So last week I challenged us to take stock of areas where we may have compromise or even sin in our lives that we sugar coat or excuse away. I also shared my own personal areas of compromise & sin that I have allowed to creep into my life.
Do you drown out God with busyness? Do you feel bored trying to learn about or hear about God? Do you have trouble feeling you really care about God if you’re really honest with yourself?
Do you feel like you have lost your zeal for God?
I think it’s time to talk about how we can re-spark that lost zeal for Jesus in our hearts.
Just Not Feeling it Anymore?
Do you find yourself sort of mindlessly singing to worship songs or singing out of habit or memory rather than really thinking about what you’re singing & actively lifting up your voice in praise to God?
Do you find yourself only half paying attention as you read your Bible or just skipping it altogether?
Do you find yourself getting so caught up in your day-to-day that you barely even think twice about God because your own happenings consume the totality of your thoughts & time?
Do you ever feel personally attacked when sin or compromise issues are discussed? Recoiling back to what feels safe?
Do you crave your comfort zones more than you crave God?
Yeah, some of that is what I am talking about when I say I have lost my zeal for the Lord.
Find the Root Cause
And last week, we addressed compromise, weights that weigh us down & keep us from growing… strongholds we cling to instead of to God in struggle or distress… sin… & how a lack of zeal is often really a symptom that points to something being amiss.
So, let’s talk about how to reignite that spark & find that zeal for the Lord once more.
First, it takes a willingness to admit something IS amiss versus making excuses for it & burying it. You have to be willing to accept your part in it.
What Then?
And then, well… you need to repent. This isn’t to shame you, because we all fall short… but it is honestly necessary to admit you are one of those who fall short & that you absolutely do require God’s forgiveness & help in change, trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice to pay even that.
Then, start praying over your heart every time God brings it to your attention for one of those areas, trusting that though it may feel completely beyond your control or ability to change… God is bigger than you are.
And really… just that conscious decision to humble yourself, to admit failure/struggle/defeat to God, & then to ask for His forgiveness & help… that’s it right there… that is how to change… submission to Him.
Getting Your Zeal Back for God
Find yourself praying on autopilot?Ask God for forgiveness & for help with focus & reverence.
Find Bible reading boring?Ask God forgiveness for treating His Word so trivially, asking for His help with focus in using that reading to teach you more about Him.
Find yourself singing worship in church on autopilot as well?Apologize to God for being so complacent & for treating Him with less honor & praise than He deserves.
What Satan will try to deceive you into believing is that you ought to STOP doing the right things because you aren’t FEELING it enough… that you’re not “sincere enough.” That. Is. A. LIE. Do it anyway!
***Read “Screwtape Letters,” by C. S. Lewis for a HUGE eye opener on the tricks & deception that Satan often gets us to believe because it seems to make sense on the surface.***
Shine HOPE by bowing to God at every turn in your life… every mistake… every bad thought… every apathetic moment… every time you notice treating Him with less honor than He deserves… every sin… every stronghold… & by trusting that Jesus has already paid in full for ALL of it!
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.
A Note from Michelle:
This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, 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, 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! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Star Stud Set (INDIA)
LIMITED EDITION – While Supplies Last! These sets of star-inspired studs are the perfect festive look for this season. These ethically made earrings from India come with a silver-tone and gold-tone set of star design studs with detailed etching marks. The set is perfect to purchase and gift a set to match your friend, daughter, or family member for a fun look! Every purchase creates safe jobs and a dignified income for women in India.
How You Can Help:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!
So, how do you get back your zeal for God when it has waned?
And this isn’t a “10 steps to be a better Christian” blog, so I am not asking this question to encourage us to pretend or self-will force zeal or excitement for God. This is not something we need to force ourselves to do to be a better Christian.
But it IS a symptom that something is not right… a symptom we ought to pay attention to.
Two Things to Look Out For
For example, at church today, we talked about Hebrews 12:1-2. In these verses, the Bible (God’s Word) instructs us to “lay aside every weight & the sin that so easily ensnares us.”
This really stood out to me, because I feel like this may be my problem. Aside from looking around me for the approval from others as my gauge versus looking to God & His Word (the Bible) as I have been talking a lot about lately, I have recognized some compromise I have allowed to slip into my heart & life.
How can I expect to be excited being in God’s presence & spending time with Him & praising Him if I have done as the Ephesians were chided for in “losing their first love”? They were praised for doing all of these wonderful things for the kingdom of God, but following all of that praise, they were still chided for “losing their first love.”(Revelation 2:1-5)
And when I start trusting in things other than God as my hope & help (stronghold), or allow myself to excuse that which God condemns (sin), I can expect to not feel that same joy with Him.
“All the Right Things” & Still a Lack
I have let my focus slip from eternally-focused to right-now focused.
I have let my focus slip from turning to God as my hope in all things to trying to just fix it myself with distractions & avoidance.
I still serve Him in prison ministry, children’s church, discipleship, choir, my website/blog, etc.
I still turn to Him in prayer for wisdom & help & direction throughout each day.
I still live to try to point to Him & give Him glory in all things big & small that I may face.
And yet… this consistent symptom of apathy speaks as an annoyingly loud, ringing alarm in my heart that something is not quite right.
What Else Do I Turn To?
So, laying aside every weight, as Hebrews 12 says… what is holding me back from Him? What else do I find myself turning to when I need help?(*And this, I believe, can also include distractions in life that we allow to drown out any chance for time with or for Him.*)
Honestly, when I am stressed or feeling overwhelmed… I just want to feel comfort… or to avoid said feelings altogether. I want to mask over it & make it all just go away.
That’s a major stronghold that I have built up in my life. And it should not be there. It shouldn’t be there because it speaks to a deeper problem—I don’t trust God to be enough for me there.
I am clinging to & turning to something other than God as my help when I do that. In other words, my hope & trust is divided between me & Him.
And if I continue to insist upon that… eventually God will do the most loving thing He could possibly do in that situation… let that crutch fall out from under me & let me fall so that I can grow & learn that it is weak & that He alone is the One in Whom I really ought to trust.
How can I really expect to feel absolute joy in His presence when I don’t really trust Him with EVERYTHING in my life? Holding back & turning to something other than Him?
Compromise Is NOT Okay… No Matter How Easy It Can Feel to Justify
The other problem that can stifle a zeal for God is sin.
I’ve talked over the years about my lifelong battle with fantasizing.(*Read about it in “Lust: The Secret Sin”*) It started when I was very young, seeing a bad scene on a tv show as channels were being flipped through & it led to years of addiction my whole life, justifying it that “if I wasn’t watching real people & it was just made up in my head with made up people, it ‘couldn’t’ be wrong.” But I will tell you right now that after about 30 years of this addiction & the destruction it caused me—it is far from harmless & it is still SIN.
But I didn’t grasp this until the damage was done & I started to learn that the destruction I recognized was rooted in that habit I had had since I was so young.
But a 30-year habit is one hard to root out because by then it is almost second nature… a habit you don’t even have to think about, it just seems sort of natural.
But it is still sin.
The Wretchedness of Sin Must be Recognized
How can I know this about my lust being sin & still have excuses for it at times versus treating it like a deadly disease that MUST be killed off in me?
How can I expect to feel zeal for God when my heart is divided by sin? Allowing something in my heart to exist for which Jesus had to DIE? “Deep-rooted” isn’t an adequate excuse for sin.
Imagine you got caught robbing the king of a country & the penalty is a beheading, but someone offers to take your place, is killed brutally, & then you go back to trying to rob the king again. Like WHAT?!
That’s what I am doing when I choose to allow sin. Jesus already paid for it with His life & I mock that tremendous generosity & love & sacrifice when I make excuses for it & continue to do that for which He has already paid.
Why I Have Lost My Zeal for the Lord
So, I ask myself why I have lost my zeal for the Lord…? Let’s see… People (versus God) pleasing attitude, strongholds present, & excuses made for occasionally allowing sin to exist in my heart? No wonder my zeal for God has waned.
Maybe next week we can talk about how we can weed that stuff out with a good ol’ heart checkup & start growing again in our zeal for God…. But for now, let’s take stock. What are your strongholds? Are you feeling that little pang of guilt? Did something come to mind? What do you need to ask God to forgive you for clinging to in place of Him?
And what about sin habits? Bad attitudes? Yelling at your kids when you’re angry? Lust? Hatred/bitterness/unforgiveness?
Take inventory. Lay them down as offerings at His figurative feet & ask Him for forgiveness.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, I don’t deserve You. You are so faithful to me & yet I am so wretched. Thank You that Your faithfulness does not depend on mine. Thank You for sending Jesus to pay for my sins. I have nothing of value to offer the God Who made me & Who gave His all for me. You are so Good. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for never ever giving up on me, even though I give You so, so many reasons to choose to do so. Help me to love You better & to live for You better… worthy of all You gave for me, through Jesus. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Shine HOPE by recognizing that a lack of zeal for the Lord is usually a SYMPTOM of something that’s not right. Pray about it, don’t excuse it… get rid of it with God’s help. Now.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.
A Note from Michelle:
This blog/website has been running for SIX years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, 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, 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! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Sandstone Crossbody (INDIA)
(Shown: Sandstone Crossbody, handmade in India. Purchase this bag to help provide safe jobs for women in India.)
This genuine leather woven Sandstone Crossbody from India is both practical and stylish with its adjustable strap, interior zipper pocket, exterior slip pocket, and zipper closure. Keep all your essentials safe and secure anytime you’re on the go. This soft, comfortable, and versatile light camel/beige colored bag with cotton lining will be adorable to style this season.
*****Purchase this crossbody bag & help provide safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.*****
How You Can Help:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me to continue supporting them as well as continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!
I’m wanting to learn to let other people not like me. That’s a hard one for me. Like, really, really hard. Even knowing I want to change–I receive one critical/negative/rude comment & I am ready to crawl back in my hole. *sigh* This is not going to be a quick process, I’m sure.
Now, I don’t mean that I say what I want or do what I want & “who cares?” type attitude.
I have been talking a lot about people-pleasing & judging the small things in others’ lives being a not-so-great idea… how those things have caused me to shrink back & dim, feeling overwhelmed by the feeling of never measuring up to others’ expectations/opinions.
But now, how do I rebuild? I talked about fixing my eyes on Jesus being my starting point, but where do I go from there?
I think the next step is learning to let other people not like me.
God Ought to be the Judge I Look To
If someone disagrees with me speaking up truth or anything really, I need to take it to God for review, & if He gives me peace to continue forward, I need to be okay with them not being okay with that. I ought to let God be the judge I look to.He’s the true One I must answer to.
I know we are called to live peaceably with everyone, as much as it is up to us, (Romans 12:18)but that does not mean compromising my following of God’s lead in order to please others.
I care too much about how people view me, & this ESPECIALLY includes Christians.(I know I have done it to others, TOO!)
Because we can’t read minds & we can’t know all the wisdom & workings of God, it can be easy to make a judgment call when we see someone else doing or saying something that seems out of place to us.(I have even caught myself giving a subtle eye roll to others who may or may not have just been trying to be obedient to a nudge from God in a situation, but shame on me!)
I Must be Bold Like the Disciples… Like JESUS… Were Willing to Be
Just like how I mentioned the disciples, the author’s (through God’s leading) of the Bible, & Jesus even… they were not timid people. They stood firm for truth, even if it led to the risk of their very lives. They spoke boldly the truth of God, in love. (Ephesians 4:15)
Here are some verses you can check out about being bold in & for Jesus Christ:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
“… proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31)
“This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him.” (Ephesians 3:11-12)
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)
We Need to Pray Boldness for Each Other
But it is true, you find those speaking out for Jesus Christ asking the churches to pray that they have the boldness to do so…(Ephesians 6:19-20) & I can see why… It’s easy to want to slink backwards when other people oppose you… especially when they’re other people in the church you look up to & want affirmation & support from. It’s so easy to want that.
So, please, be sure when you think of it to pray the same for me… that I allow God to use the gifting He has given me the way He chooses to use it, versus trying to filter Him.
I shouldn’t be making those calls. He is God.I am not.
Don’t Filter God’s Leading through Your Own Human Understanding/Logic
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Of course I have grown in timidity, because I have been trying to call the shots on which I should follow of God’s leadings because I don’t think it would “go over well with others,” or because, “they won’t understand,” or, “they’ll think of me as a nuisance.”
I’m not leaning into Him, submitting to Him… I am trying to decide for Him. I am trying to be His filter.
Shame on me.
Living to please other people trumping my living to please God.
Shame on me.
In the end, I don’t have to answer to ANYONE other than Him.
Look to the Right Examples
Do I think everyone agreed with & supported Paul? All of the disciples? Jesus? Perfectly sinless, come to save the world, JESUS?
Did they stop being bold for truth because other people even got to the point of HATING & killing them for it? No.
I heard once that if we were to be present back then, with the way we run many churches now, we would be saying, “now now, Paul… there has to be a more sensitive, more politically correct, more palatable way to say this, so let’s calm down now.”
Imagine saying that to JESUS.
Like a Lamb to the Slaughter… Bold in His Love for Us… Even When Those He Came to Save Killed Him
But yet, Jesus went “like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:3-12) to provide a way to save all mankind from their own deserving hell-punishment, WHILE they spat at Him, stripped Him, beat Him, whipped Him, lied about Him, mocked Him, humiliated Him, & eventually KILLED Him.
He never once backed down from what God called Him to, but lived obedience to death, even death on the cross…for us, His mockers.
I don’t even have anyone threatening me other than threatening with their looks that they don’t agree with me or approve of me or like me & I am over here like, “Sorry! I’ll be quiet! Please like me!”
Pathetic. Sad. Disappointing. This should not be so.
I am Saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ!
I’m telling you. God sees everything. He knows everything. And if He were to confront me with it all, I would collapse immovable under the unbearable pressure of it all.
And yet… Jesus… His grace… His faithfulness despite my undeserving.
I don’t want to live compromising anymore. I want to be bold for Him & in Him. I want to live the harmonious balance intended by God—confidence & humility as hand-in-hand. Confidence that it’s all through Him, not anything I have to offer… & humility for that same exact reason.
I don’t want to walk around wearing a badge of shame that I am never measuring up to everyone’s opinions & expectations… I want to walk around boldly with a badge of honor that I am saved by God’s grace, through Jesus Christ our LORD.
HIS righteousness accounted to me because of HIS sacrifice for me.
Shine HOPE by determining to walk boldly for Him, even when others oppose you or disapprove, letting HIM be your strength where you lack, giving you confidence to live a life BOLDLY for Him.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over 5.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Sicilian Grove Tea Towel (INDIA)
(Shown: Sicilian Grove Tea Towel, block printed & handmade in India. Purchase this hand towel to empower women in India out of extreme areas of poverty.)
LIMITED EDITION – Available While Supplies Last! Traditionally block printed, this beautiful bright yellow and deep-green floral tea towel is the perfect addition to your summer kitchen display. Blending ancient Artisan traditions with modern function, women in India handcraft this beautiful block-printed design featured on the tea towels. Sold individually or purchase as a set! Pair with our Sicilian Grove Lumbar Pillow Cover for an entire home refresh look!
*****Every purchase of the Sicilian Grove Tea Towel creates necessary jobs for women in India to rise out of the grip of poverty to impact the lives of their families and their communities. *****
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
I know some of you are not going to get what I’ve been talking about lately, in this recent series, but I also know there are some of you out there, like me, who will relate really hard to this.
This topic is not meant to preach a “you only live once, do what you want, follow your heart, live your best life, live a main character sort of life” vibe.(When I hear those things, I always think of the meme that says, “When someone says to ‘follow your heart’: ‘Thanks, Satan!'” The Bible warns us quite thoroughly that “following your heart” is a terrible idea.)(Jeremiah 17:9; Proverbs 3:5)
This topic is not meant to preach at you to not care what anyone says & not care how your words or actions may affect someone else… to live a you-centered life.
This topic is also not meant to preach that you will never have areas of which you need to do some personal work, even when it feels uncomfortable to admit/accept.
Be Careful Not to Throw It ALL Out… But PRAY
But what this topic-train I have been riding lately IS meant to communicate is that I should not take AS Scripture the opinions people have on me that the Holy Spirit has not impressed upon my heart already &/or that the Bible doesn’t specifically mention,& I do mean to include those things which are implied, as in, if God tells us to love others, we probably shouldn’t SPIT on them, even though the Bible does not specifically say not to ever spit on anyone. Get me?
It is wise to mention here that if something they mention stirs some guilt or shame in my heart, it would be a good idea to be willing to submit it to God for review, by praying & asking God if this is Him nudging a warning of need for change in this area, or if it is self-inflicted grief… in case God IS convicting my heart to change in an area that is different from how I grew up/learned.
Because, despite pure or misguided intent, God could use their words to draw attention to an area you have been holding back from Him, so don’t beat yourself up over it & don’t automatically dismiss it, either. PRAY about it.
But Please Stop Beating Yourself into a Hole Whenever Someone Comes at You
I mentioned the need to pray versus beating myself up. THAT is where I have been failing. THAT is where the hurt, dimming of my light, overwhelming need-to-please was birthed.
I need to learn to better separate the two.
Ie. Someone points something out… even judgy toward me… sticking their nose up at me, but not really thinking they’re intending to (self-righteousness is a sneaky bugger)… & instead of bowing it to God for review & trusting Jesus has paid in full for it already (aka no need for shame), I beat myself up over it as one more failure… one more reason why I am not good enough… one more reason why I am failing at being a “good Christian.”
I grow in timidity & fear instead of humility & confidence.
Honor Someone’s Conscience–The Holy Spirit Could be Asking of Them Differently Than You
If someone thinks clothing standards (such as length or to show or not to show the shoulders, etc.) should be different than how you learned growing up, or whether certain silly words still count as curse words or not, or really anything that is different than how you learned or grew up believing….
Well, that is totally fine if they feel convicted about that & so do it to honor God… that is exactly what they should be wearing or what they should be abiding by, if this be the case… but EVEN IF they ARE doing it to be on a whole other level of spiritual (hint: it doesn’t work that way), or as an excuse to turn their noses up at me… well, I do not need to take that personally.(I also don’t need to be trying to convince them to stop personally doing it, in case it is indeed something God has put on their heart for a matter of surrender to Him.)
I CAN pray for them, though, that if they ARE doing it out of some legalistic intent (aka trying to earn their right to Heaven through being a “good” person), that God help them be set free from those chains.
We can’t go around judging everyone else, guys, even if what they believe doesn’t align with how we’ve always done it. Whether they’re “overly sensitive” or don’t seem to care “enough” based on the rules you grew up believing.
If it’s not sin–it’s not our place to judge.
We’re All a Work in Progress
We are all on this same journey of being very imperfect people, loved by a very perfect (holy) God.
We are all(all who have submitted their lives to Christ, by repenting/turning away from their sin life & turning to trust in Jesus Christ to both pay for their sins & to trust Him as LORD of their lives)… we are all in the process of being sanctified (being made more & more like Jesus, through cooperation with God’s work in our lives).
It’s a process. It’s one we will not complete on this side of heaven.
And it is one where we are all at different places in different areas of our hearts/lives.
Some have “mastered” one area, while they are still flailing about in another.
Some seem so weak in some areas, but are so matured in others.
There are so many things we get wrong every single day, that if God were to open our eyes to them all at once & say, “CHANGE! NOW! OR ELSE!” we would probably all just want to kill ourselves or die because the weight would be too much to bear. It would literally be impossible.
God Is Much Gentler with Us Than We Are with Each Other
God knows literally everything about us. Have you ever really stopped to think about the implications of that? He knows EVERYTHING.
But He, knowing EVERYTHING we could be working on… is gentle… is kind & patient… knows that Jesus already paid for it all. God is much gentler with us than we often are with each other.
That doesn’t mean I get a free pass to live however I want. But that DOES mean I don’t have to pretend God demands it all done, all at once, immediately. It means I don’t have to live in a constant state of beating myself up for all the ways I don’t measure up.
We’re harder on ourselves than He is. We’re harder on each other than He is.
That should not be.
Direct Sin Is Different!
Sure, if someone is directly sinning, God says we save a person by pulling him back from it. YES. (James 5:19-20)
And the speck versus log passage everyone seems to use as a “DON’T JUDGE ANYONE” verse, actually says, “UNTIL you have taken the log out of your own eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
But pointing fingers at everything all the time is not accomplishing that, sister. It’s just not.
Don’t try to be the Holy Spirit to people on all the small stuff.
Let Him be HIM to them.
God Cares about Them, So PRAY for Them
If it really worries you THAT much, well, pray for your own heart, whether you have had some self-righteousness sort of sneak in there… that God help reveal it to you & humble you.
And pray for THEM, too. Pray that if you ARE right for feeling those things about whatever it is with them… that God reveal it to them.
Because guess what, God cares more about that person than He does about how long their shorts are. There, I said it.
Everything Is Permissible… But Not Everything Is Beneficial…
And there is so much more that we judge & are judged for, isn’t there? Stuff the Bible doesn’t say is a direct sin problem… more of a: “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial,” type thing, maybe? (1 Corinthians 10:23-33)
And maybe God has revealed to you that something is not beneficial to you & you have chosen to give it up. YAY! GREAT choice! But that doesn’t mean to now go on a crusade making sure everyone else around you also chooses that give it up.
How many permissible-but-not-beneficial things are we making into non-permissible things because it’s the way we grew up… things we have become self-righteous about unintentionally?
That is what I am talking about.
But also, don’t flaunt something you feel peace about around someone who struggles with it. Because, if it is something God has asked of them, you may tempt them to disobey God on that issue. Be careful.(1 Corinthians 10:23-33)
God Looks at the Heart… Man Looks at Outward Appearances (1 Samual 16:7)
God does not condemn dancing. He warns against tempting others or being sensual. (Ephesians 4:19)
God does not condemn shorts. He warns to be modest. (1 Timothy 2:9)
God does not condemn being artistic. HE is very creative & artistic. (Psalm 146:6)
God does not condemn worship music because it isn’t a hymn. He warns about doing things for appearance versus surrender. (Matthew 23:28)
Be careful setting up parameters that are not outlined by God Himself (in the Bible) & asking others to abide by them in order to “be pleasing to God.” Be careful speaking FOR God to others.
Be Careful Speaking as Biblical Standard What God Himself Has Not Spoken as Biblical Standard
Sometimes traditions are good. They set us up as reminders of all the goodness of God & His wonderful work & blessings. They help us commit to Him our all versus parts of us.
But, if we begin to worship our traditions, they can become empty & not what they were intended for, actually beginning to cause damage. Be careful. They can become divisive & condemning.
“It’s wrong because our church doesn’t do that,” is not the same as, “God says not to do that.” Be careful that you do not speak FOR God to others. Be careful you don’t place chains on someone He Himself didn’t command.
Fixing My Focus
As I mentioned last week in, “Fixing My Focus,” I want to take all of those chains off that I have allowed others to put on me over the years. That’s what this whole series has been about.
I want to honor & please God.I want to worship Him with all of me.
Lately, though, I have become drowned in everyone’s judgments & opinions that I allow to weigh down on me far too much.
I don’t want to live like that anymore. It’s stifling. It’s fearful timidity.It’s a fear to ever try because, “what if I don’t do it right?”
It’s not what God intended.
The Urgent Need to Stop Judging Others… Not What You Think…
Love others. (John 13:34) Exhort them to do good works. (Hebrews 10:24)Encourage them to submit & surrender more & more of themselves & their lives to live to honor & please God with all of them.
But please… stop judging.
Shine HOPE by praying for the people in your life you feel concerned for, by addressing direct SIN or sinful ATTITUDES you plainly see, by not being the Holy Spirit for anyone in your life—He is GOD ALMIGHTY… & Jesus paid for it already anyway, so you worry about you & go to God with it, making sure YOUR heart is right before God in your advice to & attitude toward others.And stop beating yourself up for what Jesus already paid for. Fail forward.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over 5.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
June 2024 Hope Mail (PHILIPPINES & INDIA)
(Shown: June 2024 Hope Mail, handcrafted in India & the Philippines. Every purchase empowers women in these areas out of poverty! Purchase now to support them!)
FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of June!
This exclusive June Hope Mail package makes a great gift for any occasion! Receive free shipping on this June Hope Mail package that includes our Moonlit Capiz Earrings from the Philippines, Basil Honeycomb Soap from India, and an adorable Honey Sticker mailed in a stylish Fashion as a Force for Good envelope.
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
My husband & I have started trying to pray together before bed so we can share whatever may be on our heart/mind with each other & with God.
As we were praying, I just realized that my main prayer was for my lukewarm heart. I have talked the last couple weeks in my blog about people-pleasing & living in constant need of approval even in how I worship or anything. How it has dimmed my light—taking my focus off pleasing & honoring God as my main focus & instead putting too much stock in whether or not I am pleasing enough to everyone around me.
Well, you may already be aware of this, but the truth is—it is always impossible to please everyone. And in trying to do so anyway, you must water down yourself to be more palatable to more people.
And that’s what I have done. Watered myself down. I stopped drawing & dancing & singing & enjoying the little daily blessings from God all around me because I was too afraid of not doing something well enough.
It’s Okay to be a Work-in-Progress
Hearing “The Magical Yet” read last year sparked this realization first in my heart. I had begun to be too afraid to ever try, to ever do… because what if I am not good enough at it?
I have even projected this feeling to God, as if I am never good enough for Him either & have just sort of walled myself off from feeling passionate about Him even for fear of “doing it wrong.” As if He is also constantly disapproving of my constant inadequacies.
But He knows I am inadequate. He knows I am not enough. That is the very reason He sent Jesus to die. To rise again. (Isaiah 53:5) That is the very reason He says I need to abide in Him & Him in me. (John 15:5)I need Him.
Don’t be Afraid of Your Need to Grow
I need to retrain my focus. I need to let go of fears of insufficiencies holding chains over me from progress & joy. I need to let myself try, fail, do, sing, enjoy the blessings of God around me every day, living a life of praise & not fear.
Not to live my life my way or do whatever I wish, but to stop worrying so much about whether everyone else is praising me or criticizing me over every little detail of my life. As long as I live according to how God says & walk obediently to Him first, naysayers can be naysayers.
That is where I begin again. With my eyes fixed on Him.
Only His Opinion Matters When Others Disagree
Imagine if Jesus’ disciples, or if the authors of the Bible (inspired by God) were to stop worshipping or living according to God’s direction because other people didn’t approve of it always all the time?
What if Jesus had just stepped down & said, “Oh, okay, sorry everyone! I won’t bother you anymore with the truth that is upsetting you so much.”
Jesus was HATED by church leaders even.
Don’t Go Hating on Church Leaders
Now, in their case, they had grown so accustomed to all of their rules upon rules & their way of doing things, that when Jesus challenged them on it, they hated Him for it. They hated Him for challenging their spiritual authority. They hated Him for challenging their role as leadership–their power.
They needed a lesson in humility, didn’t they? In finding their hope in Jesus Christ & not in themselves.
They had felt satisfied that “as long as we do such & such or avoid such & such, we are good!” But Jesus challenged them with the fact that even their THOUGHTS mattered to God. Even their MOTIVATIONS in their actions mattered. (Matthew 5:17-6:15)
Not just checking off the right “Christian-y” things to be a “good” person.
God cares about the HEART.
But, all this to say—the leaders convinced themselves they meant well, but they were missing the whole point.
Well-Meaning Is Not Always the Same Thing as God’s Will
Then there were even the fellow Christians. They were obeying truth & cherishing & surrendering to Christ—but it was still easy to think on human terms & to judge a situation based on what made logical sense to them.
Like, when Paul said he was going to return somewhere where the people there had already made it clear they were out for his blood for the things he was saying—speaking truth & the hope found in Jesus Christ alone….
And, like anyone who loves & cares deeply for someone, all the fellow Christians could think & say was: “You CAN’T go THERE!! They will KILL you!”
His response? “What are you doing, weeping & breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:11-14)
Even Christians Get It Wrong Sometimes
Paul’s well-meaning Christian friends were focused on earthly things—thesafety & security of their friend—wonderful things to care about when it comes to the life of someone you care about… instead of focusing on the eternal—that even IF he died, if God WAS leading Him, then God had more than a good enough reason, & that “even ‘til death” was MORE than WORTH it.
He understood that death was a small price when considering sharing the hope we have because of Jesus Christ—he was eternity-focused.
His friends weren’t being evil for caring for his well-being, but they could have kept him from obedience to God’s leading if he had tried to please them above pleasing God.
We’re All Human… But We All Need Each Other
Now, we have to be careful talking about misguided church leaders & well-meaning but misguided church-goers, because the Bible is very clear that we need to be plugged into a church. (Colossians 3:13; Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Timothy 3:15) We need fellowship. We need the coming together. We need a shepherding pastor looking out for our spiritual well-being & growth. (Acts 20:28; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:17)
But they are all people, just like me. And while much can be gained in sharpening one another (Proverbs 27:17) & edifying (building up) & encouraging (lifting up) of one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)… when their opinions begin to trump obedience to God’s leading, it becomes a problem… a big problem.
I need to learn to separate the two.
They are all supplemental to all I get from abiding in Him & letting Him lead my life. They are not the main thing.
Everyone Will Always Have an Opinion to Share, but be Right Before the Lord & Let the Rest GO
I think about David. He was so overcome with joy & praise & awe & wonder & worship that he was dancing his heart out so much so that his wife chided him for embarrassing her in front of her maidens. (2 Samuel 6:14-23)
But his response was beautiful because he said he should have danced even more wildly as an outpouring of praise.
If I am truly living to please & honor Him with everything I do in my life, I don’t need to be worried about how everyone else might turn their nose up at me or roll their eyes or raise their eyebrows in judgement.
I just need to worry about pleasing & honoring God in my response to Him & His lead.
Sometimes It’s Just NOT Your Business–If It’s Not Direct Sin, It’s Between Them & the LORD
The Bible addresses judgement in several ways. One of which is: “who are you to judge your neighbor?” which is not saying to not point out sin… it is saying. for one: don’t be self-righteous in judging someone else & how they worship because it doesn’t look like how you do it or how your church did it growing up.(James 4:12)
Don’t think, “oh, they listen to worship music other than HYMNS? Can they even CALL that WORSHIP music?!” or “They raise their hands in church? What, do they think that makes them extra spiritual or something, lol?”
Stop doing that. If you’re concerned that SIN is involved, try PRAYING for God to reveal that to them & give them discernment rather than being a busy-body judging every person’s intent by their actions which you may not understand or relate to.
And get this—even if they ARE doing it with wrong intent, which you cannot possibly know unless you know how to read minds—it should NOT affect whether or not YOU worship. You focus on YOU.
Fixing My Focus
I have let all of everyone’s opinions shape me. Even if they weren’t even intending to do that to me…. I need to be fixing my focus.
I let the turned-up noses, raised eyebrows, & rolled eyes shape how I worship God.
I let the well-meaning opinions of others sway how I handle situations versus keeping my eyes eternity-fixed.
I let the customs of certain church bodies guide me versus looking to God as my guide & unwavering standard, & rather than understanding every group of people is going to do things a little differently, but that doesn’t make it “more right” than the way another church may do things—unless one is acting contrary to God’s Word.
I need to stop judging. I need to stop being so concerned with being judged.
Eyes fixed on Him.
That is where I begin again. With my eyes fixed on Him.
Turning Back to the Heart of Worship… Where It’s All about HIM
Who are you trying to impress? Who are you looking around to see if you’re “doing it right”? Who is your standard?
Are you getting to know Him & what pleases & honors Him through the Bible & prayer with Him? Are you bowing to Him alone? Are you looking to Him for approval? Or to the crowds, your church, your family, Christian leaders, authors, speakers? Who are you seeking to please? Him? Or others?
Where is your focus?
Shine HOPE by LETTING GO of the chains of everyone else’s expectations & opinions & well-meaning contradictions to eternity-focus….By letting God be your guide in all, with your eyes fixed on HIM as the One to please above all else.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over 5.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Indian Rose Bracelet (INDIA)
(Shown: Indian Rose Bracelet, handmade in India. Every purchase of this bracelet empowers women out of poverty! Buy one today!)
This exquisite, beaded bracelet is a testament to the skilled craftsmanship of women in India, who meticulously handcrafted it using radiant pink jasper beads and delicately incorporated gold accent beads featured throughout the design. The Indian Rose Bracelet is beautiful while creating dignified, necessary jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty of India. In an area where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops, the women in this Artisan community can work in a safe environment.
***Purchase this beautiful bracelet to support empowering women in India out of poverty!***
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
#1 is PRAY. Financial help is great & helps pay my website fees & helps support these women artisans… but God’s help is always needed most… both for encouragement & for spiritual hope, through Jesus, for the women we support through our ethical fashion purchases. Always PRAY first.
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Okay now, get ready… because I may be about to ruffle some feathers.
Or maybe you’ll flow right with me on this… we’ll see how it goes.
Your personality is not your own. And I know it really feels like it is because it feels like a defining factor in describing who you are as a person.
Now, I know that when I add—“God’s workmanship,” after saying it’s “not your own” can come off as, it’s not you, it’s how God MADE you…. But no, that’s not at all the direction I am going with this, so let’s talk about it.
He Made You. He Gets to Say “Who You Are.”
If you think about it… have you ever seen someone have a complete personality change? Maybe they became a Christian & they just didn’t act the same anymore afterwards? Maybe they just grew up? Matured?
Our personality, from my observation, is usually built up over time & it can change or shift over time as you mature.
It’s sometimes built on necessity… saving face or trying to not get picked on or look like you stand out too much… or maybe you WANT to stand out. It’s defense mechanisms & how we learn to fit in & find our place in the world around us.
Now, I don’t deny that there are probably certain things you may be more prone to lean towards because of how God wired you… but we need to be careful not to cling to “our personality” so much that we deny God access to change anything about it that may not particularly please or honor Him.
Because, when it all comes down to it… HE made you… so HE gets to say what “your personality” is. We can’t use “it’s just the way we are” as an excuse, basically, versus being willing to be changed from the inside out.
Using It as an Excuse Not to Grow
I see this type of excuse when I hear women say, “God says to be meek & mild, but He just didn’t wire me that way,” followed by a shrug.
But, if God says it… then He knows it IS indeed possible… which means that when we say stuff like that, we’re honestly just excusing the OPPOSITE of what God calls us to while also blaming it on Him.
God made you. You are (under all you have grown up used to) the way He made you. Everything else is subject to change.
Don’t limit God based on what you feel are your own limitations. He made you & He can change you. So, let Him.
God’s Workmanship & Shaping to His Likeness
And when you feel up against a dead-end because of “how you are” clashes with how He says you ought to be… well, be willing to say to Him in prayer: “God, this is not at all natural to me, but according to Your Word (the Bible), it’s what honors You most, so I want this to BECOME natural to me. Please change me to better honor & please Your will, LORD. Change the ME I believe to be, to the me YOU created me to be. AMEN.”
Shine HOPE by always staying moldable… allowing Him to shape you into HIS likeness, versus clinging to the “you” with which you feel most comfortable.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over 5.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Vintage Vines Oven Mitt Set (INDIA)
(Shown: Vintage Vines Oven Mitt Set, handcrafted by women in India. Every purchase of this set empowers women in India out of poverty!)
LIMITED EDITION – While Supplies Last! Add a touch of artisanal inspiration to your kitchen decor with the Vintage Vines Oven Mitt Set! Every detail is block printed, a traditional way to stamp and print ink onto fabric. The set includes one oven mitt and one potholder with a slit, both featuring a beautiful vintage-inspired floral design in light pink, orange, and brown colors.
*****Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.*****
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
Do you know why I think Christianity doesn’t seem to “stick” for some people? Why either they start out following Jesus & then turn away… or whether they just don’t want to accept Him at all in the first place?
Because the fleshly nature does not chill out once you become a Christian.In other words, you still want what you want sometimes, even if you know you shouldn’t want it.
Paul talks about this war with the flesh… doing what he doesn’t want & not doing what he wills to do. (Romans 7:15-20)
It’s talked about in 1 Peter: “… abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul….” (1 Peter 2:11b)
And in James… “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15)
And in Luke: “… they go out and [the truth they’ve heard] is choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and brings no fruit to maturity.” (Luke 8:14)
I mean, I have been a Christian for 35 years now & I feel it still.And whenever I think I am finally immune to it… there it is again.
Denial of Self Is HARD Some Days, Isn’t It?
Why do I think Christianity doesn’t seem to “stick” for some people?
Because it requires & calls us to a constant denial of SELF… & we, as humanity, tend to really like SELF.
Whether it’s us doubting God’s Word as valid “enough” or logical “enough” because it makes no sense to us or seems to oppose what we perceive of the way things “actually” work….
Whether it’s going through cruel circumstances that seem to rip you to shreds & leave you so broken that you question how a good God Who claims to love you could do this…. (Read Job.)
Whether it’s facing hard that won’t ever seem to stop & you just want to numb or cling to easy instead of consistently having to turn to God as your help. Feeling consistently insufficient is HARD.
Whether it’s living the day-to-day with the desire to live it YOUR way with no shame or guilt hovering over your head like a dark, annoying cloud.
SELF-denial is HARD sometimes. Can I get an amen? Because I FEEL this sometimes. I have been through seasons of ALL of the above… & more.
Self-denial some days feels to be obviously the best option (because, really, it actually IS),while other days it can feel frustrating & awful.
God Calls the Shots… Not Me
Christianity requires self-denial. We have to come to the end of ourselves, recognize that the ONLY real, true standard is set by the God Almighty Who made it all & Who is outside time & space, that it’s His world, whether it makes us comfortable or not… & as such, He alone gets to set the standard,whether we agree with it or not… & that we can never live up to said standard 100% of the time perfectly because we are sinful people… we choose US even in small ways & often in big ways… that we can’t save ourselves from the wrath of God that we deserve because of this… & finally, an accepting of the free gift of Jesus paying for our sins on the cross & rising again victorious over our sin & death.
A ”Not I, but Christ,” attitude & heart posture.
And yes, the freedom & forgiveness that fills in all of those rotting spaces in our soul is refreshing & freeing & wonderful. It is beyond worth anything we may in turn forsake to glorify Him instead of ourselves.
But afterwards… our fleshly self doesn’t just take a hike for good… it just doesn’t have the final say anymore. It doesn’t automatically win anymore. It doesn’t have full control. … But it still wants it sometimes.
But giving God full control is a very, very good thing… because God’s standard, get this… is ALWAYS for OUR good & HIS glory. Always.
Why Do I Still Wrestle, Then?
So, why do I have to be so annoying? Why do I still wrestle with SELF trying to win when HIS way ALWAYS proves better in the end?
I’m like a little kid who screams, “I DO IT!” sometimes when God tries to direct me His way.
Or sometimes I think on what He calls me to & I think… “but being on the couch in my pjs seems much better… let’s go with that instead.”
Or, I think to myself, “They don’t DESERVE that! Why would I do that for them or why would I forgive THEM?!!?” (See “Unforgiving Servant” story in the Bible in Matthew 18:21-35, as well as all of the book of Jonah.)
Or, I am so cranky from my alarm waking me from that cool dream & that relaxing state of sleep that I just don’t wanna ANYTHING. (Repenting over the grumpies is an unfortunately very real morning routine for me, folks.)
Or, I want to grab a snack, pop on the tv, play a game, or literally anything else to quell my restless, stressful thoughts because it’s instant gratification rather than praying for help & maybe being told to “go for a walk” or something way less instantly gratifying….
The amount of times in a day that I let my flesh win, even in the little choices or attitudes, is really quite embarrassing.
Self-denial is HARD.Why do I still wrestle when I know He ought to win?
I Have to First Say “No” to ME in Order to Experience the Many Blessings of Trusting HIM
Taking up my cross daily & following Him is HARD. Rewarding & worth it & fruitful & satisfying & fulfilling & uplifting? YES. … But HARD because it means I have to FIRST say ‘NO’ to ME. And I don’t always like doing that.
I get it. We want to be gods in our own little personal world. We want to cater to the ME. It’s not always comfortable yielding to Someone else, especially when it doesn’t make any sense to us or it doesn’t seem to be what we’d want.
And the me-first, main character culture of today is NOT helping things, because it reinforces what we already want to be true. But this is His Story.History is His story.Not mine. Not yours. HIS. We are all side characters in HIS story. Supporting roles, if you will. NOT the main character.
And I get it. Stepping out of the spotlight in your life… & letting Him take center stage instead, even when you feel you have such great things to offer… is hard.
But it’s not our stage. It’s HIS.
And that’s hard some days. The fact is… it is hard to yield ourselves, our will, our intellect, our comforts, our way… to Him. To trust HIM to be our sovereign sufficiency & and not anything or anyONE else.
Do We Believe God Is Stronger Than:
… a cup of coffee in the morning
… a good night’s rest
… self-care
… a bad mood
… a lover’s embrace
… our hopes & dreams
… feeling wanted
… companionship
… comfort
… success/accomplishment
… ________________________________________
Or, do you feel like you need Jesus + ____________________________?
Not to say that they’re all bad things… not to say most aren’t helpful… but do you feel like God is strong enough even without them?
Or do you feel like you need God + ___________________________?
What fills in that blank for you, if you are COMPLETELY honest with yourself?
The Things I Chase
For me, it’s numbing things like tv, games, random videos, snacks, etc. when I feel restless, weighed down, stressed, or tired… because it’s easy & quick, even though none of them solve anything… just cover it up for a while until it comes back up again… because I’m too scared sometimes of what God will ask me to try instead that’s not so quick & mindless a solution. (As if God doesn’t know how to help me THROUGH that issue to SOLVE that issue… versus just avoiding it forever.)
For me, it’s still struggling with fantasizing, with loopholes of it never being about real people, because I am too scared to trust God’s way without it. (As if God didn’t CREATE sex for marriage & as if He can’t help me a better way because He knows best.)
For me, it’s being too scared to just randomly go up to a stranger & talk about Jesus when I feel His nudging on my heart. (As if God doesn’t know EVERYONE’S thoughts & as if He can’t see their questions, hurts, & doubts when they lie awake in bed at night & how to answer them through my willingness to be used by Him in that moment.)
For me, it’s wanting to withdraw because of how awkward I feel trying to find my place in a group setting where I don’t know where I fit. (As if God can’t give me courage.)
For me, it’s wanting to wallow when I feel lonely. (As if God can’t hold & love me through it.)
For me, it’s hating hard that won’t quit & wanting to blame God or shut down. (As if God can’t sufficiently BE my strength in those seasons if I keep calling out to Him.)
For me, it’s wanting to hold a grudge when someone is consistently & unapologetically rude or mean to me. (As if Jesus didn’t already pay for that & even pay much more for ME.)
For me, it’s clinging to the comforts He supplies rather than Him when I get too comfortable with those comforts. (As if He doesn’t already know my needs & as if He can’t perfectly supply every time withOUT those comforts I cling to.)
I could go on… really. (I told you it’s embarrassing.) 35 years in & I still face this war in myself some days. I’m forever not perfect. Always “failing forward” as I heard somewhere.
What Is It for You?
What are you tempted to trade God for?
Where does your flesh tend to win?
When does it get hard for you to keep trusting Him & going to Him?
What would make you walk away? What is your breaking point? … Or are you all in, bowing to Him as LORD come what may?
What areas do you tend to feel your flesh nature scream for attention & preference?
Shine HOPE by determining to intentionally bow all of that to Him, relying on Him no matter what & not trading Him in for anything else.Because nothing, & I mean NOTHING satisfies like God can, through Jesus Christ our LORD.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over 5.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Beehive Trivet Set (INDIA)
(Shown: Beehive Trivet Set, handcrafted in India. Every purchase of this cute trivet set empowers women in India out of poverty!)
This set is perfect to display ethically made home decor to upscale your home design! Create a beautiful display that showcases the craftsmanship of our Artisan Partners in India who handcraft the detailed Bumblebee Trivet and Honeycomb Trivet! The Bumblebee Trivet features a single-line bumblebee shape, and the Honeycomb Trivet features a fun honeycomb design.
*****Every purchase of the Beehive Trivet Set supports families in areas of extreme poverty in India, empowering them to end poverty cycles for their families, send their kids to school, and earn fair wages for their work.*****
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
I’m working through a Bible study right now on Matthew 5-7 & we’re at the part about fasting. Well, the point of the passage is really not even about the fasting, but about the motive behind the fasting. (Matthew 6:16-18; Isaiah 58:3-12)
You see, the people were prostrating themselves, bowing low, sackcloth & ashes, the whole deal… but Jesus rebuked them for it all. Why? Motive matters.
They hoped they could all live the way they wanted, but as long as they followed all the “right” Christian-y steps, they were all good & God would listen to them when they fasted.
In other words, there was no bowing of their HEARTS to Him… just the physical bowing of their heads.
And Jesus rejected it.
What’s Your Why?
I see that even with how some people celebrate lent. The restaurant advertisements during lent are getting a little ridiculous because lent is supposed to be about denying yourself something you love to draw your heart closer to God & submitting yourself more fully to Him… but has become (for some) a show of giving up one pleasure & just exchanging it for a different pleasure instead during that time period. Doesn’t that kind of defeat the whole point?
And holidays can be the same way, in a sense. Certain holidays, like Easter & Christmas, are meant to be a remembrance of Him & are meant to stand as a reminder to worship & praise Him for all the good He has done. A testimony of His goodness & glory.
Who Is the Figurehead That Represents Christmas?
For example, I’m not opposed to Santa, mainly because he is based on a real human who saw a need & sought to be a blessing to those around Him. But I’m sure if he was looking down from heaven, he would be disturbed by how far it’s gone… making him the figurehead of Christmas instead of Christ.
So, no, I am not opposed or revolted by Santa, but I do think it’s gotten so saturated as the general figurehead of Christmas that he vastly drowns out the real reason we’re reminded to celebrate… the coming of God become man to earth–JESUS–to ultimately give His life as our ransom.
That should be sobering… humbling… invoking of WORSHIP to God Almighty.
What’s the Big Deal about Easter?
And Easter… & the bunny… & the eggs… & pastel… dressing up.
None of those things are wrong at all… but do they reflect the reason we celebrate Easter? Do we follow cute traditions more than we make it about Him?That Jesus bowed His life to us on the cross to pay our debt to God by giving His own life for us & then rising again victorious over death & our sin?
What is our focus? What is our motive? What matters MOST to us if we’re really honest with ourselves?
Do we have all of our Christian-y rituals down? Check. Check. Check?
Or are we really reflecting on having a bowed down heart versus just a bowed down head?
Everything We Say, Think, Feel, Do… Reflects What We Think about Jesus
I get accused sometimes of “trying to make everything spiritual” or that my takeaways “don’t always have to be something spiritual,” but if not, what am I making my life about? ME?
Like it or not, every decision we make… Every word we say…. Every motive matters. Everything reflects what we think about Jesus. Everything is, essentially… spiritual.
Is it just “what can I get out of this?” Or is it, “how ought I surrender more to His control?”
Should I be satisfied with a “good enough” level of surrender? Or should I always strive to aim for more surrender to Him?
Where Is My Heart? … Where Is Yours?
Am I living for me, with a dash of Jesus sprinkled in there for good measure?
Or is my all dedicated to Him as an offering & a sacrifice for His use?
Living for me with God as my backup plan or aide in MY way?
Or living fully for Him?
Bowing low, sackcloth & ashes, denial of self to somehow make a point to God, to somehow manipulate Him into action?
Or bowing my HEART to Him as my LORD God, Lord of my life?
What do I hold back from Him? What parts do I reserve just for me?
Is my sprinkle of Jesus in my life just so I can feel I “did my part” as a Christian?
Or do I live to let Him have ever more of my life?
Who do I trust more with my life? Me? Or Him?
I am Convicted of This Regularly… It’s Too Easy to Live for Me
I am definitely not writing this to say that I have it all figured out nor do I think I always make the best choices.
But I do understand that I ought to do better. Not because it earns me something from God. Not to “get God to listen to me.” Not to be “a better person.”
But because He really actually deserves it. It’s what we’re made for.
Everything in our lives should reflect worship to Him. Because it is what He deserves.
It shouldn’t be about living our routines & our lives & our desires & our dreams… but in bowing all of that to be changed by Him if He so wishes.
He Is More
He has a plan that spans before & past my lifetime.How can I use the time I have in order to point to Him as the One true God, our only HOPE?
He has wisdom & knowledge & understanding I cannot even begin to fathom.How can I bow what I think I know to trusting He DOES know?
How can my life be more than just doing all the right things, to living a life surrendered to His will, His way, His help, His glory?Trusting He will more than care for me along the way?
Why Do You Celebrate? Where Is Your Heart?
What’s the big deal about Easter?Why do you celebrate it? Or why don’t you? What is it about? What do you look forward to? Where is your focus?
What do your plans on this day reflect about what it means to you?
One thing I like to do each year to help me remember what it’s really about… is making quiche. We don’t make it often, but I love the picture as I am making it of the eggs being broken & poured out, just like Jesus offered up Himself to be broken for our transgressions, pouring out a demonstration of His love for us through His death for us… rising again triumphant! That sacrifice nourishes us & gives us LIFE.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, Hewas bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)<–He did that for US, guys!
What Would God Say to You?
What would God say in response to your sacrifices for Him? In response to your works for Him? In response to the way you live your life... if His message in Isaiah 58:3-12 was directed at you?
Is your heart bowed to Him? Or just your head?
Shine HOPE by choosing to not just go through the “Christian-y motions,” but by choosing to submit however you feel about it to be changed by Him to bring Him more glory through the short life you do have… by surrendering all the more as time goes by, letting Him be LORD of your LIFE… ALL of it.
Here’s to forever being fellow works-in-PROGRESS.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over 5.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
April 2024 Hope Mail (INDIA)
(Shown: April 2024 Hope Mail, a collection of handcrafted items, made by women in India. Every purchase of this set empowers women in INDIA out of poverty!)
This exclusive April Hope Mail package makes a great gift for any occasion! Receive free shipping on this April Hope Mail package that includes our Misty Teal Earrings handmade in India, Silver Duet Bracelet from India, and our adorable Umbrella Sticker mailed in a stylish Fashion as a Force for Good envelope.
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
I was humbled so much during my time in Hokkaido, Japan.
In fact, coming through my loneliness in Guam & then on to the immense strain my brain experienced in Hokkaido (mixed with even deeper loneliness because of the great language barriers), is what pushed me to start this journey with my website & blog!
God showed me firsthand that not every person, whether missionary or expat or even living in certain areas or families—not everyone has Christian fellowship, support, encouragement, & testimonies of His HOPE around them to encourage & edify them every day.
We NEED each other. God made us for community. We are weak, fleshly humans with a tendency to stray after shiny things that look great but have nasty consequences either immediately or eventually.
So, here I am. I’m not perfect. I’m not the shining example you should strive to emulate. But I AM a woman who understands that the God of the Bible, the One TRUE God, is WORTH showing up for & pointing to through all of MY inadequacies & failures.
Zero Times
Speaking of me NOT being the shining example… Do you remember reading that I accepted Jesus’ FREE gift of salvation, Him paying my debt to God by dying in my place… at FIVE years old?
Guess how many times I had read the Bible all the way through by the time we were living in Hokkaido, Japan, 30+ years later?
Zero. ZERO times.
I had read the Bible, of course. I knew a lot of the retelling stories written about in the Bible. I could quote quite a few verses by then. (Sans the references because I am terrible at remembering those!)
I had listened to HUNDREDS of sermons at church in my lifetime, done a TON of devotionals & gone to a TON of ladies Bible studies.
But I had never read the Bible through, cover to cover, in all its entirety.
The Guilt, the Failure, the Shame… the Unwillingness to Change
That’s a LONG time to avoid reading through the whole Bible, don’t you think?
Maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “I can for sure relate!”
Or, maybe you’re sitting there thinking, “Are you SERIOUS? How can you call yourself a committed follower of Jesus???”
I definitely had some guilt floating around in my head over this that sounded much like that… but I honestly believed that because I read the Bible at church, in devotions, at Bible Studies, or when I searched for God’s wisdom relevant to particular struggles I faced… that it was enough.
I Was Fooled
The other stuff in the Bible just seemed like a long, drawn-out history lesson & I will tell you right now that history was never my favorite subject in school (it seemed so tedious trying to remember a million names of people & places & battles & bills & dates, etc. etc. etc.).
I ALSO realized that my attention span was not up to snuff when it came to sitting down to read more than a chapter or so of the Bible at a time. How was I supposed to read when I would get a headache or a ton of stuff was on my mind or I was tired & groggy or a lot was going on when I sat down to read, etc.?
I thought I just wasn’t good at that & that it wasn’t my fault I couldn’t read it more.
The Book That Changed My World
But I read a book that changed my world: “Andrew Murray on Prayer,” a compilation of works written by the late Andrew Murray, translated into English.
(You can find the link to this book, as well as many other book titles & Bible Studies that God has used to personally & strongly influence my life on my website @ www.michellehydeonline.com/recommended-by-michelle/.)
I went into reading this book because I didn’t really understand some things about prayer, like how I am supposed to pray or what I can pray for or how I know God will answer me, etc. & this book has some great help with that, but what I didn’t expect, was learning how I could read my Bible on a regular basis.
Where God Commands, God Provides
You see, one of the things that Mr. Murray addressed was that we are not meant to obey God strictly through sheer willpower, but with the help of God.
He walked through many a verse that share commands from God, pointing out a common thread in many of them… the words: “by faith,” “through faith,” “by God,” & “through God.”
In other words, when God commands, He also lets us know we need His help to do it!
Mr. Murray goes on to say that so many Christians end up burnt out or fake it because they’re trying to be good Christian people in their own strength & know-how & willpower, versus asking God for His strength & know-how & POWER to empower them in their obedience.
I don’t know about you, but I consider myself infinitely WEAK when I consider how great God is, so hearing that I can rely on HIS versus my own was mind-blowing & life changing.
Unnatural & Impossible to Me… But God Isn’t Limited
Mr. Murray continues by demonstrating how, when we seek to live in obedience to God in anything that feels absolutely unnatural to us in any way, whether due to upbringing, personal weakness, etc., that instead of avoiding said obedience, or justifying it because “we just can’t do it,” we ought instead to PRAY & ask for God’s HELP.
So, I took that to heart, recognizing for once that if it is God’s will for me to do something & He holds absolute power that is infinite in nature… He WILL help me. I can count on that 100%.
Then my Bible reading attempt scenarios began to shift from failure to prayer: “God, I [have a headache, feel distracted, feel tired, don’t WANT to do it, etc.], but I know this honors You & pleases You, so I want to do it anyway. Please help me make it happen despite _________________________. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”
And I wouldn’t wait until I “felt better” before I began… I would trust God would fill in because I knew this request honored Him. So, I would just start reading.
God Doesn’t Always Answer the Same Way, But He Always Provides
Sometimes the obstacle didn’t go away, but I would somehow have a strange sense of concentration & focus regardless.
Sometimes God would whisk away said obstacle altogether & I would read with ease.
Sometimes God removed the obstacle while I read & yet it returned when I was finished.
But EVERY time, God enabled me to read & stay focused on what I was reading.
God Can Even Help with the WHEN
And before we become tempted to believe it’s only in the want-to or the ability to do it… He ALSO helped me when TIME was the issue.
For example: “God, I know I promised to read tonight, but this thing came up & now I don’t have time. What do I do? I want to honor You most. Should I cancel? What should I do?” And then this urgency would come over me as if saying, “Read NOW.” I would argue, “But I have to be downstairs ready to go so I don’t hold people up if I am to go….” Again, “Read NOW.”
So, I would get out my Bible, open it up & begin to read. And wow, as I closed my Bible upon finishing that night’s reading, my hubs came running down the stairs saying, “Sorry! I had to finish something real quick that I forgot! Now we can go!”
Did I know that delay would come up? Nope.
Did God? YES.
Praying & bowing that to Him, allowed Him opportunity to reveal the WHEN, too!
God Helps Grow the Desire to Obey Him, Too
God helps us to obey Him! WOW! It’s not up to my flimsy willpower or desires or even having to know if I’ll have the time!
And let me also say that an embarrassing amount of obstacles were just me not wanting to do it… & He helped me with that, too.
I’m not saying I all of a sudden had a change of heart sometimes, but rather that I would bow that selfishness & unwillingness to Him, too, ask for His help to obey anyway, & would just sit down & read through my bad attitude, determined I would honor God even on the days when I didn’t necessarily feel like doing it.
What Side Are You Watering?
You have probably heard the saying: “the grass is always greener on the other side,” but I have also heard, “the grass is always greener on the side you’re watering.” In other words, if I am romanticizing NOT reading because it seems so much easier, takes less focus, doesn’t impede on what I’d rather do, etc., then it will be going against my downstream ease to instead do it. It will take practiced determination.
I had to pray about 90% of days the first year I determined to read my Bible daily, it seemed like… but then, the next year? Maybe only 80%, then maybe 50%… & so on.
And now, I read every night without hardly any resistance. Maybe down to 5% now?
I have been watering the side of finding joy in what God instructs… of finding joy in obedience to Him through honoring Him. Of learning to lean on Him on the days when I “just don’t wanna.”
I Am Not Made for This… & Yet… GOD
You know, the same is true for running this blog every week. I’m not fit for this. Some days I just feel so numb & checked out. Some days I just want to throw on sweatpants, plop on the couch, & binge tv. Some days I feel stubborn & selfish & don’t want to encourage anyone.
How could God call me to this when I am the way I am?
Because He knows HE is capable when I fall short. He knows He is sufficient where I lack. He knows HIS strength can more than cover my weakness. He knows HE can overcome & help me through every bad attitude & use it for my good even in showing His faithfulness when I’m least deserving.
God calls me… God calls you… not because we’re deserving… but because He is our Enough in & through it all... come what may… even on our absolute worst days… even when it’s our fault completely.
So, how do I do it every week? When I am the way I am? I PRAY. I trust He will be my HOW even when I can’t seem to muster a bit of it on my own.
God Can Help Us Obey Him
Where is this a struggle for you?
What have you convinced yourself that it’s not your fault that you’re just not good at something God calls you to do? Of what honors & pleases Him?
What side are you watering?
Do you struggle believing that the God who made you & this whole world can handle helping you through your insurmountable unwilling heart or obstacles that seem to tower too far above you?
God tells us to desire His Word (the Bible) as a newborn babe desires milk. (1 Peter 2:2) Do you have that same craving for His Word in your life? Do you need His help to grow this desire? Because, if it honors & pleases Him, you can be absolutely positive that He will be right there willing to help you do it.
Shine HOPE by turning your unwillingness, bad habits, lack of good habits, disobedience, obstacles, unwatered grass areas of your life… to the God Who is infinitely, absolutely, & completely ABLE.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
Share with friends & family… & SUBSCRIBE by “Joining My Tribe,” so you never miss a week!
As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over 5.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox (make sure to check your other inbox folders), along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!
Fashion as a Force for GOOD:
Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world!Consider these pieces when shopping for friends, family, or yourself. Check out this week’s featured beauty!!
Patina Earrings (INDIA)
(Shown: Patina Earrings, handcrafted in India. Every purchase of these earrings empowers women in India out of poverty!)
Make a fair-trade fashion statement with the Patina Earrings! These gorgeous earrings feature a gold-tone hammered stud with a patina circle. These unique artisanal earrings are handcrafted in a workshop in India that’s committed to fighting child marriage and helping women become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. Every purchase empowers these women out of poverty!
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!
If you have ever been in any long-term relationship, or even just consider the family you’re born into(your God-given long-term relationships),you know good relationships take work. They’re not easy.
We can be tempted to look at really happy couples online or celebrities or friends even, & think they must have it all together all the time, but I will tell you this right now… I guarantee you with absolute certainty that they don’t have it ALL together ALL the time.
Because good relationships require that you work on them.
There will be days where you feel at each other’s throats because you’re both in a bad mood. There will be days when you have pretty opposite opinions you both feel very strongly about. There will be days of misunderstandings & hurt feelings. There will be days where past trauma is triggered, even when it has zero to do with that other person.
Strong relationships are definitely worth it… but they’re definitely not always easy.
It All Felt So Easy in the Beginning
Well, we’re no different. Our marriage takes work. It takes loving through each other’s bad moods or bad attitudes, mistakes, & shortcomings. It takes prayer & trusting God’s way forward.
When we were dating, it felt so easy to be together. My husband was waiting on his job clearance & I was working parttime at the church where we met. Low pressure. Low stress. Few obligations &/or distractions. Just the two of us. (Who else sang that just now?)
We spent most of our free time together, not to mention that any church event or service found us side-by-side.
I was still working out my commitment fears as for a potential future together, but in each individual moment together, it felt easy.
We laughed a lot together. We had fun. We were silly & ridiculous. We went on long walks, played card games & board games together, we went out to eat together, we would sit & just open up about any & everything together. And we prayed together. It felt so easy to be together.
First Few Years?
We got married in May 2012, enjoyed a beach honeymoon in Mexico, & just 3 months later, packed up from our small apartment & moved to Guam.
Our new adventure awaited us as a newlywed couple.
I was wide-eyed & teeming with HOPE for our future together.
I had heard that the first few years of marriage were notoriously some of the hardest to go through, but I thought that was for sure not true for us. We were in love & happy & full of joy & bright expectations.
Bring on the Hard
But reality started to settle in… My husband’s job was demanding of his time & energy. I couldn’t seem to get a job anywhere. Friends were so hard to come by because of certain circumstances–I couldn’t get too involved in anything regularly because with hubby’s schedule, I could potentially miss my only chance to see him that week.
Then the fact that smartphones weren’t as common then.… (We had an international calling plan that allowed a 3-hour window & if my family wasn’t free during that specific 3-hour window, I had no other time to hear their voices or chat.)
I was far, far away from any family & friends. I had a hard time being able to plug in anywhere. My husband worked an insane amount of hours & was always exhausted when home. I couldn’t find a job. I was home… ALONE… all… the… time.
I felt like I had nobody. (Even now as I type, thinking back on that time in my life breaks my heart a little bit & gets me a little choked up because the hurt was very real.)
I had never known loneliness like I felt during most of my time living in Guam back in 2012-2015.From growing up around all my family & long-time friends, to a teeming social life in college, to this…. To say it was hard is a huge understatement.It was like life whiplash.
I Just Wanted to Go Home
Here we were, on the other side of the world from everything we had ever known & the first few years of our marriage indeed got very hard. Not bad, but hard.
My loneliness put pressure on my husband when he was already feeling enough pressure with his job. It seemed easier to argue than I ever thought could be possible for the two of us. It seemed easier to hurt each other than I ever thought could be possible for the two of us.And we never meant to do so, but it happened all the same.
I wanted to run back to my family in the states & pretend that season in my life never began. I wanted to go back to the easy happy. I wanted to go back to feeling I had a place to belong.
And this season lasted for about 1.5 years.
Amazing Things Happen When You Let God be in Charge
I was feeling some resentment, honestly, as wrong as that is. I didn’t know if I could ever get through or past the hurt I was feeling. I felt trapped by the hurts I was experiencing so often back then.
But then, something amazing happened. We started praying about it together whenever the circumstances were frustrating us.
We poured out our frustrations & hurts to God & asked Him to give us wisdom& a way forward… to the togetherness we so enjoyed & that came so easily before.
And you know what?God provided. God showed the way. God broke down walls I had built up in my heart. God eased my tensions. God filled me with impossible peace.God cared & God provided the bridge back.
God AS Our SOLUTION
God taught us how to direct our eyes back on HIM versus any problem that may arise.
He was our solution.
He was our glue.
He was our wisdom.
He was our help.
He was our bridge back.
God Is the Bridge Back in Relationships
What situation are you facing right now that just feels impossible?
What hurt in your heart seems to cloud everything you face?
What circumstance seems unsolvable?
Where in your life feels like there is no possible way forward?
Don’t believe that mumbo jumbo phrase: “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” You can have all the WILL in the world, & sometimes it just won’t do diddly squat.
What you need is PRAYER.What you need is the One Who holds the POWER behind PRAYER. What you need is God Almighty’s HELP. What you need is the grace of Jesus to wash over anything you may come across. What you need is the wisdom & way forward that only the Holy Spirit can provide for you.
When you face even the “unforgiveable,” take a minute to remember what Jesus gave for your “unforgiveables.”His LIFE.
We Need His Help to Forgive & We Need Him in Order to Love Well
What I need is prayer. Every single day. Even writing this today, I am convicted about two relationships in my life that hold some brokenness because of a misunderstanding or difference of opinion & I realize this isn’t just for marriage relationships, but I need to be praying for those relationships & a bridge forward all the same, because God is the solution there just as much.
Don’t let Satan tear apart relationships in your life. Don’t let him have the final say. Don’t let him distort & grow discontentment or resentment. Stand firm against it & PRAY OVER IT! God’s power trumps ANYTHING Satan can try to destroy. So–PRAY!
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)
Shine HOPE by trusting God to be your bridge back, no matter what seems to threaten your way forward. God. Is. ABLE.
Coming Next Week
Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement right here on my blog/website @ www.MichelleHydeOnline.com.
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As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.
A Note from Michelle:
(***Check out my FREE Journal Printable Resources: “Accountability Partner Guide + Question Prompts” & “Bible Study Question Prompts,” as well as “Prayers of Surrender” prayer guides!***)
This blog/website has been running for over FIVE years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3
If you would like to learn more of my story, check out the “About Me” tab. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” tab, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3
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:
February 2024 Hope Mail
(Shown: February 2024 Hope Mail, handcrafted in India & Uganda. Every purchase empowers women artisansout of poverty!)
FOR A LIMITED TIME – Only available during the month of February! This exclusive February Hope Mail package makes a great gift for any occasion! Receive free shipping on this February Hope Mail package that includes our Midnight Tassel Bracelet from Uganda, Midnight Raffia Earrings from India, and our adorable Darkest Night Sticker mailed in a stylish Fashion as a Force for Good envelope.
How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:
SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michellehyde.tradesofhope@gmail.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!
Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!