I Think We All Could Use a Reality Check on This One… No Matter How Far We’ve Come

Well, this one sort of gets to the point, doesn’t it?

I think over my day-to-day, my thoughts, my habits, patterns, responsibilities… how much of my life is about ME & how much of it do I make about Him Who MADE me?

Temporary gains & goals? Or eternal consequences & hope?

What do I live for? What is more important to me?

And the funny thing about this question about our priorities is that no matter how far we come, no matter how much we improve on this, there is always room to grow. Why? Because living for something outside of ourselves is not natural for our flesh… & it’s not how we’re raised (no matter how true a follower of Jesus your parents were, no one is ever 100% perfect… we’re all human). It’s not what we see exemplified for us out in the world we see every day.

So, no matter how much we may excel at putting God first, it will never be with perfection 100% of the time (that is why we praise God for sending Jesus, AMEN!?). We always have room to grow, to fail forward. And thank God that He sent His Holy Spirit to help us as we yield (die to) ourselves & as we aim to live ever more fully for Him.

I will ALWAYS be a work-in-progress, & I hope you will be, too.

Those Darn Nagging Little Convictions

For example, I was really convicted yesterday by what a friend said in our Bible study chat. She said something to the effect of: “Praying for gospel opportunities through this storm.”

You see, we just got hit with what was gearing up to be our THIRD SUPER typhoon last night. Now, God did bless us by sending it further south & having it lessen before it hit (PRAISE GOD!)… & He had it move fairly quickly versus at a snail’s pace like the last one that just seemed to keep hitting & hitting us forever with no end… but it was posturing to be just as strong.

My thoughts on this? Can I say, with honesty, mirrored her expressed thoughts about Gospel opportunities? Nope. They were FAR closer to something more like: “Please, God, NO! Not ANOTHER one. PLEEEEAAAASE!!! And RIGHT before we MOVE & we’re already dealing with so much?? WHY!!???”

Real God-pleasing, huh? You can tell the Gospel was my main thought priority leading up to this, no? Yeah, NO. It wasn’t.

And boy did her little comment snap me back & insert that nagging, annoying little conviction. So, I prayed about it & asked God to change my mind to better reflect that in the future: “This should I have been my first thought… but it wasn’t. I have more work to do. I need to grow more. God, please forgive me for not even thinking that ONCE… please help me view hardships & hurts more as opportunities to watch You work… & to share You with others who are scared &/or hurting in them. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

He will help me grow as I continue to yield my falling shorts to Him.

I Crave Comfort More Than I Crave Surrender… Obviously

If you’ve been following my content for any amount of time, you have seen this pattern before. I absolutely CRAVE comfort & without being super intentional about laying it down before God in prayer for help on that, I can pretty easily spiral when the comfort return request is denied for any extended amount of time. It is pretty pathetic & I am very aware of that.

But praying for the end of a struggle is not the same as praying for opportunity in a struggle. (Didn’t I JUST write about this??)

And it is OKAY to admit not enjoying struggle. Even Paul talked about it. It is NOT fun. And we don’t have to pretend it is in order to follow God & represent Him well. In fact, what a TESTIMONY to admit how badly you are struggling WHILE showing you’re willing to obey & trust God ANYWAY. WOW!! Do that. Don’t fake it. Most people can tell you’re faking it anyway & it is NOT good for your mental well-being to get good at faking it until nobody can tell–TRUST me from past personal experience–NOT worth it! Be honest. Be real. Turn to Him IN it!

Is the Gospel More Important to Us Than Our Own Hopes & Dreams?

What am I living for? Who am I living for?

Do I live for a good time, happy memories, family, success, money, the “idyllic life”?

Do I live for me?

All of that is temporary, isn’t it?

I am reminded of pretty much the whole book of Ecclesiastes. It gets bashed as being a super depressing view on everything, but I see the contrary. Solomon was noted as the wisest man to have lived & do you know what he realized? That having all of that wisdom was something that felt like a burden sometimes because he could see the patterns of civilizations, of people turning from God & living for vain things that don’t matter at all once you’ve died—& that all people die!

His cry throughout that book of the Bible is basically: “Vanity of vanities! Everything is vanity!” That we strive & strive our whole lives for things that won’t even really matter one tiny little bit once we die… & we WILL all die… so why are we spending so much of our energy, time, & money striving after what won’t matter when we’re gone?

I ask myself this, too. I am not exempt to getting focused on what won’t last… what won’t even matter anymore once I’m gone… & I am not promised any amount of time.

I Have Come So Far from Where I Once Was… But I Still Have So Far to Go… So I Will Keep Praying & Keeping Asking Him to Work on Me

I don’t naturally wake up thinking every waking moment is a Gospel opportunity—an opportunity to show others that Jesus died to satisfy God’s wrathful judgement of sin so that we could be counted clean before God—not because of any good we have done or could do—but because Jesus was willing to take that wrath upon Himself for us.

I just don’t. I think about basic needs, about what I want to make for breakfast, what outfit I’ll wear, my task list for the day.

Yes, I do talk to God when I am waking up. Mostly whining about how grumpy & tired I am & asking Him to help me with my attitude & energy levels, to help me do well with my day despite how I feel about it in that moment.

I talk to Him throughout my day each day. I praise Him when I see a pretty sky or a cute kitty or a pretty bird fly by or when I drive past the ocean view lined with palm trees here on Guam (I’m going to miss that).

I thank Him when I see Him answer a prayer or grant me wisdom with something I was asking for His help.

I thank Him for His provisions as I think of them—a comfy bed, A/C, protection from the stormy skies, my food, my health.

I ask Him for help when I feel stumped or stressed or stuck or sad.

But I don’t always think about how each inconvenience in my life can turn into a Gospel opportunity. I tend to ask God to make each inconvenience work out &/or go away. (*If you haven’t heard the song “Blessings” by Laura Story, wow… Go listen now.)

It is something I need to work on praying about more. Praying for opportunities. Praying for courage. Praying for wisdom & words. Praying to trust Him more. Not just praying the struggle away… but trusting Him through each one.

Look Beyond How It Makes You Feel

People are oftentimes looking for hope when they’re not acting kind. They’re stressed, worn down, just trying to get by maybe… or maybe someone is regularly unkind to them. I ought to be Jesus to them… to show them graciousness, gentleness, & kindness… to treat them how I would wish people would treat me on a really bad day… words of encouragement or even the Gospel as nudged by the Holy Spirit.

I ought to be open to seeing people not as rude people or inconsiderate people or means-to-an-end people (cashiers, auto repair techs, dentists, neighbors, etc.) but as people for whom Jesus died for… who need the hope of Jesus or they will face the consequences of their sin themselves… get what they deserve… what I deserve—Hell—all while Jesus made a way out possible so they wouldn’t have to.

Am I so concerned with looking odd or making someone uncomfortable or feeling awkward… that I’m okay with them going to Hell to prevent it from happening?

Vanity of vanities for sure! My appearance in saving face over their salvation & eternal hope. Vanity of vanities is right. And not a vanity as in being vain (which it is, technically), but vanity as in “all in vain” aka pointlessness.

Is the Gospel more important to us than our own hopes & dreams? Our own comfort zone? Our appearance?

Do We Live for What Will Matter After We Die?

Do we live a life of “vanity of vanities, everything is vanity” that will all pass away & have been pointless when we die?

Or do we live a life that will tell others there is hope? Even if we risk coming off as weird to them.

Do we live a life that puts Him as our purpose in everything we do?

How we love our family… representing God’s love for them.

How we represent our trust in Him by DOING what His Word says versus just KNOWING a lot of verses?

How we love strangers, even those who are mean to us… representing the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

How we run our home… creating a safe haven for family or friends to return home to.

How we serve others… letting them see they matter to God & God sees their needs.

How we humble ourselves when we want to snap back or demand to get what we feel or even know we deserve… like how Jesus never fought back when He was blasphemed, spat on, whipped, & hung on the cross because we were worth it to Him.

How we love the undeserving… God loves US even in OUR undeserving.

Everything we do, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do…. What are we living for?

What Are YOU Living For?

This isn’t a guilt-you post. No matter how good or bad you are right now… not a single one of us is perfect at this… we ALL need to grow more to live more pleasingly to Him, for Him… through Him. ALL of us. No one is exempt from needing growth in this.

So, ask yourself: “How good would I say I am at having a right perspective on this… right habits…?” And then, you know what, 1-10, whatever you gave yourself… pray right now & ask God to take you one step further. Admit where you fall short to Him, apologize for any fear or insecurity that wins over your trust & obedience. Trust Jesus paid for that falling short. And ask Him to help you know how to improve… to help you practice living it out even more or at all.

God is a gentle teacher. He knows you are human. He knows you are weak & maybe scared. You don’t HAVE to share hope with others to be saved… but you WILL be missing out on the MOST humungous blessing of seeing Him work through your trust in Him to show other people that TRUE HOPE IS POSSIBLE. He will take your hand & gently help you step-by-step grow in this AS you are willing to be led. As you humble yourself before Him & say, “Lord, I am willing… use my life to share HOPE.”

And Shine HOPE by sharing it with others… by making it the priority in your life before all else… by asking God to help you.

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 42) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*) OR come back here to watch it once it has been uploaded!)

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 since Summer 2018!! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Wildwood Set–Handcrafted in the Dominican Republic!

EXCLUSIVE! Only a few available.

Beautifully handcrafted. Meaningfully connected. A story worth sharing.

Add a touch of earthy elegance to your style with this stunning jewelry pairing! The Wildwood Earrings from Trades of Hope feature intricate cream and warm caramel-colored beadwork, creating a beautiful statement piece inspired by natural textures and timeless artisan craftsmanship. Their eye-catching design brings warmth, character, and a touch of bohemian charm to any outfit.

Paired with the earrings is a gorgeous handcrafted beaded bracelet made by artisans in the Dominican Republic who have been rescued from human trafficking. Featuring rich, amber-toned beads, delicate gold accents, and a beautiful piece of larimar as the centerpiece, this bracelet is more than a beautiful accessory—it represents hope, dignity, and the opportunity for a new beginning through meaningful work.

Together, these two pieces are a lovely reminder that what we wear can reflect what we believe in. Whether you’re dressing up a simple everyday look or searching for a thoughtful gift, this pairing celebrates beauty with a deeper purpose.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

In All Reality… I am Struggling Today…

I am going to be honest with you. I am kind of freaking out.

For those who aren’t aware—some days I am extremely low energy. Today is one of those days. I feel a need of a nap constantly lurking over my head. My eyes feel sunken in & my energy level is sitting at around a 2.5/10.

But I cannot afford a low energy day. Our pack out is scheduled for Monday & it’s Thursday as I’m typing this.

There is too much to do to feel this tired & ragged.

It’s discouraging to me.

Another Typhoon…???

But that’s not all—we also have another big storm heading our way (is 2 super typhoons in a year not enough??) after we have already mostly cleared our pantry… & that sets us up to have heavy rains on our pack out which is a huge no-no for mold potential as our household belongings sit in storage for who knows how long while we house-search in Florida.

Too much to do… too little time… no energy to do it… heavy rains predicted when we need dry skies. It’s all too much.

And on top of it all… it seems the type of home we want is a unicorn for our budget. But God can find us the right space. We just need to wait on Him.

I am feeling overwhelmed by it all.

I Feel Ragged… So, I Probably Ought to be Praying…

So I probably need to take a step back from it all & go sit with God & pour all of this out to Him to see what He will do with the little I have left.

“God, I cannot do this. It’s all too much. There are so many things to try to remember of what I need to do before the movers come. I just don’t have any energy to think it all through or to execute it well. I feel like I am carrying around a couple weighted blankets & someone slipped me some sleepy time meds. Every step feels like a chore. My brain feels foggy. I can’t think clearly because I feel so out of it & tired. How am I supposed to pull this together? How am I supposed to figure out logistics when my brain doesn’t want to cooperate? How can I get everything done like this? And the rain? Clearly I have no control over that. I don’t know what to do. I feel so weighed down by my ineptness today. Please help me. Please show me what to do. Please give me wisdom. Please light my path. Please be my strength. Please encourage me. Please show up & fill in where I am lacking in so many different ways today. Please HELP me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

I can’t count on myself today, but I can’t quit either… so I have to pray & trust that God can do what I can’t with what I don’t have to offer. He has to help or it won’t happen.

Lord, give me Your PEACE.

I Just Need Peace

Prayers appreciated in this move. It’s a lot. I really don’t enjoy moving (& that’s putting it nicely). Saying goodbyes, the logistics of it all, leaving my sense of home for who knows how long, a new place, making new friends, making major decisions like where to live… I don’t like doing any of it. I need His help.

In my weakness, let Him to be shown as my strength.

Because I need it. And I just need PEACE.

How Are YOU Doing?

I don’t know if you feel any scrap of how I’m feeling (or maybe even more so) but let’s be praying for each other. Let me know how I can be praying for you, too. We need each other & we need Him more.

How are YOU doing today? Are you turning to Him through it in prayer?

Shine HOPE by taking all your lack to Him in prayer & trusting He can do with it more than you could ever hope to… & He can give you peace even in the places where hope seems the MOST impossible. Praise God!

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 41) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running since Summer 2018!! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Larimar & Leaf Set–Handcrafted in & Empowering Women in the Dominican Republic Out of Poverty!

Inspired by the beauty of the sea, this elegant set features a lanyard-length necklace adorned with soothing shades of aqua and turquoise beads, finished with a striking larimar pendant and silver accents from our Artisan Partners in the Dominican Republic. Paired with our gorgeous Silver Petal Earrings from India that are beautifully textured silver leaf earrings, this set brings a touch of natural elegance and coastal charm to any outfit. Perfect for everyday wear or adding a special touch to any occasion.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

More Than “Just” Heaven

I’ve been through some painful stuff in my lifetime… as I am sure you can say for yourself as well. And while I would cling to the fact that “even if it never got better, at least I can look forward to heaven…” well, I was missing one small little detail.

You see, it really has been a comfort to me to consider the fact that even if whatever hard I’m facing never seems to quit, I know that my hope is secured because of what Jesus did for me on the cross, dying to pay for my sins & rising again to conquer them once & for all. But the fact is, there’s more….

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Psalm 23:4 doesn’t shy away from the concept of suffering. It doesn’t sugar-coat it, hide it, avoid it, pretend to the world it isn’t there… it confronts it with truth IN it.

And why no fear? Not just the hope of eternity in heaven, free from sin, pain, or death because of Jesus… but here NOW IN it with me.

I don’t have to fear the evils of this world or the pain or suffering in this life… not JUST because I have heaven on the horizon, but because He is with me in it, through it… every step of the way.

“For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b)

God Doesn’t Hide from Our Pain

I absolutely love the fact that God doesn’t shy away from our pain or ask us to “just buck up.” He doesn’t want us to pretend. He doesn’t push away from us. He wants us to know where we can find hope where hope seems impossible. Not just waiting on eternity, but finding comfort through the storm NOW.

He doesn’t promise all of our hard away, but He promises to be our enough IN the hard.

It can seem so lonely when we face times of suffering. It can be so isolating when we see the suffering around us but others want to minimize or ignore it. But God sees. God knows. God cares. He wants us to cry out to Him in it. He wants to be what we need in it.

Nothing Else Lastingly Satisfies

My husband & I are reading through Ecclesiastes, one of the most uplifting books of the Bible (sarcasm here), & yet, even with all of the “vanity of vanities, all is vanity” comments throughout, it’s a clear reminder of what we ought to be living for, what will last beyond a temporary pleasure or satisfaction. It’s only in Jesus. Everything else fades or always just falls short of feeling like “enough.” But Jesus SATISFIES.

“Sorrow is better than laughter,
For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” (Ecclesiastes 7:3-4)

We can chase what makes us feel good, what makes us feel comfortable…. But we will always be chasing, grasping for the wind… a pursuit ever fleeting, ever just out of reach. But God knows that when we face hard things, we learn & we grow… & we see Him more clearly as our sufficiency instead of ourselves. Ignoring all pain & suffering doesn’t make it to stop existing. We NEED Him whether we like to admit it or not.

In His Presence Is Fullness of Joy… So Get into His Presence

I talked in a recent blog post about “In His Presence Is Fullness of Joy” & that I always assumed joy was just a given (or was supposed to be). But I have learned that when the heaviness settles on my heart or I feel overwhelmed or so restless it feels like my skin is uncontrollably squirming with angst, that I literally need to pause the tv, set down the phone, aka not turn to anything else to numb or avoid or comfort… & just sit & ask God for His presence… for His help… for His steadying hand… for His peace… for His calm. And let Him settle me. I need to just sit & BE in His presence.

To worship & praise His name… put everything in perspective of Who He is & what He has done for me.

He is big enough to handle my worst. He doesn’t shy away from it. He doesn’t push away from me in it. He doesn’t ask me to pretty it up to make it more palatable or hide it better so it makes Him more comfortable to be around me. He doesn’t ask me to pretend. He can take it… the worst & ugliest of me. When the pain is raw & not cleaned up yet.

And He sits with me in it. Fully embraces me at my worst. Calm IN the storm. Peace. GRACE.

God Sees Me & He Will Not Waste My Pain

And God ALWAYS has a plan. He is always working. He is never asleep. He is never missing a detail. He hasn’t forgotten you. He sees you. He cares for you. He is with you.

And He is working.

We can take comfort in that NOW.

“In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other….” (Ecclesiastes 7:14a)

He knows what we need. We can take comfort in that. He knows that adversity strengthens our character & builds our trust in Him as we turn to & cry out to Him in it. Because He always comes through. Not in praying for the end of the struggle, but in praying to see Him care for us in the struggle.

Unafraid… For I Know He Is with Me

And because I KNOW He is working, I can ask Him, “Lord, I do NOT want to waste this pain or struggle. Please use it to bless others somehow… to be a testimony to others that You are so much beyond sufficient. Show Yourself to BE my strength. Be strong in my weakness. Show the world Your grace through me… through this pain. In Jesus’ name… AMEN.”

The disciples understood this while singing His praises in prison (Acts 16:25). Job understood this when he lost EVERYTHING (Job 1:21). Paul understood this when his life was threatened (Acts 21:13). The 3 men thrown in the furnace understood this (Daniel 3:16-18). Daniel understood this when faced with the lions den (Daniel 6). God is worthy of our all & sufficient for us in ALL circumstances. He is working. We are a living testimony. IN the pain, & when God will eventually call us home–all in His perfect timing. God has a plan & He is at work! Cling to Him!

Unafraid… for I know He is with me. God has a plan. God is working. God will provide. God is in control. God will comfort. God is enough. God is with you.

Shine HOPE by turning to Him when you are afraid, trusting Him as your sufficiency as you go through it, knowing He is with you wherever you go. Not just waiting on eternity as your hope… but right NOW He is with you.

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 40) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running since Summer 2018!! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

October 2026 “Hope Mail”–Fighting Poverty in India!

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

Enjoy the artisanal design of the Moroccan Tile Earrings when you shop Hope Mail this month! These detailed, hand-beaded statement earrings are handcrafted in a workshop in India that’s committed to fighting child marriage and helping women become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. Featuring vibrant colors inspired by Moroccan Tile designs, these earrings are not only beautiful but create necessary jobs for women in areas of extreme poverty in India.

Every purchase of this month’s Hope Mail creates safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

I am Socially Awkward in Crowds

In certain seasons of my life, I have sought to have lunch or coffee with different ladies at work or at church that God has placed on my heart. I would do this sometimes once or twice a month.

The purpose of these get togethers was to be more intentional in meeting new people, making new friends, & encouraging the women I met.

I struggle with large groups. I get overwhelmed & sort of zone out when I’m surrounded by people. Having a plate of food or a drink in my hand are typically my security blankets that allow me to use the excuse that, “oh, what? No, totally not at all socially awkward here… just, ya know… I’m eating these snacks/enjoying my drink.” Haha, but I know the truth. Those were my security blankets so I wouldn’t seem as awkward & out of place as I felt.

But one-on-ones are fine for me. I love getting to know new people, especially fellow Christian women, because I can hear testimonies of how God is showing up for them in their lives or working through them. It encourages me so much in my own faith, being reminded repeatedly as to why He’s the One to Whom we look as our help through life.

What Types of Conversations Do You Want to Have?

I love getting to hear that I am indeed NOT the only one with struggles & weaknesses, getting to pray for them & encourage them, while also feeling encouraged myself. Swapping stories of God’s faithfulness in our lives.

Before these get-togethers with different ladies, I began praying something very specific before each one: “Lord, help us to honor You in our conversations. Help us in having “3E” conversations… that I help edify her (build her up), encourage her (lift her up), & exhort her (urge her forward in living life for You).”

That was my purpose & my hope in these conversations, whether it turned out that way every time or not… that was my hope going into each one.

It’s then, in the past year or so, that I coined that term of a “3E” friendship/conversation. It helped me remember why I was there.

That’s what I am really longing for & praying for in this move to Orlando, Florida.

I REALLY want to find women who are this for me, too, there.

I Want More “3E” Friendships–to Edify, Encourage, & Exhort One Another

My truest longing in a friendship is someone where, somehow the conversation always leads back to talking about how God is showing up for us, how we’re seeking Him when things get hard, how we need to pray together as we seek to live for Him in everything, even when it’s easy to forget Him.

I want to be built up in my faith, challenged graciously to grow in Him.

I want to be lifted up in life, reminded of all He is & can do for us—all He has already done.

I want to be urged forward in my life, someone who will help push me to live my life more fully for the Lord, even when distractions & busyness abound.

So, please pray for me to this end. That God prepare some beautiful 3E friendships with ladies there & some men for my husband to befriend as well.

I Have Been Blessed with Some Beautiful 3E Friendships Already in My Life

During my time on Guam, I have been blessed with friendships like these who have encouraged me, challenged me, & urged me forward. I have been so incredibly blessed by my life crossing paths with theirs. (Same in Japan.)

And that is one of the biggest prayers I have for this move, that God send me some imperfect ladies who love the Lord, who are also interested in 3E friendships.

It’s what I strive to be… long to be… in my friendships.

I’m not always perfect at it. I don’t always get it right. But deep in my heart, it’s what I always long to provide to those I hang out with… because I know how easily I can be distracted from God or start leaning more on His blessings rather than on Him as my Blessings-Giver.

I NEED reminding! I NEED to be talking about it!

I Need Reminders Always to Look to Him & Live for Him Vs. Looking to Myself or Living for Myself

If you see me wearing “Christian-y” t-shirts, it is NOT AT ALL because I am trying to be self-righteous like, “yeah, everyone, be like this… aka be like ME.” Or as if I think that wearing it somehow makes me more “Christian-y.”

NO. It’s me saying, “I am struggling to remember this today… so I thought I should wear this shirt as an extra little reminder to my heart to NOT forget it!” I am basically screaming my weakness for that day to the world on my shirt… but also showing where I know my help will come from as I seek Him.

But I need these types of friendships for that exact same reason. I forget. I numb. I get distracted. I get selfish. I get prideful. I get discouraged. I NEED truth. I NEED reminders of Him as my LORD.

I want more “3E” friendships–to edify, encourage, & exhort one another.

So I want to BE that kind of friend, because I know it’s truly the kind of friend I NEED, too.

Do You Long for These Types of Friendships & Conversations, Too?

In what ways do you live this out in your own friendships & conversations with others?

Do you have certain friends in your life that are this kind of friend to you?

I am still a work in progress on this, but for me, I pray beforehand over the conversations we will have when we get together & I try to remember to ask them how I can pray for them & take a moment to sit & pray with them. God usually does the rest in bringing things to mind & steering conversations toward remembering Him in them.

And it becomes more natural the more you work on it, too… so don’t give up if you’re not great at it right away… it’s a learning process & God will help you grow in it as you seek Him to help you in it.

So, join me. Learn & grow in having 3E friendships. That’s the kind of friend I long to be.

Shine HOPE by seeking to not just get together to chat mindlessly, but by being intentional in building up your friends, lifting up their spirits with encouragement, & by urging them on to live their life more fully for Jesus. It’s what this life is all about, after all.

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 38) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

This blog/website has been running since Summer 2018! THANK YOU for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Embroidered Foliage Coin Purse, Handcrafted & Empowering Women in India Out of Poverty with Every Sale!

Create fair-paying jobs for women in India when you purchase the Embroidered Foliage Coin Purse, handmade in India! Each velvet mini zipper pouch has an adorable design featuring a floral design that has been hand embroidered with love and care.

Every purchase of the Embroidered Foliage Coin Purse creates safe jobs with fair wages for women in areas of extreme poverty in India where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops and human traffickers.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

God Is Walking Me Through It

I am feeling pretty okay right now. God is really helping remind me when I start putting too much of the future on my own shoulders vs. trusting He sees, He knows, & I don’t have to figure it all out on my own… & that it will not, in fact, be the end of the world if everything doesn’t work out exactly the way I think it’s supposed to.

But, because this is a season–in our moving from Guam back stateside to Florida–that has much room for anxiety to come in & take over, I thought it would be great timing to make some reminders to myself, as well as share them with you who are reading this.

This blog post today is taken from my notes that I typed up for Prison Ministry this Thursday. I will be teaching the lesson this week & next, so prayers are much appreciated! God’s wisdom, challenge, & encouragement for them is my goal—all to His glory!

With all the preparations & planning & leaving my home & selling my home & moving & goodbyes & being displaced while we home-search & then home-searching in general… well, there are opportunities galore for anxiety galore.

Whenever I do feel that anxiety creeping in, God has been gracious in reminding me with a little gentle nudge on my heart: “This is showing an area of which you don’t quite trust Me all the way.”

So, let’s talk through some practical ways that we can remind our hearts to stay calm, draw in peace, & look to Him versus feeling the spiral take control.

Read Your Bible

I hope you read last week’s post, & if you didn’t, please take a moment to go do so, because this is one I know seems so incredibly cliché, but is one of THE most important things you can do. (“Reading the Bible Is Way More Important Than We Make It out to Be”)

God’s Word, the Bible, is not just a collection of “wise words” or just a “life instruction manual.” God’s Word is living & active. It interacts with us. It is God-breathed. It is nourishment that our strained, restless souls are often MUCH more starved of than we realize. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Peter 2:2)

Aside from that, reading the Bible allows us to get to know God. He wants us to know Him. Why does that help you? Because it teaches you, word by word, how small you are & how incredibly great & awesome & infinite & eternal & powerful & gracious & kind HE IS.

And the more you know your God, the more you begin to settle into Him & put less pressure on yourself… not to be lazy, but to be at peace in this life. Seeing Him more fully puts all of life in clearer perspective, where it isn’t all up to you, but Him.

You NEED it.

Memorize it, too. You will begin to be surprised when you pray & a verse you memorized years ago floats across your heart as the exact thing you needed to hear or be reminded of right specifically in that moment. It is AMAZING when that happens! (John 14:26)

But you can’t just READ it, deceiving yourself… you must DO it. (James 1:22) Like having an instruction manual for a complicated piece of furniture… just reading the steps doesn’t do anything… you have to actually do what the steps tell you to do.

Examples of Doing Vs. Just Reading/Hearing God’s Word

Ie. Don’t just say, “Praise God!” but take some time to ACTUALLY praise Him—“God, You are so wise, so wonderful. You are in control, You are seated on Your throne. You gave Your all for me through Jesus on that tree! Thank You, God for loving me so much! Thank You that I can rely on You in ANY storm! You are wonderful & so greatly to be praised!” PRAISE HIM!

“Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you.” Do you actually take a moment to take stock of what is stressing you out & pray over each one? “God, You are better equipped for this than me. Help me to trust You with this. Please give me the wisdom that I need. Provide me with Your peace. Guide me through. AMEN.” CAST YOUR CARES ON HIM! (1 Peter 5:6-7)

AND, with reading your Bible consistently, you begin to see a pattern. All of these “heroes of the faith” are not heroes because they always knew what to do & did it, never failing… but because through each season, they came back to God for help, let Him lead, trusted His power, & came back to Him when they screwed it all up. God is the Hero in their stories, not them. He is the Hero in our stories as well! Take heart!

If you are determining to live for His Kingdom & His glory, you can trust Him to come through for you. If you are not, it’s as simple as humbling yourself, apologizing for wrong motivations/focus… & asking Him to shift that in you… to live for Him & not for you.

In Everything, PRAY

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God….” (Philippians 4:6)

This verse is not written to shame you for feeling overwhelmed. It is an invitation. There is actually hope, is what it’s saying. It’s a reminder that you indeed are not in control, but there is One Who is.

Take the burden off yourself to solve or fix or come up with a path forward… & ask the One Who already knows how & can help you. Praise Him & thank Him for Who He is… & ask for His help.

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

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

He wants you to learn the practice of resting in His Godhead… letting Him be God. I heard a quote recently that said, “if God brought you to something, He doesn’t expect you to become God to do it… trust HIM.” Wow & yes & AMEN. PRAY ABOUT IT. Cast those cares on Him!

Sing Praises to our LORD!

“Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!” (Psalm 47:6)

What will you take time to praise Him for right now?

When we take the time, right in the middle of our chaos & whirlwind, to sing praises to Him, you would be surprised how you can go from feeling like everything is hopeless & falling apart, to remembering Who is seated on His throne right now.

He doesn’t let one little single thing slip through His fingers. Yes, He allows hard, but He doesn’t make us go through it alone or be the one to figure it all out & make it right… He asks us to trust HIM in all of that.

He wants us to learn, without a shadow of a doubt, that He CAN when can feels incredibly impossible. Give Him a chance to show His glory in the midst of your hardest circumstances.

And praise Him in expectation for that glory & that help.

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!” (Psalm 150:1-2)

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6)

“O Lord, You are my God.
I will exalt You,
I will praise Your name,
For You have done wonderful things;
Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.” (Isaiah 25:1)

Remember All That the Lord Has Done

There are several instances in the Bible where God encourages the people to set up spaces or memorials that remind them of what God has done for them, & even as a testimony to others who come after them.

When the anxiety seems to swallow you whole, as you pray to & praise God for all He is, take some time to praise Him for all He has done for you in the past… all the ways & times that He has come through for you or has used your hardships faced for your good. He knows what He is doing & we can trust Him… so take some time to remember all that the Lord has done. (Joshua 4:6; 1 Samual 12:24)

Going along with this topic of remembering, God has given me a useful tool that is tangible & helps ground me when I feel unexplainable restlessness or unsettledness… when I just feel ick that I can’t escape because I just feel anxiety enveloping me….

Taking a hot bath or a hot shower is fantastic. No phone, dim the lights, let the warm water soothe your tension away. And in that space, pour your whole heart out to Him, even if you don’t know how to say it or know how to pretty it up, start there: “God, I don’t know why I can’t feel okay. I feel so unsettled & restless & anxious like my mind is going everywhere & I don’t know how to stop it. Please help me!”

Speak Truth over Your Anxieties

And for me, especially having glass on our shower wall, I will write it out in cursive, my concerns or worries or fears & then I will write as if God’s truth is speaking in response to it.

“I don’t know what to do….” “I do know.”

“I can’t do this….” “I can.”

“I feel so alone….” “I am always with you.”

“I can’t figure this out…” “You were never meant to.”

“I am too weak for this….” “I will be your strength.”

“I’m scared of the unknown….” “I am already there.”

“I don’t want to face this….” “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Do you see where I am going with this? Taking time to speak His truth back at my hurting & worrying & weakness & fear. Reminding myself of His presence. Grounding myself in His presence. It works wonders & just letting the water running over me wash over me like a soothing blanket, as if He is holding me steady & comforting me when I feel like I’m falling apart.

(1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalm 63:6; Genesis 16:13; Romans 8:32)

My Worst-Case Scenario Notebook Is Not What You Think

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us….” (Ephesians 3:20)

Sometimes all my mind can see is everything going horribly wrong… sometimes it’s because I have seen it go horribly wrong already & the trauma is rooted in very real memory. And because of this, sometimes I cannot seem to get my mind to see hope.

So, God encouraged me to start a Worst-Case Scenario journal. I treat it like how I see many Psalms, where there is no holding back, no sugar-coating, no trying to sound more okay with it than I am… no faking it to try to sound better than I am in that moment… God already knows.

I pour out every bit of it that scares me or worries me sort of in a chart.

First column is what scares me or what is happening that causes me anxiety.

Second column is the absolute worst that could come of it if everything really did blow up in my face & fall apart. (This could be: loss of a loved one, loss of a job, being betrayed by a loved one, divorce, rumors turning into a ruined reputation or loss of friendships, etc.)

Third column is “But, God” to the tune of, “if that really did happen as the worst it could possibly be, is that beyond the scope of what God can turn beautiful or work through for my good? Is that too much for Him? Is He not capable of walking me through that successfully & sustaining me through it?”

And once I walk through that last column, the reality of Who God is begins to wash away the fears–sort of putting them in their place. Like, ‘right… so why AM I so worried about that?‘ God’s got me & He is not letting go… He is greater & more powerful than anything that can try to knock me down. He’s got me. He sees me. I will be okay. (Proverbs 16:9; Psalm 139:16; Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11)

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us….” (Ephesians 3:20)

Dealing with Anxiety–Practical Ways to Live Biblical Truths When Anxiety Hits /Hard

Are you dealing with anxiety as I often do? Do you fear it doesn’t honor God, so you try to stuff it, cover it up, pretend it isn’t there, or sugar coat what you’re actually going through because you don’t want to offend Him? God sees it. He already knows. He offers you a way out of it–His presence.

Basically, what it all boils down to is this… in God’s presence is fullness of joy. If you want to get out of your anxiety chaotic whirlwind, you need to step into His presence. Read your Bible, pray/talk to Him, sing praises to Him, remember all He has done for you & in eternity past when all hope seemed gone—He always made a way.

“You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

What are you struggling with right now? What is helping you? What ways has God taught you to help you remember to look to Him & to step into His presence through His Word, prayer, praise, & remembering?

He’s got you. He’s got me. And because of that, come what may, even in the hard… we’re going to be okay. God will turn into something beautiful & He will not waste a single bit of it. What a wonderful God we serve!

Shine HOPE by drawing close to Him when the world seems to scream threats in your face that everything is going to crumble down around you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He’s got you! (Hebrews 13:5)

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 36) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Mosaic Jewelry Set-Golden-Handmade in India!

The stunning, Mosaic Necklace & Bracelet handcrafted in India will give you the fun, colorful look your summer wardrobe needs! These pieces are beautifully beaded with multicolored dyed quartz beads, featuring gold accent beads. Wear alone or style with other necklaces & bracelets for a layered look! 

Create dignified jobs for women in India when you shop the Wave Hoops in gold, a modern pair of statement hoops. Each hoop has a minimalist look and are perfect for everyday wear or can be dressed up to fit any occasion, featuring a hinge closure. Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops. 

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

Do You Have Something That Holds You Back? If So, What Is It?

If you grew up in church, like me, then you know that it’s important to read your Bible… now, whether or not you actually do it is another thing.

I didn’t really read my Bible as if a necessity growing up. Yes, I would go through spurts where I would read it regularly… but then that would sort of feign away. I think because I had always been told different “read through the Bible in a year” plans as the way to do it, but because it wasn’t yet a habit… every time I fell behind by forgetting or having an off day, my number of chapters became so unreasonable that I would just give up.

Then came the trend of “I really just feel like I am turning ‘reading my Bible every day’ into a checklist item versus something from the heart, & I just don’t like feeling like that as my motivation—it feels icky, so I just didn’t read it today.”

Looking back, I can see very clearly in hindsight that those were 2 very effective ways Satan has kept me & many other well-meaning Christians from making Bible-reading as major a part of their lives as it should be.

After reading Andrew Murray’s compilation on Prayer book, it changed my whole worldview on Bible reading. (*You can find the link to this book & others that I personally recommend on my website–I do not receive any compensation for promoting this book: Recommended by Michelle | Michelle Hyde Online)

You see, I didn’t really get why it was as big a deal as it actually is.

God Interacts with Our Lives Way More Than We Credit Him

I also didn’t really believe or understand how interactive God really wants to be with our lives. I thought it was ONLY: “I sinned–I wronged God–Jesus paid my debt–I trusted Jesus’ payment for my sin—I get to go to heaven, not because of my goodness, but because Jesus paid my debt on the cross & rose again in 3 days to conquer sin & death. PERIOD.” (Basically, I thought the Gospel + trying to be a “good person” for God was all there was to being a Christian.)

And after that, well, my view was, for a long time—try not to screw up because you’ll make God mad, so try very hard to be a good person at all times so He doesn’t get mad at you… but it all falls on you to make that happen & to be good enough for Him—not for salvation, but because you’re supposed to… so do better. That’s how I thought.

How incomplete & skewed that thinking was.

God doesn’t exist with this squinted, dissatisfied grimace on His face, scowling down at us, constantly pointing fingers, crossing His arms, & slowly shaking His head back & forth as if to say, “well, she screwed that up again.”

 And guess what… I have screwed up A LOT.

Do you know what I have learned from all of those screwups, mistakes & failures? How gentle He is. How kind He is. How always ready to welcome me back He is. How forgiving. How faithful. How loving. How wonderfully longsuffering He is in His love toward me.

His Grace Still Amazes Me

That does not serve as an excuse to disgrace or disobey Him… not one little bit. But His love for me goes so much deeper than whether or not I’m doing a good enough job at it today or not.

He knows I am but human. He knows I am going to fall into trusting myself again, get it all wrong, trip & fall & make a huge mess of everything & then come back to Him for help eventually. And He is kind every single time it happens. It blows me away every single time.

His grace still amazes me is a line in a song that I sing with tears in my eyes every single time–because it’s the truth.

He is not my scowling overlord, but my loving heavenly Father... even when I absolutely least deserve it.

Read Your Bible!

And God is very present in my life, beyond what I could have ever believed to be true as a young Christian. He is very interactive. And the more I get to know Him through talking to Him (prayer about all things big or small) & reading His Word (the Bible, regularly), the more I see Him interacting with me & my life… the more I see Him.

Reading the Bible is so much more important than we make it out to be! PLEASE hear me on that! PLEASE!!

It is NOT just words on a page. It is NOT just a life instruction manual. It is NOT just a “collection of wise words.”

IT IS THE WORD OF GOD.

It is living. It is active. It is sharper than a two-edged sword.

You can read it a billion times & not ever reach its depth, while you can simultaneously read it once & have its truth change your life forever.

It is GOD-BREATHED.

This is not something to play around with. Listen to me, why do you think there are always infinite obstacles at the ready to keep you from reading it regularly???

Satan Will Do WHATEVER He Has to in Order to Discourage You from Reading God’s Word Regularly–Will You Let Him?

Distractions, headaches, tiredness, busyness, boredom, zoning out, feeling it’s just a checklist item… Satan will use EVERY tool he can to keep you AWAY from God’s Word… because even HE knows its power!

You NEED to be reading it. I cannot stress that enough. No amount of capital letters or exclamation points could ever be enough.

You have to read it.

Yes, maybe you go to church, maybe you go to Bible study, maybe you do a daily devotional… but HOW will you know whether any of it is truth if you yourself are not studying it & reading it?

And even if they are leading you rightly, the Bible says to crave it like newborns crave milk… is that a once-a-day thing for them? NO, they crave it repeatedly every single day. They act like they DEPEND on it… because they DO.

Do we treat the Word of God like that?

I don’t CARE if it’s like a checklist item only for you… READ IT ANYWAY. CHECK IT OFF. Let it get in your head & change your heart from the inside out. You may not be like me & crave food all the time, but you still need to feed your body, don’t you? Same with your soul! How malnourished is it right now?

Pray & Trust That God Can Get You Past What You Can’t Yourself

I didn’t get where I am without reading my Bible every day & I need MORE of it… I am a work in progress with you.

Even if you have to pray, “God, You know I’m bored & I check out… but I know You say to do it, so I know it honors You… so help me to focus anyway as I read right now. AMEN.” And then READ & watch Him fight for you.

You won’t be consistent right away maybe, but building a habit takes time.

You don’t stop eating nutritional food forever moving forward because you ate really bad on one day, do you? NO. Your body still appreciates the good you DID give to it… the same with your soul. Miss a day? Come back tomorrow where you left off… every bit matters…. Let it renew you.

Reading the Bible Is SO Much More Important Than We Make It out to Be

God never prescribes “reading through the Bible in a year” plans. That’s man-made. Just start somewhere. Start small, see it change you & make you crave more every year that passes. Watch it change you as you let it.

Just a checklist item for you? GOOD—READ anyway.

Distractions galore for you? GOOD—God is BIGGER… PRAY & READ anyway.

Too boring for you? GOOD—READ anyway.

No letting Satan keep you away anymore, okay? God is on your side on this. He WANTS you to know Him… to hear His voice… to see His care for you….

But you need to open your Bible… & you need to read it.

Stop letting Satan win this part of your life & your heart & your future of seeing & obeying God better.

Shine HOPE by reading your Bible like it’s the best thing you could do for yourself–because it is. God says to read it for a reason… so listen to Him.

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 35) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Blue Sage Jewelry Set (w/ Necklace), Handcrafted & Empowering Women in Extreme Areas of Poverty

This jewelry set includes 3 handmade bracelets, a pair of earrings, and a genuine stone necklace that are all handcrafted in workshops in India that’s committed to fighting child marriage and helping women become financially independent as fair-trade Artisans. The Blue Sage Bracelet Stack is crafted using up-cycled bone to create a beautiful look, perfect for daily wear or gifting. Each bracelet is accented with one gold-tone bead and the set features a blue, green, and tan bracelet. The ethically made, gorgeous Blue Sage Earrings features layered shapes crafted out of up-cycled bone. Each earring has a tan circle stud connecting to an olive green rounded bar and a powder blue open arch pendant suspended below. The stunning Blue Sage Quartz Necklace features dyed quartz on a gold-tone adjuster chain and is perfect for everyday wear.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

The Countdown Has Begun

Every week that I come on here to write my blog, I am familiar with the countdown it signifies… every blog post means another week closer to our move to Florida from the other side of the world, on Guam.

I don’t like it.

Yes, I feel like God is keeping me steady in the day-to-day as of now. I am recognizing when I need to end the spiral by stepping out of the chaos that is sometimes my world & taking time to pour it all out to God & ask for help.

I am working on the step-by-step process. Trying to stay present with friends & ministries here, while also planning for my future there.

It is a hard balance… but God is helping me walk it.

There Are a Lot of Not-So-Funs about Moving

When I tell you that I dislike house-hunting, I am putting it lightly. I hate it.

I hate living out of a suitcase, living in the in-between, knowing wherever you are isn’t really your home–just where you are at that current moment… no settling in. No homey vibes of comfort.

Then the house-hunting itself is so disheartening. It requires repeatedly falling in love with homes, only to have them snatched away last minute. Letting yourself visualize that space as your home, then starting the search over again.

Or maybe just not even finding anything that matches the feel of what you would like, wondering about compromise… & how much compromise… from your dream home.

The negotiations, the high hopes, the snatched away hopes, the waiting, the not knowing when it will end.

House-hunting is not for the faint of heart–& I am faint of heart. I still have trauma from doing it all here. It was the worst.

It’s painful, to be honest. Call me weak if you want…. But I just don’t like it.

Revealing an Area to Pray About

So that’s obviously where I need to be praying most right now, because it’s the thing giving me the most anxiety right now.

I need to rest in the fact that God already sees where we ought to live for reasons only He can see. It could possibly not look like what I wanted or prayed for after all, but it will be what I needed. I have to trust that. I have to trust He knows better than me, come what may–because He does.

Giving up the dream I have in my head of what I want it to look like or be like… fearing the potential need for giving that up… is what’s the hardest for me right now. I don’t want to give up on it.

But God sees what I don’t. He knows… I only think I do. I need to let Him take the lead, whatever that ends up looking like. I need to be willing to let go. I need to be willing to trust Him to do what I need more than what I think I want.

Surrender.

I hate that word sometimes, don’t you?

I Can Trust Him to Know Better Than I Do

But God knows better than me. God, You know better than me—please help me to remember that every time I try to cling to my dream… every time fear threatens to chokehold me.

You’ve got me covered, God… I can bank on that… no matter what my fears may tell me at any given moment. I can trust that at least… even when I may not be able to see it at all.

So, God, please help me. Guide our steps. Calm my heart. Help me to trust You over what I think I know. You know better. You’ve got me. You see it already. You know without having to guess. Help me trust You more with my fears here… with my hurts that are coming in feeling displaced without a home for however long that takes. You will care for me, even if I’m hurting. I know You see me. You care. Help me to remember that every minute so the fears & hurts don’t have power over me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

It’s okay to be afraid—we’re human & we don’t see all that God sees… but that fear isn’t from Him—because He already knows & He wants you to trust that fact when you can’t see it yourself. So, remember that fact when the fears come a knockin’. Because, in a life where we can’t see it all—fears will come… but He is still on His throne… He still cares for you.

So, trust Him. (I’m saying all this to myself right now, too, you best believe it.)

Where Is the Fast-Forward Button in Life?

The anticipation is killing me sometimes. I want to know NOW. I want to put the fears to rest by SEEING the RESULTS. Where is the fast-forward button in life? Can God please CC me?

Do you ever feel that way, too? Worried that maybe what you dream is ahead will all come crashing down? That everything you’ve worked so hard towards will just not come through the way you hoped?

But God is on His throne. He knows better than us. Even if it seems we got “jipped,” we can trust that God did it for an excellent big picture reason that we maybe can’t even see. He has a bigger & broader view of the situation than we could ever hope to have. Maybe we move in a less-than-ideal neighborhood because someone there needs Jesus… or because a future very best friend is waiting there.

I don’t know… but I know that He knows.

Shine HOPE by recognizing to fear is human… but it’s not from God… so take that fear to Him… lay it down… & trust He can do far above what you can do with your circumstances & your future. He’s got you. Always. 100%.

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 34) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Magnolia Pouch–Handcrafted by & Empowering Women in India out of Areas of Extreme Poverty

Every purchase of the Magnolia Pouch supports women with fair jobs, helps educate girls, fights child marriage, and empowers families leaving slums in India. This stunning green velvet, versatile pouch is handcrafted by women rising above the grip of poverty in India. Each Magnolia Pouch features beautifully embroidered florals to create an adorable look with a convenient zipper closure.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

God Sees & God Knows… Thank God!

Who else has a major life change coming up? Or maybe you just went through one?

As you may have heard, my husband & I are closing the final chapter to our 14-year adventure abroad & moving back stateside to Orlando, FL.

With all we need to accomplish between now & then… the temptation to be swirled into a whirlwind of anxiety is out of this world.

I also feel like I am living a double life right now. Part of me is already there, already making preparations & plans for the home we will be building in that area… the other half of me is very aware that I still have a life HERE… ministries, my job, & my FRIENDS.

Oh, & don’t forget the home projects, setting up contractors for bigger projects, & working toward selling our first home. There’s a lot to do & a lot of new here!

But then we just breathe. Take a breath… take a moment… & just breathe.

Learning to pray our way through every obstacle, through every I-don’t-know-how. Learning to ask God to illuminate each step I should take, just putting one foot in front of the other... because God already sees… God already know… thank GOD.

What to Do & What to Forget About

It is unlikely that everything on our list will get done in 8 weeks… that’s just facts… so knowing where to start & what to prioritize is quite daunting in some moments.

And I don’t know about you, but when I get overwhelmed, it is quite literally paralyzing. Like my mind just shuts down as I stare blankly at the wall… as if my brain just hit reboot & is working on starting back up again. Anyone else? Just me?

So I have to be really careful not to get to that point. I have to take my whole list to God & say, “God, I don’t know what to prioritize here, but I know You do. I don’t know what to do with half of this list (or more), but I know that You do. Please help show the way. Please give me wisdom. Please help me take each step one step at a time. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

If I don’t do this every time the tide starts getting a little threateningly high… I run the risk of more shutdowns where I get nothing done until my brain “reboots.”

We could really use your prayers during this season of our life. The next 8 weeks are going to go by so quickly & we have so many things yet to do & so many unpaved paths to walk where we don’t really know yet what to do.

One step at a time. One prayer at a time.

We Ask You to Please Pray

So, here, I am going to share my prayer request master list with you one more time… & I am praying very specifically because God can for sure handle the details better than I can. And sometimes He doesn’t answer the exact way I ask, but even better to the heart of what I am asking. He sees how it will all fit together much better than we do, even when we may miss it.

Please pray with us:

1. The right buyers for our home, with a healthy return on our investment into this house
2. Contractors to do the work who charge fair prices & do good work
3. Wisdom on what to focus on & what to let go of in prepping our house to sell
4. Searching for a new home (well-kept, clean/safe neighborhood with sidewalks for walking a dog, good parking, open floorplan for entertaining/hosting space, a well-lit office for me & 1 for Jamie, enclosed pool, modern-looking interior, good storage, in our price range, near Jamie’s work & near our church)
5. Bible-preaching church with good community near our new home
6. Friends who are both edifying & encouraging—pointing us more to Jesus
7. New ministry opportunities
8. New pets (2 kittens & a puppy made for us, with sweet & fun demeanors with pretty coloring—I really want a kitten that is gray or light brown with cream/white)
9. Jamie’s new job (& my new job?)
10. PEACE through the process in taking every new day one step at a time, praying our way through it, trusting God can where we can’t & that He has far better wisdom than we do & can help us as we seek Him for it.

Thank you if you decide to pray with/for us. I cannot wait to see in what ways God answers our prayers!

Praying through Major Life Changes

It is so hard not to get swallowed up by all the anxieties of the unknowns & yet-to-comes, & that is why it is SO important to remember that God sees what you can’t… His wisdom far surpasses your own… His knowledge of the situation & of your future are unmatched… He can do immeasurably more than you could ever ask or even imagine… so ASK HIM.

Don’t stress–PRAY!

Shine HOPE by going to Him with every detail, big or small, knowing He cares for you! When you’re tempted to stress—PRAY!

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 33) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @7pm EST/Wednesdays @9am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Santorini Jewelry Set-Handcrafted in & Providing Jobs for Women in India!

This stunning, blue necklace and bracelet set from India will give you the sweet, seasonal look your summer wardrobe needs! The Santorini Necklace and Sky Bracelet is beautifully beaded with aqua-colored glass beads. Wear alone or style with other necklaces and bracelets for a layered look! Every purchase provides safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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

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

Not What I Had in Mind

It’s Sunday afternoon right now as I’m writing this & I just need to brag on God a little bit.

You see, today was my first day back teaching the K4/K5 Sunday School class after a few month summer break of traveling & hosting my parents here on Guam.

I am not one who gravitates toward working with children, but you would never know it because I literally work with kids all the time. I taught K5 years ago (was not my plan), I help with K4/K5 children’s church now, & I also aide for 2^nd grade (previously 1^st grade for a few years). So, saying it isn’t something I would eagerly gravitate toward sounds pretty understandably unbelievable.

I feel like those actresses who play the same genre several times & then get pigeonholed there… they may WANT to branch out, but people automatically envision them playing those types of roles & so those are the ones they tend to be able to book. (Do I need to just not mention anything about my past of working with kids & see where I get placed in the future as a blank slate? Haha, maybe.)

But, I did pray & ask God to show me where He wanted me to serve, versus just shooting straight for what my preferences would be: ie. Discipleship, women’s ministry, maybe even young adults/teens. And God answered by just putting this I-can’t-ignore-it nudge on my heart to serve where I’m serving. And here I am.

It’s Healthy Sometimes Not Doing What Feels Most Comfortable

Anyway, because this isn’t exactly the ministry area I would have picked, sometimes I feel so out of my element & so out of my comfort zone, that I need to weekly take a deep breath & pray for a good attitude, the energy to get through it, & the words & wisdom to share with the kids so my teaching isn’t wasted.

I pray every Saturday night this way: “Lord, please help me to have a good attitude about getting up earlier tomorrow & help me have the right words to say to help them understand what I teach from Your Word. Give me the words & wisdom & please help me get through it. Give me a right attitude about it, too. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Years ago, back when we first lived on Guam, right after my hubs & I got married, there used to be adult Sunday school at our church & we were in the marriage & family class.

Our teacher had so many nuggets of wisdom to help us as a newly married couple hoping & fully expecting to have kids someday.

But one thing in particular that he taught stands out to me in regards to ministry. He would always say, “Don’t just volunteer where you feel comfortable & in something you feel already confident in… because what happens when you do that? You’re trusting in yourself, your know-how, your abilities… no. Instead, volunteer outside of your comfort zone, where you don’t feel you can do it… because then you’re not relying on yourself—you’re relying on HIM through each day of it. And when you rely on Him, you are letting Him work through you, in His strength, His wisdom, His guidance… & that is where true work can be done because you’re letting Him take the lead instead of yourself.”

What wise words!

Praying My Way Through It

And that’s my life these past few years—praying my way through every day of it because it is NOT what I would have chosen for myself. And honestly, it’s been WAY more rewarding getting to see HIM work through what I KNOW cannot come from ME.

And today was no different. It’s the start of a new school year, kids that are barely past THREE are now joining my class. Most of those who would have been my now K5ers (who know the rules & routines of our class & can help set the tone for the rest of the class) have moved or are just not back on island yet from summer travels… so hardly any of them know the rules & routines. Starting FRESH here.

That’s hard enough, but I had FIFTEEN kids today. FIFTEEN! I normally have no more than 8, maybe?

Then I had several kids who knew no boundaries or self-control. They were loud, all-over-the-place chaotic. (2 got in a fist fight!) Multiply that & pretty quickly the whole class can dissolve into chaos. It’s a LOT.

I’m Glad I Can Count on Him When I Can’t Count on Myself

But I went to God with it all last night in preparation for it. I prayed through it today. And the unnatural calm I felt today in the midst of all THAT was all Him.

It didn’t get to me. I took a deep breath, prayed silently, then handled each situation with calm, demonstrating how they are to handle each situation.

Not joining the chaos or trying to fight above it… but bringing them down to my calm instead.

And for the most part, it worked. I showed them respect & stayed calm. They mirrored & began to get how we do things in our class.

It was truly miraculous. I can’t believe how well I handled that because that is not my natural response to chaos (cue panic & frustration & get-me-out-of-here thoughts of desperation).

God had me. God helped me. God kept me centered & grounded.

Because I relied on Him & not me in it.

I’m SO glad I can count on Him when I can’t count on myself.

Don’t Fear Serving Him Where You Don’t Feel You’re Made for It

So, don’t fear being outside your comfort zone. Don’t fear what you’re not good at. Don’t just serve where it makes you feel comfortable.

Pray about it. Ask God to lead. Ask God to decide.

And trust Him to take the lead through it. His wisdom. His words. His guidance. His work through you.

He’s got you even when you don’t got you.

Trust Him! He’s got it.

Shine HOPE by turning to Him through the hard, when you’re completely out of your comfort zone & have no clue what you’re doing. He already knows. He’s got it. He will help as you call out to Him for it.

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

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

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

Watch This Week’s Episode on YouTube:

(*TUNE IN to watch this week’s LIVE STREAM (Episode 30) on my YouTube Channel!! @: https://www.youtube.com/@MichelleHydeOnline (*Tuesdays @6pm EST/Wednesdays @8am GUAM*)

Coming Next Week

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

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

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

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

August 2026 “Hope Mail”

In India, poverty often leads to exploitation of vulnerable women in sweatshops. Every purchase provides these Artisans with fair wages, access to health care, education for their children, and care for elderly family members. Purchase this month’s Hope Mail and empower women in India!

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

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

August Hope Mail includes the stunning Blue Sage Quartz Necklace, handcrafted by women in India earning a fair wage for their work. Featuring dyed quartz on a gold-tone adjuster chain, this necklace is perfect for everyday wear.

Every purchase of this month’s Hope Mail creates safe jobs for women to earn a dignified wage and send their children to school. 

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions help me in continuing this website/blog, encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win-win-win!Have a wonderful week living for His glory in all that you do!

This Girl Likes to be “in the Know”

I am not a fan of the unknown, or, more accurately, I am not a fan of feeling like I can’t have control over a certain aspect of my life.

Because, let’s face it, fear of the unknown is really a fear of not knowing how to prepare, how to handle it, where to go, what to do next… it’s a fear of not feeling any control.

And not having any control in any given circumstance is NOT my comfort zone.

When I Have to Pray Just to Get through Each Moment… It’s Hard

That’s a big reason why feeling weak is so hard on me–like sleeplessness or prolonged injury or sickness—I want to pray the weakness or discomfort away, pray for strength, & feel capable again… without needing to pray for help every second of every day for absolutely everything just to get through the day.

That’s a big reason why moving is so hard for me, too—not knowing where we’ll live or when I’ll be able to make friends or get a job or or or…. I feel super vulnerable. I feel very little control over whether people like me or whether I’ll fit in or anything really. I feel completely out of my element… & I don’t like it.

I think that’s why I so often pray the way of getting comfortable again, feeling capable, feeling “I’ve got this” vibes. I like feeling in control of my environment. (Also why I like having a “buffer friend” in a crowd so I know that if every person there were to reject or dislike me… I’ve still got someone by my side. I’m okay speaking TO a crowd, but not trying to speak IN a crowd, if that makes sense. Crowds make me nervous because I don’t know where I fit in that crowd–it overwhelms me. I’ll do it anyway… because I like making & having friends… but it is not comfort zone approved in any way whatsoever.)

It’s Coming… & the Temptation for Wanting to Know Everything RIGHT NOW or Else PANIC Is So Annoyingly Intense Sometimes…

Well, the unknown is coming… it’s here already, technically.

And I don’t mean “it’s already here” by the fact that “really, if I were to really think about it… every single day is the unknown because I actually have very little control compared to the illusion of control I feel myself to have.”

I mean that God is moving with something in my life & I have no idea what that is going to end up looking like (& no, it’s not pregnancy)… & the huge temptation is unease in the uncertainty… the waiting… the unknown.

I want to KNOW! Now!

But, I am reminded again that God is already there. He already sees it. He already knows. And if there is any delay in getting further information, it is only because God knows the exact right timing to converge the details the exact way they need to be… & any rushing from me would potentially steal away something God is working together because I tried to rush ahead of His timing. I don’t want that.

Stepping into the Unknown with a God Who Knows

I have to be willing to be faithful with what God puts in front of me in the waiting versus trying to rush ahead to the next thing before it’s time… & trust Him with what He hasn’t quite shown me all the way yet. He doesn’t need my help… He needs my obedience to His will, His working… & HIS timing.

Am I so tempted to want to micromanage God a little bit? Honestly, yes.

But would that end up being in my best interest? Probably not, no.

As much as I want so badly to have a say & to be “in the know,” I have to be willing to recognize that He has got things handled far better than I could ever hope to manage.

—God’s got me.—

I Want to Wait on Him… & to Trust Him in the Waiting

So, as much as I may want to rush to the last page of this chapter to see what He is working on behind the scenes, I need to step back & pray about it… pray for peace in knowing He’s handling it… pray for wisdom & discernment moving forward when it’s time… pray for the ability to be present & obedient in the waiting.

God’s got me. He sees. He knows. He’s got me.

“So, here I am, God. Yes, I see You. I know You… You’re working. I don’t have to step in… You’ve got it… You’ve got me. I need to get better at trusting You. I know that. So, help me in the waiting. Help me when the details are still so unclear, when excitement & anxiety & worry all want to swirl together around me & sweep me away. Still me. Remind me You’ve got this & You don’t need an ounce of me to step in to help. Let me let You & help me to be faithful & to show up in the waiting, obeying You where You have me right now. You’ve got the future covered. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

So, if you’re stepping into some sort of transition, too… some new season… a new unknown… will you sit with me in it? Trusting you don’t have to agonize over all the details… you just have to wait on Him, trusting He’s doing His work even when you can’t quite see it… to rest in Him in the waiting… to be faithful with what’s in front of you right now, trusting His lead & His timing not to need an ounce of your micromanagement. He’s got us.

What a comfort that is… to know that I am stepping into the unknown with a God Who KNOWS.

Shine HOPE by resting in Him during the seasons of unknown, trusting He has a plan, He is working, He’s got you.

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

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

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

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A Note from Michelle:

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Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Marcella Earrings–Helping Empower Women in India out of Poverty!

Our stunning Marcella Earrings are handmade in India by women earning fair wages for their work. These earrings have an asymmetrical design. One earring has a pearl stud that features a gold nugget at the bottom of the chain. The other earring has a gold stud with pearl accent beads throughout the chain. Every purchase creates safe jobs with fair wages in areas of extreme poverty where vulnerable women are often exploited by sweatshops.

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

How Can You Help Artisans around the World AND Help Support MichelleHydeOnline.com?

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

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