God Made Us All Different for a Reason

One of the reasons I have grown to love reading the Bible is seeing over & over again how great God is. Seeing through the whole expanse of time, how He displays His limitlessness, His power, & His ability even when we have so little to offer Him.

The patience He showed with Jonah. The miracles He worked through Moses. The might He showed through Gideon. The gentle care He showed to former prostitutes. The sovereignty He showed through Job. The faithfulness He showed through the Israelites.

I could go on & on & on. And yet, through all of these examples (& more!) something amazing stands out to me. People in the Bible were not all the same in willingness, in faith, in making right choices, in personality… & yet, God used them all in such mighty ways that we still talk about them today!

We all have different backgrounds. Different upbringings. We have all lived different experiences. We all have different traumas, (even those subtle ones where we would claim with vehemence that it is not trauma, but are revealed in our unhealthy gut responses to things we have learned hurt us in the past). We all have grown up with different ways to protect ourselves or feel strong or avoid showing weakness. We all are made different by our personal circumstances & life experiences.

So, when I see God discussing the call for us to have unity in the body of Christ, I cannot fathom the thought that He intends for us all to look & sound the same, dress the same, handle things the same way, have the same strengths or the same weaknesses. To all be carbon copies. God is way more creative than that.

God Is Creative + God Is Sovereign

Diversity + unity seems to be the perfect blend.

We are called to have one mind—to be on the same mission: to know & love God more… all on the same team: seeking to serve & love others to the glory of God. Living as Jesus Christ’s ambassadors.

He calls us to obedience, to honor Him with our choices, our thoughts, our words. In the matter of following God’s law, in the matter of showing respect & honor where it is DUE… we are called to be the same.

But that doesn’t mean WE are all the same…. But in all of our differences, unity.

Avoid Only Being Around People Who Think Just Like You—Allow Room to Grow

The tendency of humanity is as the age old saying goes: birds of a feather flock together. While the fellowship & community with other believers is vital, it is so easy to hang out ONLY with other believers that make us feel comfortable in what we already think & believe.

I think one of the beautiful aspects of being part of the body of Christ is the concept of iron sharpening iron. We all have different growth needs. We all have different areas of strengths & weaknesses. And we can all help each other toward the goal of better representing Jesus to the world… toward striving for holiness. We will all be a forever work in progress & we NEED each other through it!

But we also need to live with grace toward one another.

The Struggle Spots in Some Friends Can Spurn Greater Growth in YOU, Too

Don’t avoid discomfort! We need it!

I have had friends in the last 10 years in every place I have lived in whom I could see some sort of trauma at work in their heart, trumping the truth of God’s Word. And they were unwilling to see it. That is very uncomfortable for me (even though I can also exhibit the very same stubbornness in certain seasons of my own life).

My temptation was to not spend time with them anymore because their ruts made me so unbelievably uncomfortable in some circumstances, even though I respected their faith & understanding of the Bible in areas where I was weak. But God challenged me that even through their weaknesses, it was challenging me to pray & study to solidify in my heart whatever truth of God’s Word their situation represented, challenging me to grow & grow myself!

I needed to be challenged versus just taking what I knew for granted… versus only talking about something that comes easily to me. It was good for me that they didn’t think like me because it challenged me to grow in my thinking more like Jesus & in better knowing God’s Word.

Don’t Kick Others While They’re Down… Even If It’s Behind Their Backs

It hurts my heart when I hear Christians talk ill of other Christians. And I see it A LOT. I probably have been guilty of it as well when frustrated & caught up in a conversation about said frustration.

But shame on me. Shame on us. What are we doing? Don’t we get that we’re all family under God because of Jesus?

We can shake our heads at Jonah, but which of us would see outright murder of young children to false “gods” & not feel like they ought to get what’s coming to them?

We can look at Abraham & be like, “DUDE, why are you putting your wife in a compromising-to-her-safety situation to protect yourself AGAIN,” but which of us would not also feel panic rise up when up against a royal army & possibly moody king with the power to kill you on a mere whim?

We can be absolutely disgusted by David’s infidelity (& basically murder), but which of us has not allowed the temptation of sin to deceive us at one point (or many times over a lifetime)?

(But how easy it is to relate to Job in his laments, right? Because his pain “makes sense” to us.)

Shame on us for holding up the judgment stick against another believer. Are their choices always good ones? No. Is hindsight always 20/20? Yes. Can we know God knows all & still end up doubting Him, fearing, or hesitating? Also yes.

How Easy It Is to See the Weaknesses of Others

I heard somewhere how we tend to look at our own misbehaviors or weaknesses or failures through a telescope, but for others, a microscope. Isn’t that the truth?

We know our intentions. We MEANT well. We didn’t MEAN to screw up so badly.

And yet… did you see how badly THEY screwed up? How poorly THEY are handling this? How long THEIR season of weakness is lasting?

Shame on us. Shame on me.

I think we can all agree that we have all had our own lapses in judgment, when flesh won out over spirit, even if “only” in our own heads. If that were broadcast about us as the subtitle to our life, wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Wouldn’t that HURT?! So why even consider doing that to someone else?

Give grace upon grace!

Be the One Who Edifies the Body… Versus Tearing It Down When It’s Weak

We are meant to build up one another toward Christ. We are meant to be the strength in another’s weaknesses. We are meant to comfort the fainthearted. We are meant to live in LOVING-as-an-action UNITY, even with our many differences.

Some of us are just a finger. Some are a whole foot. Some are the spine. Some are the eyeballs.

And you know what, I think our part to play changes through different seasons of our lives. But we are ALL meant to work alongside each other toward the same goal—honoring God with our lives & giving Him glory through the way we live & treat others.

Using your gifts. Using your resources. Using your time. Using whatever you have to offer Him in either your strengths or weaknesses.

He Is Worth It! Proclaim It!

Proclaiming to the world that whether you’re strong or weak… He is worth it.
Whether you fail or succeed… He is worth it.
Whether you get it right or have to try again… He is worth it.
Whether people “get you” or talk poorly about you… He is worth it.
Whether everyone loves you or everyone hates you… He is worth it.
Whether everything goes right or everything falls apart… He is worth it.
Whether you win it all or lose it all… He is worth it.
Whether you’re surrounded by loving family & friends or feel all alone… He is worth it.
Whether you’re strong or weak… He is worth it.
Whether you have everything to give or nothing at all… He is worth it.

It is never an “US” vs “THEM” situation. Only US.

Grace Upon Grace

We are ALL a work in progress. None of us have “arrived” & none of us ever will. Strong in a lot of areas? I guarantee you are not strong in EVERY area… & if you truly believe that you are… you are greatly blinded by deception my dear friend. Pray for God to show you your blind spots if you dare. (And you should dare… because He is gentle, faithful, already knows them, & Jesus already died for them—they don’t own you.)

And you should treat others with the same grace. If you see something, don’t be afraid to speak up IN LOVE, not to tear them down, not to feel self-righteous, not to look like “it’s a good thing they have me because BOY do they have a lot they need to work on,” but IN LOVE, to HELP them.

Yes, strive for holiness! Yes, obey God’s Word & encourage others to do so! But also, show grace in the failings. Support & encourage versus tear down. Pray for versus talk about. We’re all at different stages of growth in different areas. We need each other.

Don’t expect others to have it all figured out & pruned & perfected. Walk alongside them & encourage them as the Holy Spirit does that work in them throughout their lifetime of seeking to know, love, & obey God better. Fail forward.

God Doesn’t Need You… He WANTS You

GOD DOES NOT NEED THEM (OR YOU) TO BE PERFECT. Jesus died & paid IN FULL. PERIOD. God is infinite. He doesn’t need ANYTHING from us. But it’s because we trust Him to know best & we obey Him because He deserves it most, even when we don’t always understand. He CHOOSES to ALLOW us to participate in HIS work…. Don’t forget that.

We don’t need to talk down about others, stick our noses up at them, look down on them, feel shame paralyze us, worry what other people think of us, or put ourselves down.

JESUS. PAID. IN. FULL. ALREADY. FOR. THAT.

Obey Him As Lord, Trust Him As Your Savior

If you really love someone, if you really TRUST someone… the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes. You will SEE it.

If others saw your life… would they see your love for God? Would they know?

God Can Use Even Just a Willing Heart…

We don’t all have to be on the same level in every area of growth for God to use us.
We don’t have to all look or act the same way for God to use us.

We don’t have to have the same upbringing or church background/knowledge for God to use us.
We don’t even have to respond rightly every time or get it right every time for God to use us.

We don’t have to have all the right answers for God to use us.

We don’t have to be capable at all for God to use us.

Because He is GOD. He doesn’t need our contribution. He is sovereign. He is good. He is far more gentle than we often are with each other. And He wants to use HIS power THROUGH us to love others & offer them a lighthouse home… to hope found only in the arms of their Savior Jesus Christ.

Diversity + Unity = The Perfect Blend

Diversity + Unity. All on the same team. All have different strengths & different weaknesses. All of us will have different seasons of victory or failure. All supporting one another & working together with one mind & one goal: to better love, honor, & obey God tomorrow than we did today, no matter where you’re starting from.

But we all serve the same great God. And Jesus died for ALL of it.

Let others be weak. Let them not have it all figured out. Let them make mistakes.

Because you are too, you don’t either, & you do too.

But God is strong when we are weak.
God knows all.
God is sovereign over even our mistakes, failures, & weaknesses.

ONE TEAM. FOR JESUS. THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT & THE POWER OF GOD ALMIGHTY.

Shine Hope by not looking at how differences make you uncomfortable or different, but how God uses all sorts of people in all states in every circumstance. Knowing God is more than capable of filling in the gaps. Not arguing. Not talking about. But loving, supporting, encouraging toward honoring God in every circumstance & weakness & struggle, come what may—Diversity + Unity = The Perfect Blend.

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 SEVEN 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!!

Mother of Pearl Earrings (INDIA)

Make a fair-trade fashion statement with these genuine mother of pearl earrings! These gorgeous earrings feature a gold-tone, organic-shaped stud with a mother of pearl 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.

***Purchase these beautiful earrings, handcrafted in India, by using the “Shop Here” link below, to empower women in India out of poverty!***

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!

It’s not about the music you listen to

It’s not about your church attendance record

It’s not about the clothes you wear

It’s not about the places you go

It’s not about the books you read

It’s not about your future or past

It’s not about how much you serve

It’s not about how much you give

We all need a whole lot more of Jesus

You can’t earn God’s favor

You can’t earn your way to heaven

You can’t impress God by doing more & more

You can’t manipulate or one-up God

You can’t even the scales

You can’t control your fate

You don’t make the rules—no matter how badly you may wish to

We all need a whole lot more of Jesus

You can have raised hands & a closed off heart

You can attend every service & think only of how good it felt

You can dress modestly & feel a step above the rest

You can go to bars & be a witness

You can go to community outreaches & think of how good you seem

You can read good books & do it to try to feel self-sufficient

You can have a hard future ahead & God can use it for good

You can have a hard past & know God can redeem it

You can serve & give merely to calm a guilty conscience

We all need a whole lot more of Jesus.

We need to sing to Him & not just about Him

We need to bow our hearts & not just our heads

We need to dress in a way we feel pleases Him & not just the trends

We need to live the gospel wherever we go & not just at church

We need to read to learn more about how to please & honor Him with our lives & not just for entertainment

We need to trust Him with our future & bow to Him our past & not just see things as they seem to us

We need to serve as an extension of our love for Him 1st & others 2nd & not love in our own strength, but His through prayer

We all need a whole lot more of Jesus.

Shine HOPE by bowing all your efforts, all your beliefs, all your ideals, all your understanding, all your plans, all your heart, mind, soul, & strength… to the God Who deserves your all & gave His all through His Son… Jesus.

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 SEVEN 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!!

Jasper Breeze Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Every Jasper Breeze Bracelet supports a safe house in the Dominican Republic that provides housing, education, legal services, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking. The stretch-to-fit bracelet features beautiful jasper beads varying in color and a rare genuine Larimar stone that can only be found in the volcanic regions of the Dominican Republic.

***Purchase the Jasper Breeze Bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below, to support & empower women in the Dominican Republic toward brighter futures.***

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!

Attendance… But Heart Change? Worship?

Have you noticed the growing trend? Getting dressed, plastering on a smile, & walking into church… getting in some good Jesus feels… feeling encouraged & blessed… doing what good Christians ought to do….

But take a step back. Yelling at the kids in the car… haven’t prayed all morning… feeling frazzled… worried about a million things… don’t remember the last time you sat down to read your Bible… not involved in serving anywhere in the church….

Why do you go to church? What’s the point, really?

Why Are We Here?

Does it make you feel good about yourself? Does it check off the “good Christian” box? You’ve always grown up going so it feels like you’re supposed to? Spiritual high? To get encouraged? As your only dose of the Scripture for the week?

If you really take a moment to evaluate yourself… what would you say? Why do you go to church?

If I am honest? It has definitely included a lot of the above. (I also really enjoy singing, so sometimes I am not even hearing the words because I am focusing on trying to harmonize or whatever—I’m no pro. That’s an outlet that uplifts me as well.)

Have you ever sat in church thinking the sermon was a bit dry, the decorations were a little tacky… or lame, the music seemed too loud… or too outdated, they didn’t offer enough programs, you don’t feel you have enough friends, people aren’t friendly enough or they’re too friendly… basically everything you see they’re “just not doing right,” Etc.?

Do you church hop “for a better fit”?

If your church changes pastors after one retires… do you move on “because you don’t like that pastor as much”?

What is the purpose of church?

I will tell you one thing… it is not about us, that’s for sure.

Wake Up, Church!

Church is about 2 things & 2 things only—the greatest commandment of God & the one like it. Love God with all of your thoughts, all of your feelings, all of your efforts, & all of your being. Everything, all for Him… & the 2nd like it? Love others.

The church is meant to be a body. If you were a body part, would it be limp & unused? Or would it be strong & contributing to the strength of the body as a whole? (Note: there are indeed seasons where we feel useless, struggling in life & hurting, needing the comfort of others… it’s okay to not be okay. But we ought not use that as an excuse to remain detached. We NEED each other.) (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

Do you go to be served? Or, like Jesus, LORD of heaven & earth… to serve others? (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; John 13:13-17)

Do you go to be encouraged? Or to encourage others?

Do you go as your only time of worship/Bible-reading for your week? Or as a chance to come & worship before Him together as one body?

Do you go because it’s the right thing to do… or because God is deserving of our bowed hearts… our praise… our everything?

Why do you go to church?

The Church, as a Whole, Needs to Wake Up!

The world NEEDS what WE have to share! The better-than-seems-ever-possible GOOD News!

People can have different opinions, believe whatever they want to believe. But when they die, they will everyone of them face the same God Who made them. The day of reckoning will come for each of us…. They will offer all of their efforts & beliefs & ideals & will come up grossly short for what ONLY Jesus can pay for them. They NEED Jesus!

Do we love people enough to live like we believe that?

Do we care so little about the world moving around us that we don’t care what happens to them? It’s not our problem?

Church isn’t a Christian country club! Bow your hearts to Almighty God. Ask forgiveness for making your life about the wrong things. Ask for His help in making a change… & bow to His help in living a life that shines Hope EVERYWHERE.

Just like Moses, it’s not about what you have to offer or how brave you are of how good you are or how insecure you are but how GOOD GOD IS & WHAT HE CAN DO THROUGH YOU. Wake up!

What Is Your WHY?

God doesn’t give you brownie points for going to church. You don’t get extra favor from Him for it. He’s not impressed by your going through the motions.

God wants your devotion, your obedience, your love & your worship. God alone DESERVES it. He wants you to work as a body with other believers, with Him as the Head.

When you sing, is it because it uplifts you? Because it sounds nice? Or because you know He is worthy to be praised, worthy of your all?

You know, I grew up always thinking ministry was for all those “other people” who were better equipped than me, but guess what… Moses felt that very exact same way! And look how God used HIM all because he was willing to let God lead him in his own lacking & insecurities.

Are you willing to trust God beyond what you like… what you feel comfortable with… what you feel you have time for… what you feel you’re not “gifted” enough for? Will you trust like Moses did?

Why do you go to church? Why?!?!

Where Is Your Focus?

Do you bow your heart low? Do you lift Him up in your heart in praise for all His deserving? Do you ask forgiveness when you get tense & yell at your kids on the way to church (forgiveness from them & from God)? Do you dress to impress or to honor Him with your best? Who do you do life for? Do you sing out because you sound nice or because He deserves your praise? Do you serve or come to be served? Do you judge decoration choices more than you focus on worship?

Where is your focus?

(An aside here: Parents—APOLOGIZE TO YOUR CHILDREN OFTEN. You can say, “It was not right how you were acting/disobeying, & it did hurt me when you made that choice, but it was not okay for mommy to react that way toward you either, so for that, please forgive me.” DO NOT say, “I’m sorry I did that, BUT you __________.” Instead, “I didn’t like when you _______, but that still does not give me the right to respond wrongly. Will you please forgive me for my wrong choice?” Rebuild bridges! Display humility. Demonstrate asking for forgiveness & owning wrong behavior with grace & humility. Kids will define themselves based on your sinful, flesh-led responses to them in a heated moment—don’t allow that to happen just because your pride got in the way.)

Their Doing It “Wrong” Should Not Prevent Your Doing It RIGHT

Are you distracted by how everyone could be “doing it better”? More engaging. Less flashy. More interesting. Less noisy. More up-to-date. Less boring. Less modern. More interesting decor. Weaknesses galore.

On this side of heaven, guess what? You will be led by imperfect people. You will encounter fellow PEOPLE. They won’t always get it right. They WILL have room to grow. They will get it wrong sometimes. They will still be learning. They will be a work-in-progress JUST LIKE YOU. Don’t let that distract you from bowing your heart & lifting God up in the praise He deserves from you.

Unless they’re preaching counter to the Truth found in God’s Word or teaching ANYTHING other than Jesus as the way of salvation before God… don’t turn away from your church family just because it’s not a “good fit.” Siblings don’t always get along, but siblings we remain. Learn to work toward unity & togetherness in the body regardless.

Worship Regardless

I have mentioned this many a time, but it seems to aptly fit this topic: when I was a youth leader for youth group in my twenties, the worship music, led by a teen band, felt more like their moment to shine & be admired & cheered on by their peers than having anything to do with bowing your soul before Almighty God in reverence & respect & awe & praise. It grated my nerves & was all I could focus on every week because it seemed so blatantly obvious that they were more focused on themselves than on true worship. I prayed REGULARLY about it because it just annoyed me so much what they were making worship out to be for likes. What was God’s answer one night during the worship music? …

“Whether or not THEY are truly worshipping me should not determine whether or not YOU are truly worshipping Me.” OUCH.

Do You Love the Lord Your God with… Your Everything?

Are you looking AROUND? Judging? Nitpicking? Annoyed? Bored? Coming for yourself? Coming because you ought to? … Or are you too busy bowing down your heart & looking UP?

Why do you go to church? For WHOM do you go to church?

“Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40)

Shine HOPE by serving others as part of the church BODY, not coming to BE served, but to SERVE… & most of all, come to bow your heart before an Almighty God Who MADE you & Who gave you His only begotten Son to pay your unpayable debt.

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 SEVEN 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!!

Cherry Handbag Charm (INDIA)

How adorable is this Cherry Handbag Charm?! Using red and green leather, women earn a dignified wage crafting this Cherry Handbag Charm. Add to any handbag to instantly change the look! The ethically made Cherry Handbag Charm is handcrafted with care in India. Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India!

***Purchase this adorable Cherry Handbag Charm, using the “Shop Here” link below to help empower women in INDIA out of poverty!***

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!

“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1 John 1:5-6)

Do You Call Yourself a Christian?

Do you call yourself a Christian?

Do you know what it means to call yourself a Christian? It is like calling yourself “little Christ” or “Christ follower.” Would you say you live like those descriptions were true?

Calling yourself a Christian is not an automatic “get out of hell free card.” There is no power in giving yourself the title.

The power is in Christ, not you.

Just Because Jesus Paid for [It]… Doesn’t Mean We Should Live Excusing [It]…

But then… knowing it is not of myself, knowing I need & rely on Jesus Christ paying my debts before God… one can be tempted to think we’re free to live how we want… because Jesus paid for it.

But, if you walk/live according to your own rules & your own ideals, can you really say you’re a “Christ follower”?

If we live counter to God’s ways because “Jesus paid for it,” aren’t we just making a mockery of the sacrifice Jesus paid for us? (Hint: in that case, we are.)

Don’t Make Excuses for Your Sin

I find it surprisingly & shockingly common to see people who would label themselves as a Christian also blatantly live completely opposite to what God’s Word says.

Whether it’s sex outside of marriage, getting drunk with friends, pursuing same-sex romantic relationships, regularly using foul language, gossiping & painting someone else in a negative light to others, harboring bitterness, regularly screaming at your kids (guys, I GET it—overstimulation is so very much real—but still, we must learn to PRAY & bow down before God with it to replace the knee-jerk outbursts that dishonor God & hurt the children—I don’t have kids, but I have been one), cutting off people on the road & driving aggressively…. The list goes on.

If you live with these attitudes, behaviors, or actions, while actively excusing them away or thinking nothing of them… well, be careful. Don’t make excuses for your sin.

Imagine having a Jesus bumper sticker on your car while driving recklessly & being a jerk on the road. Not a great representation of the Name that bumper sticker represents, huh?

Same goes when we call ourselves a Christian while also living counter to how God asks us to live.

We Are ALL a Work in Progress, Though

I get it. We are ALL a work in progress. I am NOT talking about little bad habits that spike up from time to time & that which we have to keep bowing down to God for His help in changing us from the inside out. That will be a LIFELONG process for ALL of us.

I am instead talking about perpetual sins that we excuse away as “not that bad” or for which we have decided we know better than God already in that area & we’re okay living exactly the way WE want, as if that were actually true… WHILE calling ourselves a “Christ-follower.” Uh-oh.

It’s better for you to just not call yourself a Christian at all… taking off the bumper sticker, so to speak… so as not to misrepresent the Word of God or Jesus Christ to the world.

God’s Word is TRUTH, whether we have “decided it is” or not. Fact is, we didn’t make the world… HE did. He alone gets to determine what defines TRUTH. NOT us, whom He made.

Do People See Christ When They See You?

How do you represent Him?

What would the world assume incorrectly about God by viewing your attitudes, behaviors, or actions?

Would they see grace? Would they see Truth? Would they see accurately the mind & heart of God?

God doesn’t need your PR efforts. He doesn’t need His Word fluffed or prettied up. He doesn’t need help making His Word more palatable.

He calls us to obedience–even when it doesn’t make any sense to us: His creation. He calls us as His holy priesthood, His ambassadors. We represent Him, whether we’re good at it or not so much.

How do you represent Him?

Be a Light for Him to the World, Even in Your Imperfections

Don’t make excuses for your sin. Don’t sugarcoat it. Call it out for what it is. Repent of it. Ask God to change your heart. Bow your ideals & your ideas to Him to be changed how HE wills it.

Who do you make to be LORD in your life? HIM? Or you?

Shine HOPE by laying down your excused habitual sin habits, turning from them, asking God’s forgiveness for it, bowing it before the King of kings & LORD of lords, Creator of heaven & earth. And by living your life as a truer representation of being called “little Christ” to this hurting world that needs hope only He can provide. POINT to HIM with your whole self & whole life. Not your will, but HIS be done. Amen & amen.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Adventure Bundle (USA & DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

The Adventure Bundle combines style, purpose, and impact in one thoughtful package.

It includes our ethically crafted olive-green t-shirt with a classic fit featuring the message “Adventure with Purpose” and is ethically made in Nicaragua using 100% U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Standards. Designed with care for both people and the planet, this piece is as ethical as it is stylish!  

Paired with the tee is the Kairo Bracelet made by human trafficking survivors in the DR. Each stretch-to-fit Kairo Bracelet features a striking combination of grounding black lava beads, warm brown wooden beads, and a dainty gold accent bead at its center. The natural textures and earthy tones make it a versatile piece for any style.

*** Purchase this bundle, using the “Shop Here” link below, to support a safe house in the Dominican Republic, providing education, legal services, safe housing, & trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking. ***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

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

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

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

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

God Breathed

God created us to worship Him… & not in a selfish, arrogant way, either, but simply because He IS. He is our whole existence. He is the reason we are. He created us & gives us life & made all the resources we need to survive.

Thinking back to the Garden of Eden, life for us was meant to be simply tending to what He already had made. Enjoying His beautiful & bountiful creation. Walking alongside Him in the garden. Trusting Him while we carry no worry or fear.

Life was meant to be simple, carefree, peaceful, FILLED with beauty everywhere we looked. No shame or awkwardness. No insecurity. No stress or worry or anxiety.

Just peace. Just beauty. Just love & trust in the God Who formed us.

But… sin.

Self-Asserting over God

Sin is a breaking away from God’s way for our own. Sin is thinking we know better. Sin is distrust & self-seeking. Sin hurts.

God gave us His Word with His commands, not to control us, but because He designed the world & everything in it & He knows how it all best fits together, even when it doesn’t seem to make logical sense to us in our limitedness. That’s why He made sure to tell us, because He knew it wouldn’t be something we could perfectly piece together.

But… sin.

Sin doesn’t trust God. Sin wants to figure it out. Sin wants to make sure we’re covered & cared for our way. Sin wants to double check God. Sin wants to see for itself. Sin wants to take care of self. Sin wants to trust self over the God Who made us.

Sin wants to believe: “my life is about me.”

This Is His Story

I am not the main character in my story, in my life. I am a supporting character. So are you, I’m afraid.

This story is about GOD, not you or me.

The whole Bible, with all of the flawed humans written about in it… they’re to constantly & consistently point back to GOD, not the people. GOD’s faithfulness, GOD’s power, GOD’s grace, GOD’s love toward us who don’t deserve it.

They fail… He perseveres.

They are weak… He proves strong.

They can’t… He can.

They mess up… His faithfulness stands true.

They lack… He sustains.

They sin… He forgives.

They get in trouble… He rescues.

They get it wrong… He is sovereign.

They are limited… He is Almighty.

They are fearful… He is capable.

They die… He remains from generation to generation.

They sin… He redeems.

They are human… He is GOD.

Every story in the Bible… & in our life… is actually all about HIM, not us.

Living Your Life for ____________________

You get up, get ready, go to work, care for the kids, study, shop, run errands, do chores, do vacations, go to church, relax, enjoy hobbies, etc. etc. etc. & it feels very deceptively like this life is about YOU. YOUR world. YOUR activities. YOUR hobbies. YOUR responsibilities. YOUR family. YOUR job. YOUR skills. YOUR money. YOUR LIFE.

But it is NOT.

We are FOOLED into thinking our life is about us.

We are lulled. We are deceived. We are short-sighted.

All of this is going to pass away! Years from now, no one will even likely remember you existed! This life is NOT ABOUT YOU.

This is all temporal, fleeting, inconsequential.

Your job won’t matter after you die. Your hobbies won’t matter. Your cares & anxieties… Your responsibilities… None of it will matter anymore.

We’re fooled into thinking our life is about us.

God Is Eternal…

We need to WAKE UP.

The ONLY thing that will last beyond our lifetime is God, His glory & His grace & His power & His sovereignty & His LOVE.

He is ETERNAL. He has no beginning & no end. He knew your great great great grandparents that you probably don’t ever give a thought about. He KNEW them.

He will know your kids’ kids’ kids, long after you’re dead & gone. Your existence may never even cross their minds… But God knows them, too.

What in your life will matter after you are gone? Decades later even?

What Will Matter When You’re Gone?

When on your death bed, will you be able to look back & say that you lived your true & only real purpose? To give God glory? To make Him known? To live in worship of Him?

What matters to God should matter to us.

Who does God put in your path each day? A spouse… kids… coworkers… boss… cashier… passerbys… beggars… family… friends… neighbors…?

Do we care enough about our neighbor we may only occasionally see in the driveway? Knowing they spent however long living next door to someone who knew THE way to forgiveness from God? Because they will have to answer to Him, too, even if they don’t believe in Him. (We don’t get a free pass for our sin against God because we claim not to know better. God reveals Himself to us in so many ways, so we are without excuse.) (Romans 1:20) Have you told them?

What about the cashier at your grocery store? Do you seek to strike up conversations with them, to show them they matter more than just as a means to an end? To grow opportunities to share hope with them? To see them as a person with a NEED?

*If you died tomorrow, would you regret not telling someone you had the chance to warn of their need for repentance & hope through Jesus alone?*

We are God’s AMBASSADORS. Do we live like we are? Or are we fooled into thinking our temporal, fleeting life is all about US?

We’re Fooled into Thinking Our Life Is About Us

Our life is about HIM. Do you live like that? Do you live with an eternal focus? Of what matters beyond your lifespan? Or are you consumed with the NOW?

How are you living? Who are you living for? Who does your lifestyle imply you’re living for?

I don’t mean to say you can’t ever have fun or enjoy shopping or enjoy your job. God gives us good things to enjoy, doesn’t He? We can see that in all the extravagantly creative beauty of nature, as well as in His sending Jesus to die for OUR sins.

But do you recognize yourself back in the Garden of Eden? Enjoying all of the good gifts from the Lord, but also trusting Him in all things & letting Him guide the steps of your days, trusting Him fully & peacefully? Letting HIM be God in your life?

Where Is Your Focus? What Is Your Priority?

Do you praise Him for all of His faithfulness, grace, & care? Worship Him? Lean into Him for peace when your world swirls out of control? Bow your heart before Him? Go to Him first in troubles or anxieties? Ask for His leading in decisions? Trust He knows more than you when you can’t decide on something? Know He will empower you as you seek to obey Him? Repent & trust Jesus’ payment for a forever clean slate with no shame hanging over you? Love others sacrificially, knowing it all comes from Him & He will supply? Call out to Him for rescue? Use your job or errand interactions as platforms to be an ambassador for Christ, as if God was pleading through your life for them to be saved? (2 Corinthians 5:20) Talk about God’s work & growing in your life with friends to encourage them as they also seek to live for Him? Lead children to trust & obey God? Obey God even when it doesn’t seem to make sense to you?

Who are you living for?

Who is your life about?

Are you fooled into thinking your life is about you?

Shine HOPE by bowing your all, your life & everything in it, to the very One Who made you & gave you all things. PRAISE GOD, through the saving work of JESUS CHRIST!

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Hope Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Create hope for human trafficking survivors in the Dominican Republic when you wear your Hope bracelet! This adorable friendship-styled bracelet beautifully represents our partnership with these young women, who were once trafficked themselves, and who now earn a dignified income in a safe working environment by creating this Hope Bracelet. Each stretch-to-fit bracelet features blue-grey, faceted crystal beads and silver-tone letter beads that spell out “Hope”.

***Purchase this handmade bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below, to support a safe house in the Dominican Republic that provides rescue, housing, education, legal services, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking.***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

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

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

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

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

No Really, I Am

Well, this is a fun topic to talk about, isn’t it?

It’s true that I run this blog/website, volunteer at church, etc. but at my very core, I really am a self-seeking brat.

How can the two realities coexist? Because I understand that what I feel like on any given day should not usually determine my actions.

I like ease, comfort, status quo.

I thrive on my routines & measuring my time so that I don’t ever get overwhelmed or overstimulated.

I like & prefer living for ME, in all honesty.

But God did not create me to live for myself, as much as I often crave to do so.

I have to be willing to SURRENDER—there’s that word again—all my selfish, self-seeking desires & wants, to be willing to lay those down in order to bring God glory & to serve & love others as He calls me to do.

I’m a Self-Seeking Brat

Some days it comes easier than others. Other days, I am a lot more whiney about it. Sort of an inner stomping of my feet with crossed arms. “I WANT to go back to sleep, NOT wake up early to help out with that.” “I WANT to go straight home after work to relax, NOT go back out to serve when I’m already tired.” “I WANT to save face, NOT share all of my inadequacies & shortcomings & failures with all the internet to judge me.” “I WANT to binge tv, NOT spend hours editing.” “I WANT to eat whatever I want, NOT steward the body God knit together.” I want, I want, I want.

I’m a selfish person at heart. I’m a self-seeking brat. Sometimes I wake up feeling so groggy & so wishing I could have gotten a couple hours more of sleep & I just want to scrap it all for the comfort of slipping back into bed, pulling up the covers, & relaxing back into sleep (that sounds REALLY good to me right about now, actually). NOT making choices that honor God over self.

But, God.

When I Want __________________… I Need to Trust Him to be More Than Sufficient

I want to serve Him. I want others to know Him. I have to trust Him to be what I need when I crave serving my desires my way.

When I want rest, I want to trust He can provide & be that rest FOR me.

When I want comfort, I want to trust He can provide & BE my comfort.

I don’t want to live for what I want so badly. I want to learn to trust that He is BETTER.

I don’t want to be trapped by my bad attitude. I want to point the world to Him.

I don’t want to be limited by my own limitations. I want to trust He can provide where I lack.

He is worth showing up for, even when I am just not in the mood… even when my fleshly selfishness seems to be winning. He’s worth laying down my life for Him to be known.

A Prayer from a Bratty Me to the Forgiving, Faithful God

“God, forgive me for my self-seeking, bratty heart. Forgive me for being so drawn to satisfy myself over You. Forgive me for my longing to look out for myself first. Please help me to continue to shift my perspective, to continue to lay myself down. Please help me always to remember that You are MORE THAN worth it every single time, & that You are MORE THAN capable to fill in the gaps for me, even on the days when I really am just a self-seeking brat. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

*Self-Check*

Where are you denying God your all because it’s just too much? Too hard? Too much time? Too exhausting?

What do you lean into in place of God? What do you desire most?

What do you need to lay down? To ask His forgiveness? To ask for His help supplementing where you lack… even if that lack is a lack of a right attitude?

What do you need to entrust to Him so the world around you may see & recognize that in all of your lack & wrong attitude & potential bratty-ness… that He is WORTH showing up for no matter WHAT?

What is it for you?

Shine HOPE by determining to lay yourself down in order to lift Him up on display in your life… even on the days where you feel like me… a self-seeking brat.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Ardent Necklace-Golden (INDIA)

Create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India when you purchase the Ardent Necklace! The design of the Ardent Necklace makes it uniquely customizable, featuring its twisted cord, elegant metal finishing and an adjustable golden bead for easy wearing. This necklace is easy to pull over your head and adjust to your perfect length. The gold-tone pendant is an organically shaped pendant with a freshwater pearl.

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

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

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

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

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

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

How Much of Your Life Do YOU Control?

“… in all your ways, acknowledge Him, & He shall direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:6)

Let me ask you a question, & I want you to be really honest with yourself here: Do you really acknowledge God in ALL your ways? ALL of them?

I can’t honestly say I do that. (Far from it, in fact.)

Thinking back to the fruit of the knowledge of good & evil back in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:17), I think a major reason God forbade eating from that tree is because He knew this very thing would happen to us—that we would try to become our own problem-solvers… that we would try to steer the ship of our own life… that we would try to take the place of God to BE “god” of our own lives.

Except… we’re NOT God. So, you can imagine how well that works out for us.

We Were NEVER Meant to be the One in Charge

In other words, Satan enticing Eve (Genesis 3:4-5) by telling her she would be LIKE GOD was only partially true, just as everything else he uses to try to entice us… LIKE God in taking charge of our lives… NOT like God in that ONLY God is ALL-wise, ALL-knowing, ALL-capable, ALL-powerful, outside-of-time GOD… & well, we are not ANY of those things.

We do a botch job every single time. Even when we THINK we have really hit it good this time… well, the problems in it will reveal themselves eventually, even if just in the form of those nagging little unsettled feelings we try so hard to stuff down & pretend aren’t there. But they’re there regardless of our tireless efforts to avoid, cover, numb, or excuse them away. Aren’t they?

But, God is in the business of restoration, isn’t He?

Thank GOD for that! Really… thank Him!

God Restores the Brokenness We Create

God sent JESUS, Who came WILLINGLY to die to restore us. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. (Romans 5:8)

So, back to it, then… in our little lives of playing “god,” how often do we stop & acknowledge HIM as sole holder of that position in our lives?

Do you live as a BONDSERVANT to God, as is a title often claimed by followers of Jesus throughout many Bible passages? (Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; James 1:1; 2 Timothy 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:20) Do you see yourself that way? Really?

Or do you have YOUR routines, YOUR job, YOUR roles, YOUR hobbies, YOUR free time, YOUR habits, YOUR schedule, YOUR house, YOUR family, YOUR preferences, YOUR comforts, YOUR possessions, YOUR passions, YOUR dreams, YOUR ambitions… etc. etc. etc.? Who do you live to serve?

This isn’t to say those things are BAD! But do you give them more control in your life than you allow God?

We Need to Ask Ourselves

Now, let us get one thing straight right now. I am NOT talking about this today because I am the one who has gotten it all figured out. Nope, nope-ity, nope, NO.

I have so far to go in this it’s embarrassing really.

BUT, that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize how much this NEEDS to be the outlook in my life, regardless of how far I feel it being from my current reality.

Do I really acknowledge God in ALL my ways? Do I treat myself as a BONDSERVANT of GOD? Do I see this as HIM being the main character of HIS story, while I am just a supporting role vs the lead character in my life? Do I see HIM as the One Who RULES my life? Do I really consider Him to be & treat Him like He is GOD?

Do I?

Oh how convicting this thought is to me.

Which Is Scarier Though?

I understand how scary this sounds to some people… but honestly, how much scarier it is to consider someone running my life who only sees in part, only understands in part, only knows in part, is limited & frail… as I take control from the One Who made the world & everything in it & then, even before I screwed it up, sent His Son to die for MY sin. Which is the scarier option in this scenario for control over my life?

So why do we fight Him for control then? It’s something we really ought to consider. Why do we do that?

For me—fear. I’m afraid God will make me do something uncomfortable.

For me—doubt. I doubt God’s perfect will in my life.

For me—pride. I think I know best what I want.

How Sovereign Over All Is He Though?

But He MADE me. KNIT me together in my mother’s womb, He says. (Psalm 139:13-36)

He made the WORLD. WITHOUT my help. (Genesis 1)

And as I read through the Bible more & more times, I see just how SOVEREIGN & CAPABLE He really IS… DESPITE the many times the people in the stories completely mess it up & get it wrong… God IS. God’s perfect work prevails even still. His grace prevails even more so.

He sent JESUS. Do you really stop to consider the weightiness of that fact? The SON of GOD, ON HIS THRONE, robes FILLING the throne room, being worshipped audibly continuously day & night of His GLORY, MAJESTY, HOLINESS & WORTHINESS… willingly stepped down, was born on hot mess earth, with all of its sin & ugliness & pain… was lied about, slandered, hated by the very people He MADE & allows to live… was beaten, stripped, & murdered horrendously… to DIE FOR US… for US!

How can we doubt Him after that?! How can we STILL doubt Him?!?

And it didn’t all end when He died. He ROSE AGAIN, VICTORIOUS over sin & death.

He. Is. GOD.

How can we doubt Him?

Do You “Acknowledge God in ALL Your Ways”?

Do you acknowledge God in ALL your ways? Do you really?

Is He LORD of your WHOLE life? Or just some parts?

Is your life before Him about going to church on Sunday in your Sunday best, singing Christian-y songs, trying your best not to curse, saying a prayer before a meal, giving your 10% to support your church… do you do the bare minimum in living your life for Him?

Are you all in?

Do you count on Him when you’re in a bind? Stressed? Worried? Hurt? Need answers or healing?

Or does He have your WHOLE heart, your WHOLE mind, your WHOLE soul, & ALL your strength?

How much of your life do you hold back from Him for yourself?

For your job? For your family? For your routines? For your free time? For life your way?

Do you acknowledge God in ALL your ways?

Who Do You Primarily Live For?

Do you take time to acknowledge HE alone is in control, that He alone knows what’s best, that He alone sees your day before it begins, that He alone has a plan beyond & above your plans for yourself or your day…?

Whose agenda are you working for in your day-to-day life? Yours or His?

Do you think He doesn’t understand your responsibilities?

Do you think He doesn’t know your needs? That He can’t supply them like you can?

Let me tell you something: we can trust Him a whole heck of a lot more than we can ever trust ourselves.

Do you believe that?

Shine HOPE by LETTING God be GOD in your life–ALL of it, by acknowledging Him in ALL your ways, letting Him have the reins in every area, every moment of the life He gave you. You can always trust Him more than you can ever trust yourself… because He MADE you.

So, tell me… do you acknowledge God in ALL your ways…?

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Renew Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Every Renew Bracelet supports a safe house in the Dominican Republic that provides housing, education, legal services, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking. The stretch-to-fit bracelet features beautiful peach moonstone beads varying in color and a single freshwater pearl bead in the center.

***Purchase this beautiful sandy-toned/earthy handcrafted bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below to help empower women in the DR out of poverty!***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

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

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

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

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

Grace, By Definition, Is Undeserved

Being gracious does not come naturally, does it? Because, by its very nature, grace is undeserved.

Even if you may feel it not a weakness, I definitely struggle with it.

You know, if it’s something small or if I can tell nothing was meant by it, I can sometimes easily brush it off & move on… but when it was intentionally meant to hurt me or they recklessly hurt me, followed by zero remorse or compassion… yeah… not so easy for me then.

But today, I want to cover 4 people in the Bible whose demonstrated graciousness has really challenged me in this area: the slave girl, the prisoners, the betrayed brother, & the Lamb.

The Slave Girl

At church yesterday, our pastor spoke on the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5:1-16). Naaman is described as: Commander of the king’s army, a great man in the sight of the king, highly regarded, a valiant soldier… but he had leprosy.

But we’re not here to talk about this “great man of valor.” We’re here to talk about his wife’s slave girl. She is described as: taken from her home by raiders, held captive, & now a servant of Naaman’s wife.

Now, if it were ME we were talking about, I would find out my master’s husband had leprosy which he would most likely eventually die from, & think he kind of deserved it & that maybe it could even lead toward me finding a way to be released from captivity so I could go home.

But that is not how this slave girl responded to her unfair, hurtful circumstances that dragged her away from her home & family.

She surprisingly responded with GRACE. We know this because it was HER idea to tell Naaman’s wife that a prophet of God lived in Israel & could, through God, heal him of his leprosy.

Her Grace Led to His Healing, in More Ways Than One

And guess what??! Desperate man that he was, under all of his high praise titles, he LISTENED to her & WENT. And long story short, Elisha (the said prophet of God in Israel) did not show any recognition whatsoever to Naaman’s prestige, which greatly offended Naaman… because God wanted Naaman to see that it wasn’t JUST his physical malady He wanted to heal, but his heart & soul as well… & God KNEW Naaman needed to be humbled first, to be put on the same playing field as everyone else so to speak, & reminded that at his very core, Naaman was just simply a person like everyone else.

And through the urging of his servants to look past his offended pride & anger, he did indeed follow the instructions given by Elisha & he was indeed HEALED of his leprosy… & through all of that humbling, his heart was able to recognize the glory & splendor of the God Who had healed him!

He surrendered his life to God because a slave girl saw past her unfair circumstances, looked through the lens of grace, & had compassion on her master.

Was That Grace Easy for Her? We Don’t Know…

We aren’t told what went on in that young slave girl’s heart. Maybe she wrestled with wanting to let him suffer… maybe she had to bow down her natural inclinations to allow God’s perspective to override her feelings on the matter… or maybe she abided with God so closely through talking with Him (prayer) & reading His Word (Scripture texts), that she knew already how God would will her to respond. We don’t know.

But regardless of her process to get there, respond with grace she did. And her master will be grateful for her compassion & grace into all eternity.

All because a slave girl was gracious to a man named Naaman who wasn’t at all deserving of her grace.

The Prisoners

The second challenge to my struggle with graciousness is the story of 2 men who were “stripped, beaten, & severely flogged…” & then taken to prison because they freed a slave girl from the control of a demon & it made her masters FURIOUS because her fortune-telling made them heaps of money at her expense. (Acts 16:16-34)

The response of these 2 men—Paul & Silas? … “Praying & singing hymns to God as the other prisoners listened to them.”

In the middle of the night, earthquakes SHOOK the prison & caused the prison doors to fly open & all the chains on the prisoners to be loosed!

But you know what they did? The jailor came RUSHING in, SAW all the doors wide open, drew his sword & was ready to kill himself (the punishment for losing prisoners on your watch was SEVERE)… but then, a voice calls out….

Paul shouts out: “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” (Acts 16:28)

Their Grace Led to Hope for a Jailor & His Whole Family

The jailer was humbled to his CORE & was trembling as he asked, “What must I do to be SAVED???”

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.” (Acts 16:31-34) (WOW, it’s hard not to get choked up at that response!)

We don’t know how uncomfortable prison was for them, how wronged or hurt they felt… we know they were beaten & stripped & humiliated. And yet, they chose to worship God & trust God even in the midst of ALL THAT. And God used their time in prison & their attitude of graciousness to reach the heart of a particular jailor & his WHOLE family.

All because 2 prisoners saw beyond their uncomfortably poor circumstances & showed GRACE undeserved through it. Wow.

The Betrayed Brother

And then, this story, this betrayed brother that I have talked on so often in the past almost 7 years of doing this blog… Joseph, betrayed by his brothers. (Genesis 37-50)

They wanted to kill him, but then decided they could profit better from the situation by selling their own brother instead to passing slavers.

But you know what? Joseph, in being threatened to be killed by his brothers out of jealousy, being threatened to be abandoned to die of starvation or thirst in a hole by his brothers, being SOLD by his brothers to slavers, being bought, being accused wrongly because his new owner’s wife wanted him & he refused her honorably, being thrown in prison from false accusations, forgotten & left behind after helping someone in that prison, etc. etc. etc. The Bible says God BLESSED everything he did because he would strive always to do his best, even when it wasn’t earned by those demanding it.

What a life of GRACE he demonstrated, huh? I don’t know if I could have done it, outside of MUCH prayer & sobbing for home.

His Grace Led to Saving His Whole Family During a Time of Terrible Famine

But, in the end, God showed Joseph that what others meant for evil, God meant it for GOOD, because all of these HORRIBLE circumstances led him to be in a position of impressing the PHAROAH of Egypt so much so that this Pharaoh gave him power over his entire kingdom! AND, because of that gifted power, Joseph was in a position to provide food to his whole family when YEARS of famine struck all the land.

GOD KNEW… Joseph was faithful & gracious…. GOD PROVIDED.

(***You can read Joseph’s powerful story in Genesis 37-50. One of my FAVORITE stories. And it’s a TRUE one at that! God is so GOOD!***)

The Lamb

But then, we are at Person #4, who challenges me the most out of all 4: the Lamb.

More particularly, the Lamb of God… Jesus Christ.

Jesus is GOD. Imagine with me the ROBES that FILLED the throne room… the GLORY & MAJESTY like you can’t even begin to imagine….

And His love for US… it COMPELLED Him to step down from His heavenly throne when all of humanity’s efforts failed. The perfect garden with His presence? Wasn’t enough for us…. The 10 Commandments? Couldn’t keep ‘em. The sacrifices? Didn’t stop the sin.

So, Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice… a once-for-all type sacrifice… as the Lamb of God.

His Grace Brought Us HOPE

We sin & we sin & we sin & we sin & we have no hope. We are naturally OWNED by our sin nature.

BUT GOD. God had compassion. God showed grace. God had His ONLY Son JESUS to pay our price FOR us. And Jesus, although overwhelmed by the weight & pain of it, willingly condescended Himself on our behalf. Talk about undeserved GRACE!

Aren’t you so incredibly GLAD that God did not leave us to our own sin & deserved punishment in Hell? That He provided an OUT? That He offered HIMSELF?

The perfect Lamb. Our perfect Sacrifice. Our SAVIOR.

What Does the Bible Say About Jesus?

“Behold! The Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”” (John 14:6)

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, [Jesus] Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

“… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

“For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord [Jesus] shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16-17)

“All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all.

[Jesus] was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
[Jesus] was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So [Jesus] opened not His mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6-7)

Graciousness, as Told By: The Slave Girl, the Prisoners, the Betrayed Brother, & the Lamb

Who else is challenged in the area of GRACE today?

The slave girl, the prisoners, the betrayed brother… the Lamb…. Because they were willing to extend grace undeserved, God was able to change lives through their graciousness.

Praise GOD for GRACE.

May this urge us all to live in the perspective of grace. To live beyond & above our awful, difficult, unfair circumstances….

… To see ALL circumstances of unfairness as God-appointed opportunities to be, as our pastor termed it: “Messengers of Mercy.”

Shine HOPE by living a life of graciousness in moments of unfair treatment/circumstances, so that you can live as a “Messenger of Mercy” to this broken world owned by sin, to be redeemed by God’s GRACE.

(***Read more about grace undeserved in some of my previous posts: “An Undeserved Grace,” “Living Hard Things with Grace,” “Care More About the Person Than the Hurt,” & “Just an Average Person Used by an Almighty God.”***)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Ardent Necklace-Golden (INDIA)

Create safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty in India by purchasing the Ardent Necklace! The design of the Ardent Necklace makes it uniquely customizable, featuring its twisted cord, elegant metal finishing and an adjustable golden bead for easy wearing. This necklace is easy to pull over your head and adjust to your perfect length. The gold-tone pendant is an organically shaped pendant with a freshwater pearl.

***Use the “Shop Here” link below to purchase this beautifully handcrafted necklace & help create job opportunities for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

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

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

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

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

Are You Living It or Just Rehearsing It?

A trend I have noticed over the past decade has brought me to an interesting topic I’d like us to discuss this week: that quoting Scripture is not the same as living Scripture.

Maybe you’re pretty good at trying to memorize God’s Word, the Bible, tucking His truth away in your heart on a regular basis—that is amazing!

We need God’s Word. In fact, the Bible says we ought to crave it as newborn babies crave milk. (If you’ve had kids, you know the desperation.) (1 Peter 2:2)

We also ought to consider God’s Word to be necessary nourishment for our soul. (Jeremiah 15:16; Matthew 4:4) Like, we will be malnourished followers of Jesus without it. I have seen this, too, because I used to think I was “just fine” without it (other than the occasional applicable, quotable verse or passage), but boy did I realize how much I had been missing when I did eventually make it a daily habit. I hadn’t even realized how spiritually malnourished I had been most of my life before that habit was installed into my daily routine.

(*Oh, & just to get this out of the way first thing, all added emphasis in verse quotes are mine.*)

Not Just Hearers, But Doers… Is Not JUST What You Think It Means…

But, in James, there is an interesting little verse there that warns us not to be just hearers (or readers) of the Bible, but also DOERS. (James 1:22)

Now, most of my life, I thought that just merely meant the general idea of obedience or loving/serving others type thing… but how often is the reality of this necessitated command also so much more subtle than that? As in, not just the “big” things, but ALL things. Let’s consider that a moment.

Do We Actually “Cast Our Cares”? Or Just Remind Ourselves We Ought To?

How often do we quote: “Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you,” (1 Peter 5:7) for example? That’s a GREAT verse! But, when you are struggling with many “cares,” do you simply rehearse this verse in your heart until you feel better, reminding yourself of His care for you… or do you actually DO what this verse is TELLING YOU TO DO—CASTING those cares ON HIM?

Do you rehearse the verse FIRST & THEN take a moment to prayer dump all of your cares at His feet, asking Him to help you trust He can take care of them better than you can & asking for His help in them? Do you indeed cast those cares on Him or just rehearse the verse-truth that you OUGHT to do that?

Do You Actually “Acknowledge Him in All Things”? Or Just Remind Yourself That You Ought To?

Or, here is another one I am guilty of, for sure. “Lean not on your own understanding… but in all your ways, acknowledge Him & He shall direct your steps.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Nice truth to quote, for sure. We need this reminder every day, don’t we? I do.

But do we take it from rehearsing the verse to LIVING this verse? Reminding yourself through it that you ought to take all you think you know to Him & say, “God, You are God. I am not. Please guide me. Give me wisdom here. Not my way, but Yours. Not my will, but Yours. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Do We Lean into Him for Strength? Or Just Recite How We Ought To?

Then, the often-lacking-context verse of: “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me,” (Philippians 4:13) which is MEANT to say that whether you have plenty or lack or whatever situation God allows you to face, He can be your strength through it. (NOT that whatever YOU want out of life YOU will get WITH His help… if you trust Jesus to give you strength—no—He is not your wish-granter. He is GOD.)

When God brings you through tough circumstances, whether it be poverty or the temptation to trust yourself in wealth, or sickness or anything, do you really trust Him to BE your strength when you have none on your own?

He Is Your Refuge & Strength & Very Present Help in Time of Need… Do You Quote It or Live It?

The Bible also says He IS our refuge & our strength, a very present help in time of need. (Psalm 46:1)

Do you quote that or live that? Do you slump into Him when you are weary & beaten… when sickness or injury has taken you down… to trust Him AS your strength, *even if* He doesn’t allow YOURS to return to you?

I struggle always wanting to pray AWAY the struggles, but sometimes the struggles remain. And I really believe that oftentimes, it’s because God wants me to remember again that He is enough even when I see I am not. Even if things DON’T get better.

Will I trust Him to truly be my refuge? To be my strength? To be my very present help in time of need? To move forward through it asking God to be my strength, knowing as I pray that He will?

Or do I just rehearse the verses that say so, in place of actively leaning into Him in it, as if it is the Truth that it actually is?

Give Thanks to God in All Circumstances… the Call to Worship… the Call to Praise… Quoted or Completed?

Or what about all the many verses that remind us of the importance of giving thanks to God? Of worshipping & praising Him? Do we recite those over & over? Or actually DO AS IT SAYS? Do we recite the verse AND THEN list out what we know we can thank Him for? Recite it & THEN actually take some time to lift Him up in worship & in praise?

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
    for His steadfast love endures forever!” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

“I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.” (Psalm 7:17)

“… in everything give thanks [to God]; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Hebrews 13:15)

Are we actually taking time TO thank Him? TO praise Him? TO worship & adore? Quoting Scripture is not the same thing as living Scripture.

The Bible Isn’t Just Any Book

Now, if you don’t know enough verses to be able to rehearse them to yourself as the Holy Spirit brings back to mind what you have learned when you need it… that is definitely a first step. You NEED His Word—it’s a non-negotiable to prevent malnourishment.

Tuck that truth in your heart so when Satan, in all of his subtle, crafty deception tries to come at you with whacks of discouragement, betrayal, hurt, temptation, etc., that the Holy Spirit can pop in one of those verses you have studied & you can stand FIRM on the TRUTH.

It’s way too easy to be deceived for us to not be equipping ourselves with God’s Word in our heart. I know from personal experience. Jesus-believer/follower for 35 years & I STILL find myself falling for it. BE PREPARED.

God’s Word Is MORE

But don’t leave it there. Don’t stop at the knowing. Don’t even stop at obeying God on the “big” things through His Word… God’s Word is not just encouraging advice, guys. It is TRUTH.

So don’t just be content quoting it, reminding yourself of what God can do as encouragement during tough times. DO WHAT THE VERSE SAYS TO DO.

Can you think of any other examples of this? Of being quick to repeatedly rehearse a verse while never actually doing what the verse says we ought to do?

Quoting Scripture Is Not the Same Thing as Living Scripture

CAST those cares.

ACKNOWLEDGE Him.

ASK for His strength to follow Him.

TRUST Him to BE your strength when you have none.

THANK Him.

PRAISE Him.

WORSHIP Him.

Don’t just TALK about it, reminding yourself of what the Bible says to do. Actually DO what the Bible says to do.

Shine HOPE by LIVING the Word of God, even in the simple verses that are so easy & encouraging to quote that we sometimes forget to move beyond quoting it to actually LIVING it.

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running for 6.5 years now! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Kairo (Lava Bead) Bracelet (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

Each stretch-to-fit Kairo Bracelet features a striking combination of grounding black lava beads, warm brown wooden beads, and a dainty gold accent bead at its center. The natural textures and earthy tones make it a versatile piece for any style. Pair it with the Katie Bracelet for a complete fair-trade look — both meaningful and timeless!

***Purchase this beautiful bracelet, using the “Shop Here” link below, to support a safe house in the Dominican Republic, providing education, legal services, safe housing, and trauma counseling for survivors of human trafficking. Empower women on their journey to healing and restoration!***

How You Can Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support My Website:

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

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

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

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

If This Was You… Thank You

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

I crave those types of friendships.

I Need to be Pointed to Jesus

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

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

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

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

And thus, I crave edifying friendships.

I Crave Edifying Friendships

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

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

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

My Absolute Dream Job

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

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

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

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

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

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

October 2024 Hope Mail (INDIA)

***Purchase this month’s Hope Mail, using the “Shop Here” link below to create safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.***

How You Can Help the Artisans & Support My Website:

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

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

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

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