever I missed him.Honoring his long-lasting presence in our home… while letting it bring a smile versus hurt & heaviness.
It Comes in Waves
But a couple times since then, something has really triggered a memory of him & I just lose it.
Today, it was me facing the stress of an upcoming thing for which I would usually just scoop him up & keep him near me as motivation, & just it really hitting me that I will be facing it without him this time. I really didn’t want to.
The hardness of the realization just really hurt hard today. He has been so woven into our schedule & home that it just doesn’t feel normal with him no longer apart of any of it.
I just want him back.
So Busy… Getting Overwhelmed by It All
And I don’t feel great. The stress has been real… more things to do than I have time for… external pressures coming in strong.Feeling overwhelmed, too much to do… too little time… no kitty snuggles to bolster me through it.
The emptiness in that reality hurts me.
Life isn’t always easy. Sometimes it hurts really, really bad.And yes, maybe you don’t get the pain of losing a pet, getting to know their personalities & them wanting to be in your presence at all times, living as your furry unconditionally-loving shadow, sleeping alongside you whenever they can, all that… butI am sure you can, in some form, relate to the pain grief brings.
Are You Willing to Worship God Because Things Are Going Well… Or Because He Is Worthy?
And here is the question: “Are you willing to worship God when things are going well? Or because He is worthy?”
On a Sunday morning, on a good day, it is easy to sing along with the praise team. On an especially great day, worship just seems to flow effortlessly from our heart, lifting up to Him….
But what about on the hard days? What about when your heart is crumbling, defeat overwhelms you… you feel hurts hurdling at you from every side.
Do you praise Him then? Or do you struggle to understand how you could possibly praise Him?
Do you praise Him every day, even on the mundane days? Even when you’re not at church? Every day because He is worthy of your praise?
Or only when it flows easily? Only when things are going well & you feel like you’re on the mountaintop rather than the dark valleys?
Praising Him IN the Storm
I am reminded of God’s response when crying out to Him after being attacked by an animal back in early 2022, I believe it was.
I am reminded of God’s repeated response when I kept asking him for courage in facing the super typhoon that “brushed by” Guam & seemed to never leave… leaving destruction & discomfort & the unknown in its wake.
The same response He gives me every time I feel like I am drowning in life & I cry out to Him for help.
“Worship Me.” “Praise Me.”
God is still on the throne. God is still in control. God will not waste a single tear. God is enough even when we are nothing & have nothing. God is worthy to be praised even when we feel like we have nothing left & like the world is falling apart around us… no matter the cause of it.
God is in control. God is worthy to be praised.
Where Is Your Heart on This Topic? Do You Need to “Pray & Repent & Be Humbled in [Your] Worship…” of Him?
I have mentioned this before & this will likely not be the last time I mention this, but I remember hearing an interview with a worship pastor at a church, who was asked, “Is it hard to lead praise & worship on your hard days, when you’re struggling with having a right attitude?” His response was something to the tune of:
“No, those are actually my favorite days to lead… because I am forced to recognize how unworthy I am to sing His praises, how unworthy I am to worship our great King… how much I need His help every single day… how undeserving I really am to be in His presence. I pray & repent & am the most humbled in my worship on those days.”
What an encouragement. What a realness, as we all struggle with right attitudes some days.What a conviction.
Humble Your Heart before Him, Even on Your Terrible Days… & Lift Your Voice in Praise to Our God Who Is Worthy… Regardless of Any Circumstance in Which You May Find Yourself
Do you need to adjust your mindset about worship? Do you need to learn the habit of moving it even outside the walls of your church building, into your every day?
Do you need to repent? Do you need to be reminded of His great worthiness, despite your circumstances?
Are you willing to worship God because things are going well… or because He Is worthy?
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 23) on my NEW YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @6pm EST/Wednesdays @8am GUAM*)
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 EIGHT 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!!
Marina Bloom Earrings, Handcrafted in India!
(Shown: Marina Bloom Earrings, handcrafted in India! Every purchase helps fight child marriage & poverty in India!)
These stunning hand-beaded Marina Bloom Earrings are handcrafted in a workshop in India committed to fighting child marriage and helping women become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans!
Each earring features a stunning soft blue and white embroidered design to make a fair-trade fashion statement. These earrings are perfect to style every day to dress up any occasion!
***SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!***
How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!
