A Shocking Realization

I was recently convicted by the Holy Spirit in an area I hadn’t really considered previously. Those moments are always great, aren’t they? We get lulled into thinking we’re doing pretty well as a human being & then BAM, you realize you haven’t been doing quite as well as you previously imagined.

Now, this isn’t something He does to push us down with guilt & shame, but to lift us up, putting away the old me & replacing that with better habits that honor & love both God & others better & more intentionally.

So, I had one of those moments when I came across Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Emphasis mine.)

Only What Is Edifying

Now, because I had seen improvement on the first half of that command, watching my mouth to not accidentally slander or gossip, & cleaning up my vocabulary from the unwholesome talk of my youth, I thought I was doing pretty well here.

But when I read that verse this time, the second half seemed to lift off the page & present itself upon my heart, “… only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” ONLY what is edifying to others.

Wow, now THAT is a tall order.

Much Improvement Needed

I have much improved, with God’s help through the Holy Spirit, on the “what NOT to do” in that verse’s first half, but often I wildly neglect the responsibility given for me TO DO in the second half.

ONLY what helps build others up according to their needs… ONLY what edifies them.

I promise you that is not something I live up to currently.

Social Anxiety Wins Too Often

You may see my blog’s (hopeful) encouragement & my social media presence of mostly (hopeful) encouragement, but in person? Social awkwardness & social anxiety of just trying to get through the conversation without looking &/or feeling like an idiot is my main & usually ONLY focus.

Now, I try to be kind & caring & all that… but I don’t intentionally pray for God to help me find words that will build them up… that will leave them encouraged… that will do lasting good in their hearts.

I just get in & get out, hoping to not look a fool.

And then that little verse.

Be His Light in the World

I realized I have been more concerned with being liked (or at least accepted) instead of being a LIGHT of hope & encouragement… intentional in building others up whom God places in my path.

I have been looking out for ME, instead of trusting GOD to do that, while looking out for those around me.

How convicting.

How selfish I am & how untrusting of God that reveals my heart to be.

A Prayer of Repentance & for Growth

“LORD, I see this reminder… this Truth. I see the call in it to trust You with my image or worth while seeking how I can be intentionally blessing others with my words… building them up… encouraging them… nourishing them with Your call of hope, Your LOVE, & Your Truth. I have been an unwilling messenger. Please forgive me. Help me to be bold in speaking Your Truth in love, in shining hope into the lives of those I interact with every day. Help me to stop trying to save face or to stop fading into the background, & help me to realize people are worth it. You DIED for them. Your Truth is for them & WILL help them whether they get that or not. Your ways are good. Help me be a voice for that Goodness & HOPE. Help me not self-protect, but to SHINE FOR YOU. Your glory, their blessing. Your glory, not mine. Help me grow here. Please help me. They’re worth it. You’re worth it. You’ve got me. They’re worth it to You, God, so they should be worth it to me. Help me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.”

Not Easy, But God’s Got You

I get that it’s not easy. I feel you. (Or maybe this is an area you thrive in already?) But God can help you improve. He can bolster your confidence & give you the words. He can be your ENOUGH.

Every person is seen by God & known intimately by God. He sees their hurts & their struggles & their hearts. And He may be sending you as His messenger to show them He sees & cares for them. Shine for Him, through Him–for them.

Shine hope by determining to ONLY speak what is helpful in building others up according to their needs, willing yourself to lean into God for help when you want to freeze up or flee the scene.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for a new blog post with more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Zoya Earrings (India)

Zoya means “shining, life” in Hindi. These stylishly stunning gold-toned earrings are handcrafted in India, featuring genuine freshwater pearls on a delicate linked-chain design.

Artisan Story (Dulal)

“When I was 19 years old, I wasn’t interested in further studies. My life was just sad. I was not aware of my abilities & was just in search of some work. I was depressed due to economic conditions. Then my friend introduced me to this work. My previous boss used to treat me very badly.

Now, I enjoy my work! It’s helping my family & me. I’m capable enough to fulfill my needs, & I’m making all types of handmade jewelry. So overall, it’s a big achievement for me! I’m happy to be an Artisan. I have hope for a good life in the future!”

How You Can Help:

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

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

I Wanted to be Cool

I don’t know about you, but growing up, I had the driving force of wanting desperately to fit in as my motivation for most areas of my life.

Growing up homeschooled for six of my schooling years, I always saw public-school kids as the standard for cool.

Being stereotyped as under-socialized (even though we had a lot of activities with other homeschool groups) & also teased as having my mom as my only/best friend (now, not as much of an insult, but back then… phew!), I wanted to fit in with what those public-school kids deemed as “COOL.”

And since I got a late start, I felt I was scrambling to catch up.

It Didn’t Stop There

But it didn’t end in those early years. No, I kept feeling I was behind & that if I just adjusted one more part of myself, I would finally achieve this standard of cool that I chased after so awkwardly.

Now, I have mentioned before that I became a Christian (AKA recognized I was a sinner & couldn’t save myself from my wrongs & that I needed Jesus’ payment on my behalf to cover it) when I was around 5 years old, but I thought that meant, “Now I am saved from Hell & I should try to be a good person until I go to Heaven.”

And while that is partially true, it was definitely lacking. I didn’t understand that accepting Jesus doesn’t end with “just” going to Heaven… NO, it is SO much more!

God Calls for Obedience… & He Offers His Help

I didn’t understand that He interacted with me on earth through the Holy Spirit & that I could realize so many more blessings in my life if I aligned my actions with God’s way of doing things.

In my hunger for acceptance & popularity, I neglected the only true thing that would breathe life into my very existence… obedience to God.

In trying to find my life, I was losing it. (Matthew 10:39 & Luke 17:33)

In my quest to fit in, I was compromising what God tells me is true & living by my very limited understanding vs. referring to His infinite understanding.

A Life Defined by Compromising Truth for Popularity

My life was defined by compromise… carefully constructed compromise… compromise that you could easily mistake for living right by God.

So much of life my life was often dictated by popular opinion.

I looked around to see what everyone else seemed to deem as the right normal or the “right level” of being a “good person.”

But God makes it easy for us. Obey HIM.

Look to HIM & NOT to the shifting cultures & shifting ideas of “AHA!” moments where others feel they have finally figured out the trick to life.

God’s Truth is Timeless

God is unchanging. His Truth is timeless. It always works, 100% of the time, based on the infinite, perfect wisdom, knowledge, & understanding of the One who made it all!

Don’t compromise on obedience. Don’t look to what others define as a “pretty good life,” because if it doesn’t line up with God’s Word & what He says, it’s automatically wrong, by default.

I used to read God’s Word, cross something that didn’t line up with my understanding of “real life” or “life nowadays,” & I thought His Word was outdated or that “times have changed.”

More recently, I am learning to read God’s Word & when I come across something like that, I stop & think, “Hmm… that doesn’t line up with my experience of it… God, You say this is true or that it’s what I need to do in this situation, but it doesn’t seem to work, so what am I missing? I know You’re right, obviously, because You literally know EVERYTHING, so help me understand & help correct my view to Yours. I am wrong here & I need help learning the right way, Your way. AMEN.”

God Is the Standard

Not based on culture… but based on God.

Not based on popular opinion… but based on God’s Word.

Not based on what you grew up hearing & believing… but based on what God says is true.

Not based on your experiences… but based on God’s TRUTH.

I don’t want to compromise anymore. I don’t want to strive to fit in with the shifting, unstable standard of culture… I want to stand on what God says & trust/obey HIM above anything anyone else says.

Because they are fallible… I am fallible…

But GOD is Infallible.

Being Popular vs Being Obedient

Seeking to fit in with culture will leave you tired & exhausted & empty & unfulfilled, like something is always missing… like something is never quite right.

But seeking to live by God’s Word, in obedience to it, will cultivate & blossom that LIFE you have been craving… EVERY time, 100%.

So, shine HOPE into this world by determining to live GOD’S way & leave that fruitless popularity contest in the past where it belongs.

Only then will you find LIFE.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Crystal Spring Earrings (India)

Made from genuine sterling silver & chalcedony stone, these 1″ drop earrings are an easy addition to elevate your outfit.

Artisan Information:

The women we partner with in India do so much more than just create beautiful products. With every purchase, another woman is empowered out of poverty to be self-reliant! Women have the opportunity to earn an income, attend financial management classes, & receive education & healthcare. These women are now able to give their family a promising future because of your purchase!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in India!

How You Can Help:

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

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

We Learn Right Behaviors

If you’re anything like a lot of America, maybe you grew up learning & believing in morality.

As children, considering that most of us don’t like discipline, we can sometimes learn quickly how to say the right things & do the right things, all in efforts of avoiding discipline.

Now, discipline is not a bad thing—far from it! God even says that He disciplines those He loves, because He knows that a lack of discipline can lead to unsatisfying & even harmful consequences.

BUT, morality is not the end all, be all in life.

Right Behaviors Aren’t Enough

Morality can’t save us, first of all, from what is owed because of our sin.

Only the payment made by Jesus Christ, on the cross, once for all mankind who believe in Him… only HE can save us from the punishment we rightly deserve for rejecting & rebelling against our Creator God.

BUT, there’s more… Morality alone doesn’t please God.

God cares about the intentions. God cares about the motivations. God cares about having a right heart, too.

“First Clean the Inside” -Jesus

Matthew 23:25-28 illustrates this very point, by calling out the Pharisees on being clean on the inside, but filthy on the inside… reminding them also that God sees their hearts for what they are… sinful.

This is tricky business for me because I grew up as a people pleaser. (I am NOT saying I didn’t get into trouble as a kid… but I AM saying I REALLY cared about looking like a good kid, even when I messed up.)

Because of this, I cared DEEPLY about at least seeming to get it right. I wanted to know what made something wrong so I would know when to not do it. I wanted to know where the lines were so I wouldn’t cross them.

And as Priscilla Shirer puts it, in her Armor of God study of Ephesians 6, “… we sometimes obey God on the outside, while simmering in disobedience on the inside.” (p. 84)

This defined my growing up years.

I Was Deceived

Did I accept Jesus to save me & to cover my sins before God at a young age? Yes.

Did I have the maturity to distinguish then the difference between doing right & having a right heart in God’s eyes? No.

So, my life was defined by moments of tirelessly trying to look like a good person & “technically” doing right on the outside (going to church, listening to Christian music sometimes, & talking about God), but on the inside, I was too often compromising on my flimsy hold to God’s Truth.

In other words, I was those Pharisees Jesus was talking to in Matthew 23. I worked to seem so perfect on the outside, while my inside was teeming with ways to ALMOST obey aka obey just enough to seem good, while still living how I thought was best & thought made me happiest, versus relentlessly choosing to reject everything else (aka my way) in exchange for HIS way in EVERYTHING.

God Cares About the Inside, Too

We can go to church, serve in church, help the homeless, give generously, pray before meals, talk about Jesus, & say/quote Scripture… but until we choose to receive God’s Word as TRUTH & be willing to turn EVERY area of our life to reflect & live that Truth by opening our hearts to be changed from the inside out (by the Holy Spirit working in us)… until then, we’re just living out Matthew 23:25-28.

We can look great on the outside, but reek of a sin-torn, self-led heart on the inside.

And don’t get me wrong, those deeds are good, but they need to come with a changed heart & a renewed mind… a consistent drawing near to God & a willingness to let Him grow you from the inside out.

Because God cares about the inside, too.

Perfect Makes Practice

We can also swing the pendulum the other damaging way & try to be perfect in & of ourselves. What it really requires, in order to work properly, is a surrendered heart. A heart that is willing to say, “Okay God. Your will over mine.”

This week, in this Priscilla Shirer’s Armor of God Study that I am working through, she is talking about the breastplate piece of the armor… RIGHTEOUSNESS… & she points out this beautiful Truth of “Perfect Makes Practice”… That GOD’S Perfection works out righteousness in us, which allows us to practice living righteously.

And a beautiful thing she echoes throughout this week of the study is the fact that we are ONLY made righteous by accepting for ourselves, personally, what Jesus Christ did by paying our debt on the cross.

That trusting in Him is accounted to us as righteousness.

And that because of that trust in HIS work FOR us, it allows us to put on this breastplate that protects our most vulnerable organs for sustaining our life.

And through that, we can submit areas of our life, as we grow closer to Him in prayer & studying the Bible, to let the Holy Spirit grow us closer to God’s way & further away from our own way.

Determine to Draw Close to God & Let Him Clean Up Your Life from the Inside Out

Don’t be content to just look “Christiany.” Determine to surrender.

Faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26!) because if we really believed that God ALONE really knows what He is talking about, as LORD, then we need to adjust & seek Him & His way above our own… in EVERY area of life. And to seek Him to help you have the attitude of, “& if not” (like in Daniel 3).

That, if you pray & don’t feel immediate ease in following Him, that you seek to trust Him so much that you ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to bow to your own way! That you say, “& if He, for whatever reason, doesn’t seem to be making this easier for me, I will choose to obey anyway, because if He says it, it must be true, & if it’s true, I MUST obey & do it His way.”

WHEN It’s Hard… Pray for His Help

“God, I am so weak. I quit so easily. One jab from Satan, one THREAT of a jab from Satan, & I cave. Help this not be so. Help me to DETERMINE to live Your way, NO MATTER WHAT. Anything else is a lie… a trap… that leads to joyless, empty life. Help me to stop fighting You. Help me surrender. Soften my heart to trust You above EVERYTHING ELSE that I convince myself I know better. How can I compare to YOU? GOD Almighty… LORD… Creator? HOW? I cannot. And yet, I still fight You. How fruitless & frustrating & harmful! Help me to be a doer of Your Word, as in James 1:21-24 & not just a hearer only, deceiving myself. Help me not just tirelessly work to be a perfect Christian either, fooling myself again with good works to replace a renewed heart. Help me surrender to You… to submit to You in everything. You are the only source of true LIFE. You even warn us that in seeking LIFE, we lose it… but in giving up that quest to trust & obey You instead, we FIND it. So, help me stop trying to live my way & help me exchange every “my way” area for Your way. I can’t do it without Your help because my heart begs to rebel. I need Your strength & Truth & wisdom. Help me to submit to Your way… aka LIFE as it was always meant to be: blessed & full of abundant life! AMEN.”

Shine Hope

Shine HOPE by determining not just to live “morally” or to appear “Christian-y,” but to allow the Holy Spirit to renew Your heart & mind (notice that this verse says BE transformed… NOT transform–it’s the work of the Holy Spirit, but you have to be willing to do life His way & allow Him transform you from the inside out) as you determine to die to yourself & finally find what it means to LIVE… in HIM.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Truth Earrings

These incredibly light earrings are made with genuine local capiz shell.

Artisan Information:

In the Philippines, finding employment as a woman in poverty can be extremely difficult. Poor working conditions, lack of job security, & unfair pay are often the realities. Through your purchase, these women are receiving an income, health care, & social development programs. This allows these women to realize their potential & pursue their dreams in a safe environment. You have the opportunity to change lives!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in the Philippines!

How You Can Help:

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

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

It Starts with Truth for a Reason

Lately, I have been learning more deeply about the armor of God, as mentioned in Ephesians 6.

And with this armor, comes a call to remember the importance of Truth.

Not “my truth” or “your truth”, but THE Truth.

Makes Sense

In today’s culture, this idea of a steady & sure Truth is often rejected & mocked.

Well, if you consider how much importance the Bible expresses that Truth really has in our lives, while also considering that the devil’s main goal is to discredit God & destroy us, it makes sense that this idea of a firm TRUTH that we can count on & stand firm upon is so greatly attacked.

The Bible Is the Standard for ALL Truth

I grew up being taught the Bible is true, but never really grasped that it is THE standard of ALL Truth.

That God’s Word is TRUE, for both believers AND unbelievers in Jesus &/or God’s Word. Its validity is not dependent on the reader’s understanding of it or belief in it. It just IS.

The more I read through God’s Word, the Bible, the more I see its truth coming to light, shining reality over what I grew up believing was reality based on what I understood to be true.

God’s Word is a filter by which we can determine if anything else is true.

He Is the Only Reasonable Determinant of What Constitutes as Actual Truth

Because God made us. He made this world. He knows how it works.

So, it stands to reason that He would be the only real determinant of what constitutes as actual Truth.

He is also eternal & unchanging. He existed before time & will exist after it. He sees all & knows all.

So, again, it stands to reason that He alone would be the only real determinant of what constitutes as actual, real TRUTH.

And yet, too often, based on my childhood & upbringing, formed through the eyes of a child’s immaturity & inexperience, I think I could determine for myself what Truth could be & have it hold up to every circumstance in life.

No. Only God.

God Made Sure We Had It & Having It Offers Us SO MUCH

And in His infinite richness of blessings to us, He made sure we had His Word given to us, inspired by Him & written by humans.

2 Timothy 3:16 concisely sums it up with, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God & is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

I heard it described this way, “God’s Word is good then for teaching us what is right, what is wrong, how to correct what is wrong, & how to do what is right.”

What an amazing description!

But I Want It MY Way… I Think I’M Right…

My selfish, self-centered heart wants everything to be about me: my understanding, my determining of what should be right or wrong based on what I want or how I feel about something, my wisdom, my desires, etc….

But there is only one Truth & that is God’s Word.

Truth Stays Truth Over Time

Truth does not fluctuate based on our feelings… it stands strong & firm.

Truth does not deteriorate because we discover something new… it stands firm & strong throughout history.

Truth is not dependent on us believing it… it stands firm & strong.

God’s Truth just IS.

And THANK GOD for THAT!

Truth Is Our Defense & Steady Footing

When we lean into & stand on God’s Word for Truth, we are no longer as susceptible to believing the devil’s deception…

We’re no longer so easily offended or hurt…

We’re no longer so easily distracted into giving in to our evil desires…

We’re no longer as gullible or easily controlled…

We’re able to stand firm & when all is said & done, to stand.

God’s Word…

God’s Word gives us steady footing that doesn’t shake when culture shifts.

God’s Word gives us a firm foundation when our world seems to crumble around us.

God’s Word gives us ammunition against our struggle with anxiety & depression.

God’s Word helps us know what pleases God & what doesn’t.

God’s Word tells us our purpose & our calling in life.

God’s Word POINTS US TO THE ONLY SOURCE OF TRUE HOPE—JESUS CHRIST.

Information We Can Count on & Live By

It tells us we’re made by Him, loved by Him, rescued by Him, & blessed by Him.

It warns us of the Enemy & tells us how to combat & defeat Him.

It brings healing, counsel, comfort, confidence, courage, & strength.

It applies to every area of life.

Read It for Yourself!

THIS is why I URGE you… DON’T rely on a pastor’s teaching… DON’T rely on what a devotional or book says… DON’T look to the ideologies, philosophies, & beliefs of your culture.

MEDITATE ON GOD’S WORD DAY & NIGHT.

Know it. Read it. Study it. Do it. And PRAY OVER IT.

He didn’t make a point to have many people carefully record His Truth to pass down through the generations, to reach you… so it could sit in the drawer of your nightstand.

This is not a Christian ACCESSORY; it is a Christian NECESSITY.

God’s Word/TRUTH Is Helpful & Life-Giving to Us in Every Area of Life

God’s Word is helpful in every area of life… & the more & more you pour over it by reading it or studying it or memorizing it, the more it will come into focus for you.

But reading it is not enough for it to change your life.

You have to DO WHAT IT SAYS.

Hearing the Truth & not doing what it says is true is worthless, like looking in a mirror & then walking away & forgetting what you look like (James 1:23-24).

And if you don’t know how… good news… the Holy Spirit is ready & able to help illuminate the Truth in your heart as you ask Him to help you live His way.

It All Starts with JESUS

But it all starts with Jesus. You have to be willing to accept you’re a sinner, you’ve messed up, you’ve rebelled against God, you’ve sinned… ask God to forgive you of those sins, trust Jesus as Your LORD & trust that He has paid your debt in full… & turn away from that sin & rebellion with God’s help as you live for Him.

And when you do that, you are gifted with everything you need to live for Him, His way, with His help. (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 1:3)

Trade It All In

And that is when you begin to bow your ideals & ideas & emotions & beliefs & understanding & passions to trade your shadows for God’s LIGHT.

Trade deception for Truth.

Trade darkness for Light.

Trade despair for HOPE.

God’s Word is a necessity. Ask Him to help you be diligent.

Allow God Room to Help You in the Struggle… Determine to LET HIM HELP YOU

If you struggle against it, know that Satan will have made it his mission to do whatever it takes to convince you to put that Bible back down & disregard it, because he TOO knows just HOW POWERFUL GOD’S WORD really is!

So, when you feel the resistance, that headache, that tiredness, that distraction, that whatever-it-is… PRAY & READ ANYWAY.

Say a similar prayer to the one I have said to God SO MANY times in the past, “God, I know I should do this, but [I really don’t want to… I really don’t feel like it… I feel too tired, though… I am so busy… I am so distracted… I can’t concentrate…], please HELP ME obey because I know it HONORS You AND it BLESSES me! Help me fight back!”

And then… START READING & trust that God will help you fight back as you determine to read the Truth you need to steady your life… to know what is right & what is wrong & how to correct what is wrong & how to do what is right.

The Importance of Truth

I hope, by now, you see even just a GLIMPSE of the importance of Truth.

***Again, your Bible is not a Christian accessory; your Bible is a Christian NECESSITY.***

Shine Hope by learning God’s Word, doing God’s Word, & sharing God’s Word (in LOVE) & don’t let Satan consider you as “gullible & easy to control” anymore!

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Truth Earrings

These incredibly light earrings are made with genuine local capiz shell.

Artisan Information:

In the Philippines, finding employment as a woman in poverty can be extremely difficult. Poor working conditions, lack of job security, & unfair pay are often the realities. Through your purchase, these women are receiving an income, health care, & social development programs. This allows these women to realize their potential & pursue their dreams in a safe environment. You have the opportunity to change lives!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in the Philippines!

How You Can Help:

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

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

JESUS.

What power is contained in His name; I cannot begin to imagine.

It seems silly to me, in my human perspective & understanding, that a mere name can have power in & of itself, but this name is no ordinary name. (Proverbs 18:10)

This is the name of God’s only Son, who came to earth as wholly man AND wholly God. (Colossians 2:8-9)

He humbled Himself from His heavenly throne to be born to us on earth… to teach & to love by example… to die on our behalf. (John 3:16)

Jesus IS.

There is power in that name because He IS power. He is I AM. (Exodus 3:14)

His existence, His power, His wisdom, His TRUTH… does not depend on us believing it.

He. Just. IS.

His Truth. Just. Is.

Demons tremble at His name because they know that in just His name alone lies more power than all of their power combined. (Luke 10:17)

Jesus Is LOVE.

Jesus, GOD OF ALL, came to humble Himself in flesh… to demonstrate His pure & inexhaustible love to us not only in His life of teaching & healing… but in offering His life for us. (John 3:17)

On earth, He displayed love because He IS love. (1 John 4:8)

He is patient.

He is kind.

He does not envy or boast.

He is not haughty.

He does not dishonor others.

He is not self-seeking.

He is not easily angered.

He keeps no record of wrongs.

He does not delight in evil.

He rejoices with Truth.

He always protects.

He always hopes.

He always perseveres.

He never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-9)

Jesus Is Lord

When others pushed Him to stone a woman, He replied, “He who is without sin may cast the first stone.” (John 8:7)

He is pure & kind. He is wholly righteous & wholly wise.

He created all & is above all. (Colossians 1:16)

He is King of kings & Lord of lords. (Psalm 95:3)

Jesus Is Our Willing Redeemer

When the people assumed He came to conquer their human oppressors, He instead came to conquer something much more threatening… their sin… our sin. (Romans 6:23)

He came to give us life… & to give it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

He could have called a thousand angels to rescue Him from the cross. (Matthew 26:53)

He could have just THOUGHT to be removed from the cross. (Genesis 1:3)

But instead, He hung there humiliated, naked, beaten, mocked, spit on, rejected, & betrayed by the very people He came to rescue (Isaiah 53:3-6) & while hanging there, lifted up to God, “Lord forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

Jesus Is Our Victory!

And with His last breath, He spoke “It is finished” because He knew His death meant victory for us. (John 19:30)

Because after death, taking our punishment upon Himself, He also rose victorious… resurrected & conqueror of both our sin AND death. (Matthew 28:6)

No longer did we carry the wrath of God for our wrongs against Him. No longer was it up to us to pay the price we owed. Jesus, as our Master, died in our place so that “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord [Jesus]” may LIVE as FORGIVEN before God. (Romans 10:13)

Who Jesus Is To Me

How lightly I take that name. How little credit I tend to give it.

How often I think I might know better than He this time or that. (Proverbs 21:2)

How often I question Him & want to go my own way. (Romans 7:19-25)

How little I deserve His offer of mercy.

And yet… Jesus.

I think, if I understood just how much power was in that name alone, I would just be getting the tiny first glimpse of the great power He possesses. (Philippians 2:9-11)

What confidence that understanding would instill in me to stand up for Him & to live for Him with unashamed devotion. Because even in my weaknesses & inadequacies, I know HE can fill in where I lack. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Jesus Is Near

“Thank You, Jesus. You are the Christ. You are the Savior to the world You love. Help us lower the veils from our eyes. Remove our blindness so that we can see with full clarity just how wide & deep Your great love for us really is. Thank You for paying our debt. Thank You for offering us MERCY. We deserve Your wrath… it can be easy to sugarcoat my sin, but I do… I DESERVE Your wrath… & yet, You have mercy & give grace. Thank You, Lord. THANK YOU. Help embolden me to share Your love letter to the world… the Gospel aka the Good News aka how YOU came to SAVE us. Help me be bold for the greatest love story known to man. Amen.”

Shining Hope starts with believing in the saving work of Jesus Christ… & sharing that HOPE with this hurting, bleeding world.

Because in Him we find HOPE.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Moonstone Hoops (from India)

Artisans from India cut & frame moonstones on these gold-toned elliptical hoops. Moonstones are prized in India for the unique way they reflect light.

Artisan Information:

Women in India still face widespread discrimination that often leads to poverty & exploitation. Your purchase provides opportunities for women to earn sustainable income through creative expression as fair-trade Artisans.

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in India!

How You Can Help:

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

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

Favorite Ornament

My favorite ornament on our tree every year is a cross. We are always careful to place it near the top, at eye level, front & center….

The Ending That Stuck with Me

Over a decade ago, my family (parents & siblings) went to see the Christmas Nativity Sight & Sound production in Pennsylvania. (If you have not had the enormous pleasure of seeing one of their shows, put it on your bucket list for sure! Live animals, wrap-around stage, & wonderful re-enactments of the true stories of Scripture. Both Inspiring & Beautiful.)

Not only was the entirety of that Christmas Nativity performance moving & spectacular, the ending is what stuck with me all these many years later.

As the performance came to a close, the lights dimmed… & shown in the backdrop, illuminated, was a CROSS.

I will never forget it.

Reflections This Christmas

In the production’s retelling of Jesus’ birth: the virgin Mary, visited by the angel & told of the child she would carry, placed in her by God Almighty… her fiancé Joseph who honorably chose to put Mary away quietly rather than have her stoned for “infidelity” & who was then also visited by an angel of God & told that the child Mary carried was the Son of the Most High God & would someday save the world from their sins… the traveling to fulfill the king’s command… the inn where there was no room… the stable-like cave they were placed in as Mary gave birth to our Savior… the angels who sang & announced to the lowly shepherds the arrival of God-come-as-man for all mankind… the wise men who travelled far, offering gifts of honor….

And for them to end the whole re-telling of the first Christmas with an illuminated cross as the backdrop sent me sobbing to myself in my seat.

Christmas Grace, Christmas Mercy, Christmas LOVE

This precious, sweet infant Jesus… God in flesh… He came willingly to earth so He could love us in person & display His truth & mercy & grace & LOVE… knowing He ALSO came to die… for us

And this was God’s plan all along.

… Not just since the first Christmas, but since BEFORE TIME. God ALWAYS knew that Jesus would come as man & live as Emmanuel “God with us” to eventually die in our place to make us right with God.

What mercy! What grace! What wonderful LOVE!

The Struggle Is REAL

There are so many things struggling for our attention during this season:  Christmas cards (our close friends & family are getting ‘New Year cards’ this year, haha), cookie-baking, caroling, shopping, wrapping, decorating, cooking, cleaning, planning, parties, church services, driving to see the lights, & all the hustle & bustle of the holidays.

But one must take the time to quiet their heart & remember…

The Most Wonderful Gift Can’t be Bought

Remember the beautiful gift of Jesus Who willingly came to pay for our sins on the cross.

He was God-with-us. He was the most impactful, life-changing, life-sacrificing, LOVING gift we will ever receive on any Christmas for all time. He topped the charts… ALL the charts.

So, take a moment right now to close your eyes & take a few deep, slow breaths… quiet your heart & mind from all the crazy going on around you… & thank Him. Let your heart feel the blessing that is JESUS.

My Christmas Prayer

“Lord, we don’t deserve You. I mean, we are sometimes SO BUSY that it’s hard to even remember that You’re still with us. Thank You for coming… for giving us a JOYFUL & beautiful reason to celebrate this season. You are such a loving gift to us. We can get so wrapped up in everything this season has become & miss the most beautiful, life-changing part. Help our hearts to take some time to reflect on You & to express our gratitude & to somehow point to You & give You the glory You so rightly deserve during this holiday season. THANK YOU. Thank You that Your immense love for us demanded that You rescue us. You couldn’t bear to leave us to ourselves because Your love for us is so complete & all-consuming. You ARE love. Thank You that despite how often we disregard or disrespect You, whether stubbornly intentional or naively unaware… You still love us so fiercely & Your love for us cannot be drowned out by anything. How deep, how wide, & how GREAT Your love for us is. Thank You for this Christmas & all it means to me & to all of us. THANK YOU. Amen.”

Merry Christmas!

These are my reflections this Christmas as I seek to remember the reason we all have to celebrate Christmas this year & every year to come! Amen!

Merry Christmas Beautiful! I pray that you realize just how much He loves you & is always with you, no matter what. He loves you so much!

Shine HOPE this Christmas by pointing to Him as your hope & joy this holiday. <3

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Northern Lights Studs (India)

These studs hold labradorite stone, displaying multiple captivating colors that vary in different exposures to light, just like the Northern Lights themselves. (Flash-plated posts.)

Artisan Information:

The women we partner with in India do so much more than just create beautiful products. With every purchase, another woman is empowered out of poverty to be self-reliant! Women have the opportunity to earn an income, attend financial management classes, & receive education & healthcare. These women are now able to give their family a promising future because of your purchase!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in India!

How You Can Help:

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

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

Trying to Find My Place

Have you ever felt like you don’t measure up to anyone else’s expectations?

Do you ever feel like the oddball? Or is it just me…?

Maybe you feel too loud… or too quiet.

Maybe your interests don’t seem to line up with anyone else’s & you feel like you don’t quite “fit in” anywhere?

Maybe you never were that good at sports or maybe you lack a green thumb or maybe your craft DIY projects look more like a 3-year old who got into the craft supplies.

Maybe everyone else seems to mingle with ease, while you stuff your face with whatever food they have to offer, sitting as far away from the awkward social interactions as possible. (*coughdonethatcough*)

Have you ever felt like the “ugly duckling” of the group? Like you don’t fit in & don’t measure up & just don’t belong anywhere?

I have. Oh, I have.

I grew up feeling super shy. I know, some of you may not believe that, but boy is it true!

I was so desperate to fit in & “belong.”

“Do You Like Me? Check Yes or No.”

I remember being in 4^th grade & I felt so ashamed that I didn’t have a crush on anyone because that seemed to be the talk of every girl on the playground, so I picked a guy at random whom I thought was cute & would “gush” about him so I would feel part of the normal girl crowd.

Lame, I know.

Don’t worry… On the last day of school, since I no longer would have a playground circle of girls discussing their current crushes… I wrote him a note that said I decided I didn’t like him anymore.

OUCH, I know… but honestly, I think he was probably quite relieved because boy were my “love” notes LAME. “Do you like me? Check yes or no.” He ALWAYS checked NO… or more like circled it several times, highlighted it, & drew several arrows toward it. (Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but sadly too close to reality, haha.)

My Super Power Is Being Socially Awkward

Maybe you’re thinking, “Well Michelle, that was 4th grade. EVERYONE was awkward at that age.” Well, I wish I could say it stopped back then.

It’s ridiculous the things we can do to be liked, isn’t it? And trust me, the examples of mine did NOT end in 4^th grade, although I REALLY wish I could honestly say that they did.

A majority of my most embarrassing moments, which I can usually laugh about now, were due to me just trying too dang hard to be liked by everyone else.

“Please Like Me!!”

Even my dating years consisted of me trying tirelessly to be the “perfect” girlfriend while trying to NEVER assert my own opinions or feelings, afraid to be considered too much of a burden.

I kept my real self locked away & I tried to be everything they could ever want: flirty, fun, supportive, good listener, funny, laughing at their jokes, agreeing with everything, trying to match my interests to theirs, wanting so badly to just be accepted & wanted, not realizing I wasn’t even giving them a fair chance to do so, locking the real me away.

The silly things we do to be loved. And wanted.

Trying Too Hard

I used to hear things about God’s love for me & never really got it. I would hear that my “identity is in Him & not in me trying to be enough.” I didn’t know what that meant either.

A majority of my life can be summed up by me trying to be what I thought everyone wanted or expected from me… always feeling like I never quite got it right.

Basically, the phrase “trying too hard” was an accurate summary of my life.

It makes people uncomfortable when they can tell you’re trying too hard. And yet, I didn’t feel I was good enough on my own & was always over-compensating.

The Things We Do to be Liked

Maybe you read this & think, “Michelle, you are exaggerating… I have NEVER felt this way about you!” Well, thanks for lying… haha… but really, some of you may be thinking, “Oh yeah, I definitely have gotten that vibe from you. This explains so much.”

But, while I still struggle with insecurity & feeling like I fit in sometimes, I have grown SO MUCH in this area because of one beautiful & simple thing… I started understanding those 2 things I mentioned about God & how that impacts where I “FIT.”

Where We Stand with God

I think a lot of us who grow up in church take for granted “churchy” phrases they may have heard their whole lives, while never really grasping their significance or even their meaning, while those who don’t know Jesus just have no clue, period.

So, let’s take some time to hopefully remind us all, including awkward, lovely me, where we stand with God… to hopefully help us overcome this strong, pulling desire to be liked, wanted, & to fit in with those around us.

How Do We KNOW God Loves Us?

Let’s start at the beginning… the before-the-world-even-BEGAN, beginning. Our Alpha & Omega God.

God knew He was going to make you even then. He knew all the ways you would fail, in the small & big things. He knew. And yet, not only did His plan to make you remain, but He also made sure there would be a plan in place, through Jesus coming to die on our behalf & rise again victorious, to make you right before God again & restore that relationship FOR you. Our Creator, Redeemer God.

Then He made Earth, full of beauty & all you would need to survive, sustaining you & helping you to live a life of JOY. Beautiful sights to behold: sunsets, waterfalls, flowers, animals, stars, oceans, mountains, fish, birds… Smells that delight the senses… Textures that comfort, relax, refresh, invigorate… Sounds that soothe, uplift, encourage, comfort, surprise… Tastes that make you mmmmmmmm. He made all that possible for you to enjoy. Yes, it is broken by sin, but there is still SO MUCH beauty to enjoy. Our Wise, Creative & Lavishing-of-Love God.

How Do We Determine Our TRUE Identity?

Then He made YOU, individual, unique, crafted by hand, knit together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-16), designed by GOD. He made not only humanity, but YOU… specifically YOU. Your identity is wrapped up in the fact that He made you with a design & a purpose that He worked out for you ahead of time & that you will discover more as you lean into His guidance & lead… Our Creator & Father God.

AND, He sent Jesus to die on your behalf, before you were even born, so that when you realized your need for Him, He would be ready with open arms to welcome you home… Jesus having paid the price of your rebellion & mistakes & all you have to do is ACCEPT that gift to you. Your identity is wrapped up in His grace for you, paying your debt & making you whole once more. Our Redeemer, Rescuer God.

With You Every Step of Life

AND, He had the Bible written for you. His Word. To us. Instructions, advice, & a story laced throughout with love & redemption for a people prone to wander. A people like you & me. His grace is His message (John 11:25). We can TRUST His Word & OBEY it because it was ALL meant to show us what is the BEST of life. A life lived with trusting love for our All-Knowing, All-Wise, LOVING God.

AND, He doesn’t stop there. He HELPS you with that plan He has just for you… your unique story, written by God. He offers His GRACE. He offers His wisdom & strength & hope & peace & love & joy & guidance & He makes a way. He is MASTER of the IMPOSSIBLE. He turns ashes to beauty (Isaiah 61:3) & He works ALL THINGS together for the GOOD of those who love Him & are trusting His way (Romans 8:28). Our Author, Sustainer, Helping God.

The Grand Splendor Awaits!

And when you die, if you have but accepted God’s fully paid for grace, through Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf, you are welcomed with OPEN ARMS into a place called Heaven, where there is no more death, no more tears, & no more sadness or grief (Revelation 21:4). A place full of wonder & awe, praising this all-powerful God who loves us so incredibly much. Our King of kings, Lord of lords GOD.

And that is why you can accept His love for you & trust that He’s got you. Because it’s not based at all on whether you are good enough, but that HE IS.

Far Beyond Understanding, But Fulfilling Beyond Words

He LOVES you beyond anything we can ever understanding & so far outside anything another person could try to mimic. He sees you completely, past & present, hidden & revealed, pride & shame, EVERYTHING… & He says, “I love you. Come to me.”

How much FREEDOM this gives us! Hallelujah!

I don’t have to be what I think others want of me… I just have to be who God MADE me to be… & if I don’t know what that is because my whole perception of myself is built up around what others have expected or told me… trauma & fears… & all my mistakes… I (& you) can go to Him & ASK HIM.

Asking God How HE Made Me

“God, I don’t know how you made me, to be honest. This person says I need to be like this & culture says I need to be like that. Friends all do this & society seems to believe this… I don’t know what’s true about me anymore. I DON’T KNOW WHO I AM. God, please show me. If You MADE me, then ONLY YOU would really know who I am & who I am meant to be. Help me sift through the lies. Help me to see the truth… Your design. Help me know how to trust You. Help me see the me You made me to be. I am tired of always trying to live up to everything. It’s exhausting & confusing & feels so fake. Help me know the truth. Set me free from expectations. Help me have the confidence to stand on who YOU say I am & not need anyone or anything else to define me or give me my worth. Help me, please, Father, Creator, Loving GOD. Help me. I love you. AMEN.”

I prayed that more times than I can count growing up. I got so tired of the game to fit in. I didn’t know who I was. I was lost & tired of holding up the façade I thought others expected from me.

I URGE YOU… pray similarly. If you have resonated with a single thing I’ve said today… pray that prayer.

His Word & Design Trump ALL ELSE

Let HIM shape you. Let HIS design define you. Let HIS love for you, a love that could never be used up or exhausted, let it FILL YOU.

You don’t need to impress me because the God who made you is so overwhelmed with love for you that He made you, knowing you’d leave Him, set a plan in place to redeem you, & has a story written singularly just for you, WITH HIS HELP as you lean into Him, all wrapped in His love, strength, hope, joy, grace, wisdom, understanding, & power.

He’s got you, babe. Oh, how He’s got you!

Stand in Confidence!

Let Him love you & then shine His grace to this hurting, bleeding world. It’s THE most valuable use of life to shout the praises of the One who made the world, saved the world, & loves it in His infinite grace, welcoming us all to come & accept His beautiful design & to dismiss the rest of that mess in which we tend to cling to so tightly.

He’s got you.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Bombolulu Earrings from Kenya

These hammered earrings are made from heavy-gauged metal.

Artisan Information:

In Kenya, where many people struggle with starvation & poverty, the women we partner with are defying the odds! Your purchase empowers these women to earn an income, overcome physical disabilities, & become important parts of their communities!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in Kenya!

How You Can Help:

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

Your purchases not only help these women, but my commissions allow me to continue encouraging women all around the world with the HOPE we have in Jesus. Win win!

Undeserved

Have you ever stopped to consider just how little we deserve grace?

I know it’s hard for me to consider this fact because it is so easy to only consider my intentions & to always try to look at myself in a more positive light.

Pretty Good on the Outside, But…

When I was young, I got pretty good at keeping up appearances & trying to be the golden child who knew all the right answers. I still thrive on praise & once I figured that out, it became my goal to have people like me.

I thought being “good” was enough.

And even now, as an adult, I find it easy to consider the few accolades I receive & just bury the negative aspects of myself, pretending they don’t exist.

God Sees & God Knows

But those negative things about me do exist. And God sees every selfish decision, every refusal to run to Him for help, thus doing it my way, the wrong way. God sees it all. Every secret & every blemish that I try so hard to act as if it doesn’t exist.

Until I Face Hardship… Then It REALLY Shows

But when I am faced with something difficult, frustrating, &/or painful, those negative sides of me seem to shine beyond anything I can hide from myself.

Satan used to convince me that those less-than-appealing moments meant that I wasn’t really saved by God’s grace… that I obviously didn’t prove myself good enough.

But over the years of struggling through those fears & accusations, God has encouraged me with one very beautiful fact… Thank God, God’s grace is for everyone. And it’s NOT based on ME.

I Am NOT Good Enough… & Yet…

Me, even me, in all of my mess, a girl who could never earn the grace God offers, is offered it all the same.

You see, there is actually NOTHING I can do to earn it. Even in all of my good intentions, focusing hard on the accolades I receive & focusing just as hard on ignoring or justifying the not-so-pretty parts… I cannot even begin to earn it. And neither can you.

And that, Beautiful, is the most magnificently, spectacularly amazing fact that we can cling to in our darkest moments. We CAN’T earn it!

In the Beginning… God KNEW

Going back to before time began, God planned & designed humanity, the world, & all that is in it. And in that plan, before creation began, He KNEW we would betray Him, rebel, & have those negative aspects hidden from the world. He KNEW.

And yet, instead of saying, “You know what—they’re not worth it,” INSTEAD, He said, “So God created mankind in His own image. In the image of God, He created them; male & female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27) & “For God SO LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting LIFE.” (John 3:16)

He had a plan. A plan for our rescue. A plan for our redemption.

A plan of GRACE.

He Knew… He Planned… HE Rescued

“But God proves His love for us in that WHILE we were still sinners, Christ died FOR us.” (Romans 5:8) (Emphasis mine.)

He knew I would be this way, with my stubborn, selfish attitude, bent on gaining praise & maintaining comfort. He knew where my personal struggles would be.

And YET, He sent Jesus for me. And for YOU.

When I Tested Positive

I know, for me, it’s easy to forget all of this stuff about God’s grace. It’s easy to take for granted this beautiful gift.

And then, when I return from a trip, destined for 2 weeks of required home quarantine before getting covid-19 tested on day 10, only to then test positive & immediately get forced out of my home, away from my husband, into an isolation tower for an extra week… only to arrive at the end of my quarantine, waiting for the call that I am authorized for the release, all packed & ready to head home finally… to be told they made a mistake & decided to keep me ANOTHER EXTRA week in isolation (this time allowing me to actually be with my husband, just unable to ever leave our isolation apartment)…. After ALL of that, I spent my first day of our FOURTH isolation week in a complete feeling of just plain DEFEAT.

I cried before even calling my husband with the news, knowing we would be excited to finally see each other again, but also knowing I was meant to be on my way HOME & able to cook & take care of the both of us without relying on the generous kindness of our friends. (THANK YOU, FRIENDS!!!!)

Defeated

And I did NOT feel gracious. I felt bitter.

I felt defeated.

I stayed in bed most of that first day of my fourth week, having just moved, NOT home, but next door to where my husband was isolated (he tested positive a week after I did), in shock that my “guaranteed” release was really not so guaranteed after all. I felt too defeated to try to pass time pleasantly.

I just wanted to sleep the next week away, sedated, numb, & unaware that I was still STUCK there.

I Knew God Could Help Me… But I Didn’t WANT It

And in those moments of wretched bitterness & just numb lack of care about anything… I knew I could turn to God. I KNEW He could help me.

But I didn’t WANT it. I WANTED to feel bitter & angry, as if this whole mess of a process DESERVED my bitterness.

I wanted to write angry letters & be rude & give them a piece of my mind for tossing about my hope & kicking it to the curb. I was MAD. And TIRED of the whole mess.

My Weaknesses Awaken My Awareness of God’s GRACE

And I knew in my heart that I was behaving with a terrible attitude & refusing God, turning my back on Him in my anger.

And eventually, my heart began to ache in recognizing my own stubborn selfishness. My heart began to recall the lavished grace of God in contrast to me spitting my stubborn anger back at Him.

And God’s GRACE began to trickle into my heart like a shining beacon of HOPE. That even when I deserve it LEAST. Even when I am stubborn & rude. EVEN when I INSIST on a nasty attitude toward someone… And even though God sees it ALL…. There is His grace.

Not I, But CHRIST

He didn’t ask me to prove myself. He didn’t ask me to be perfect first. He didn’t ask me to show a good enough track record. He didn’t even give me a single chance at any of that… because HE HAD ALREADY PAID FOR IT IN FULL.

He didn’t shame me for my shameful behavior, He just whispered His grace into my restless, frustrated heart, reminding my hurting heart of His great love for me in the midst of my aching, pained frustration.

That’s how much He loves me. And YOU.

God Loves Us, Even At Our Worst… & Even Our Worst Enemy

And that’s why He asks us to extend grace, UNDESERVED GRACE, to others, too. Because He wants us to remember that THAT is how much He loves every single human being on earth today, eternity past, & eternity future.

But not only does He GIVE us grace… & not only does He ask us to remember His great love for every person, meaning He wishes US to extend grace to THEM… BUT, He ALSO offers His help to do it.

Guys, this blows my mind.

God’s Love Isn’t Limited by How Much We “Deserve” It

When I am filled with anger & resentment & frustration & I am stubbornly clinging to it, unwilling to relinquish my feelings toward those who wrong or hurt me… I can ASK God to help me give grace.

Because God loves that person, too.

Because God loves me.

God Cares for Us

And sitting in my room, cross-legged on my impossibly hard mattress in my isolation tower for the FOURTH week of isolation from the outside world, hands in my lap, staring blankly at the wall in defeat… I hear that whisper across my heart, “Give them grace, Michelle. And ask Me for help because I will help you do what feels impossible to you right now.”

And after hours of fighting against that whisper, stubbornly wanting to cling to my bitterness… I sigh. I release the wall I was building… And I ask Him to help me get through & to help me be gracious in my frustrating situation.

And He did.

Again… Not I, But Christ

I am by NO means the one you need. I can’t offer you any hope. I am just a person, frail & flawed like you.

But God is higher than me. He is greater than you.

And His love & grace are higher still.

Thank GOD, God’s grace is for EVERYONE.

Even me.

It’s Not About You, But HIM

(“Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain-He washed it white as snow.” Click the link to hear the song & let the beautiful truth of its words wash over you.)

It’s not about the bad or wrong you’ve done… the past you regret or hide… or about any of the negatives you try to justify or cover up in yourself.

It’s not about good you’ve done… the accolades & praise you get… or about anything you try to shine relentlessly to prove yourself.

Jesus Paid It All… All to Him I Owe

It’s about a Man, God in flesh, whose plan ALL ALONG was to provide our rescue & redemption. A free gift bought with His life… that He offered willingly to save you.

It’s about a Man named JESUS CHRIST & how He resurrected after death, claiming victory over both our SIN & the despair of death.

It’s about Jesus offering His nail-pierced hands to us & saying, “For God so loved the world [that means YOU] SO MUCH that He sent [Me-Jesus Christ], His only begotten Son, to die willingly on your behalf (while you were still a sinner) that if you but BELIEVE on Me, you will not live a life of death, but will live life abundantly & with a promise of abundant life everlasting.” (Paraphrase. See John 3:16, Romans 5:8, John 10:10, & Matthew 16:25)

Thank God, God’s Grace Is for Everyone!

This is a call to remember that God’s grace is for everyone.

God’s grace is for me.

God’s grace is for you.

And God’s grace is even for the person(s) you feel are LEAST deserving… Because God loves them, too.

God’s Got Me

Humble yourself before His GREAT love for you. Extend that same great love to others. And ask for God’s help in living for Him, His way, trusting Him EVERY step of the way—even if you get stuck in isolation with Covid for FOUR weeks, to include your birthday & Thanksgiving.

God has a plan. Even in that. And I will yet praise Him because I know He’s got me.

And I will take that deep sigh… & ask God to help me release the bitterness & embrace GRACE.

Shine hope by receiving God’s grace & extending it to others (with God’s help, of course), darling. It’s totally worth it.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week.

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Mirage Earrings

With just a touch of glimmer these earrings are fun and easy to wear.

Artisan Information:

In Asia, poverty leads many women to being sexually exploited in brothels. These women want to provide for their families but have so few options. Through your purchase, women are being rescued from these brothels & rehabilitated. Holistic care is given to these women, including a shelter, job training, healthcare, counseling, & educational grants for artisans & their children. You can help these women experience restoration for their future!

How You Can Help:

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

A Story of a Girl

She sat in front of the mirror, studying her reflection.

Her smile faltered & she let it fade completely from her face, too tired to maintain the façade in the private of her own room.

“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered quietly to herself, feeling the weight of the world on her back. “Why am I the only one who can’t seem to get her life together? Why do I feel like I have to fake it through life? Isn’t there more to this? What’s wrong with me?”

She was too tired to cry tonight, too tired of feeling so useless & weak. Every day she looked around at everyone smiling & they all seemed to somehow have discovered the secret to happiness & success that she couldn’t quite figure out. They all were so confident & capable. They had their life together.

“But not me.” The weight of her words hit her & she almost let herself cry, but not this time. She wouldn’t give in to the tears again. She would try harder next time & she would stop being such a big baby.

What could God do for her anyway? Does He even see all she has done? No, there was no redeeming that. Her best bet was to just suck it up & try harder next time. “Where did that come from? God? Why did I think of Him?”

Some people told her “God” could make it better… through… Jesus? But they were diluted & wishful thinking their troubles away. What a bunch of fake people. What could God do anyway? He couldn’t just magically make her not suck at life. And what’s the point? Everyone struggles, so what? This is just life. You learn to suck it up, get tougher skin, & just try again & sometimes you get it right & sometimes you don’t. That’s just life. And everyone else seems to be doing just fine that way.

Her friend had told her the other day that “Jesus” can help her. “HA. I don’t need help. So, I cry sometimes? So what? Everyone has bad days & everyone seems just fine with it, so obviously I just need to tough it out until I figure it out.”

Something didn’t sit right with her when she said those words out loud.

Can it get better? Was she missing out? “No, I will just keep going & keep trying. I’ll be fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

Everyone Else Seems Just Fine, But Are They?

Have you ever felt like the fictional girl in this story? I most definitely have.

Before I surrendered more of my life to God, thinking I was saved from Hell & that was the end of it, I didn’t realize God meant to help me in life, TOO.

We look around at the world around us & it seems life everyone else just has it figured out, while we feel like the losers who just can’t seem to get it right.

Everyone else is doing these things the Bible calls sin & yet they seem confident in it & their life seems perfect, so we question God.

But what we often fail to realize is that every person, whether they have stuffed it so deep under denial that it can’t be seen or whether they cry alone in their room at night like the girl in the above story, EVERY person struggles when they turn away from God’s ways to do it their own way. EVERY person.

We Need More Than Ourselves

That’s because God has 100% PERFECT wisdom, knowledge, & understanding, so when He tells us to avoid stuff, it’s NOT so He can control us & deprive us of enjoying life in some strange, narcissistic demand… It’s out of LOVE… For US.

My aunt shared a quote from a pastor saying something along the lines of, “Satan has tricked so many of us into thinking that the way to “prove” our faith is to try everything WITHOUT God’s help, to prove God has given us all we need to do it on our own…. When in reality, TRUE faith recognizes our very real NEED for God in every aspect of life.”

The Big Lie

You see, we’re lied to. We’re told that if it doesn’t feel right when we “sin”, we just need to toughen up because everyone else seems just fine with it. (Sin is real, so that is not the reason for the “” but rather that we don’t always like accepting sin as sin when we have good intentions, am I right?)

Taken Out of Context

Think of it in the realm of SEX. That’s right, I’m going there….

Culture tells us that anywhere with anyone at anytime is natural & fine & normal… that it makes us feel loved & wanted. I mean, watch any chic flick—a sex scene, even an implied one, is almost inevitable in every one of them.

Now, GOD tells us that He MADE sex to be ENJOYED between MAN & WIFE.

He ALSO warns us to AVOID it OUTSIDE of marriage.

So, sex is made by God—to be enjoyed—but culture has corrupted that gift & blessing of God to encourage “enjoying” it in almost any context & definitely in the ways God clearly instructs us to avoid—because He KNOWS it will end up hurting us when taken out of context.

Sin Hurts

And here’s the thing, we can engage in “impure” activities whether that be casual sex, anything-but-sex impurity, pornography, etc. AKA outside of the guidelines God designed for sex to be enjoyed… & CONVINCE ourselves that because EVERYONE else seems A-Okay with it (see almost every romcom & most television nowadays), that our emptiness or hollow after-effects must be OUR personal weakness & problem that WE need to GET OVER. (I have been there!)

But it hurts quite simply because it’s a corruption of something God meant to be GOOD & pure & whole & free of scars/betrayal/trauma/etc., IN MARRIAGE.

God Can Redeem All Things

I must remind us right here, for those of US (*me included), who have messed this whole thing up & given in to the corruption of God’s desired blessing for us to enjoy/

(I always thought sexual impurity before marriage only meant “don’t have sex”—I was wrong & I got hurt as a result.)

GOD CAN REDEEM ANYTHING.

There is NOTHING outside of God’s power to redeem, renew, & restore.

He is so good to us in that NO MATTER how badly we feel we have screwed everything up—He is always waiting with open arms & a grace-filled heart toward us.

Loving, Perfect Instruction

Let me shift some perspectives here. It’s easy to see God as the giant RULE-GIVER in the sky, looking to control all of us & determine our faith by how readily we give up all fun to follow His rules instead of enjoying life.

But that is INCORRECT.

God IS Love. He EQUALS Love.

He also has infinite, 100% PERFECT wisdom, understanding, & knowledge.

So, when He tells you, “Don’t Do That or Such & Such Will Happen,” it is less a threat (Read: NOT a threat), but is rather LOVING, PERFECT instruction.

He Created Life to be GOOD, but Sin Has Distorted So Much

He knows WHAT will hurt us & HOW & in WHAT context.

He created sex, but knows if treated carelessly or shared with multiple people, the pleasantness distorted by sin (our way versus God’s way) turns to ache & hurt & hollow hearts.

And some of you may think to yourselves, in trying to justify your non-terrible intentions, “Well, we plan to MARRY, so therefore, it’s totally fine!” But, what if both parties, completely in agreement, plan to marry, but one gets hit by a bus & passes away. Now you have had sex with “Not your husband.”

Trusting Self or Trusting God?

When we try to alter God’s commands, trusting our own limited human judgement over God’s infinite perfect wisdom, we are bound to feel its affects in a negative way, not because God is punishing us, but rather because He instructed us away from it KNOWING it would hurt us… & He doesn’t want us hurt.

Does He punish us as a Father disciplining His children away from what will ultimately hurt them? Yes. But consequences of sin are not punishment, they’re just what happens when blessings are corrupted by sin & taking it out of the context of how it was designed to bless us.

Living Our Way Always Hurts Us & Others… & God

Someone once said, “A Christian who lives in sin is one of the most miserable people in existence, because part of them knows they are being disobedient, but they push that down & justify it, as their hearts break & the rift in their relationship with God grows wider.”

And even non-Christians, aka those who have not surrendered their sin to Jesus to cover their debt to God. Even non-Christians can look around, see everyone else depicted in social media, mainstream media, family, friends, CULTURE that everyone else seems just fine with it, even promoting it… so they feel their heartache is unique to them… a weakness they just need to “get over.”

But listen to this, dear one, “Satan came to steal, kill, & destroy, but JESUS came that we may have life & to have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

An Undeserved GRACE

God designed life. He gave us His perfectly wise instruction. We tossed it in the trash for our version of what seemed better to us. We feel the weight of it. We hurt from it. But Jesus died for every ME-choice we made in rejecting God’s perfect, loving wisdom. HE took our punishment on Himself when He died on the cross (because the punishment of sin is death & hell). And He ROSE AGAIN, VICTORIOUS over that sin & over death. And He welcomes us to Himself, free of charge, saying, “I have already paid your price. You are forgiven. You are free.” And all we have to do is accept our need of Him, bow our hearts in grateful surrender, pour out our sin in asking forgiveness & mercy. And He gives GRACE. Not just freeing you from the PUNISHMENT you DESERVE, but GIVING YOU LIFE in its place.

What a GOOD God, indeed!!!!!!!!!

There Is HOPE

Don’t resign to live the rest of your life “surviving.” Ask God to help you learn to do it HIS way, His 100% PERFECT WISDOM, 100% PERFECT UNDERSTANDING, & 100% PERFECT KNOWLEDGE way!

Be willing to let Him change your mind.

And we were never meant to be able to do it all on our own… we were meant to NEED God. No shame in being human just like everyone else.

You may have exhausted your attempts to change or fix it or get better or be stronger or just get over it… But God is bigger than you.

So, ASK HIM, Beautiful. And even ask Him to help you bow to & learn to do it HIS way.

Ask Him to help you trust Him more.

And Shine HOPE, through His GRACE.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week!

A Note from Michelle:

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

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Inverted Capiz Earrings

These earrings feature shimmery, creamy white capiz shells, each framed by a black edge.

Artisan Information:

In the Philippines, finding employment as a woman in poverty can be extremely difficult. Poor working conditions, lack of job security, & unfair pay are often the realities. Through your purchase, these women are receiving an income, health care, & social development programs. This allows these women to realize their potential & pursue their dreams in a safe environment. You have the opportunity to change lives!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in the Philippines!

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

What Does It Mean to “Give God Glory”?

First of all, let’s address the “churchy” phrase of “giving God the glory.”

I had heard that phrase in church growing up, but it never really clicked as to what exactly that meant. It sort of seemed like a, “Yeah, yeah, I know… Don’t mess up… Be a good person… Give God credit for stuff… Got it.”

But let’s start by recognizing that, first of all, none of us are “good people,” & second of all, glorifying God is less about us & more about Him.

To give God the glory simply means to put His love, goodness, power, grace, etc. on display… & to make Him famous/known.

We Were Made to Give God Glory

At first, this seemed arrogant to me, I mean really, make a bunch of humans & a whole world for them to worship you on. But that was Satan’s way of twisting the truth.

The Truth is that God knew we would reject Him in one way or another & live OUR way. He knew we would not be able to correct the mess we make as a result.

BUT, He also knew His love could cover us & so set in motion a plan to redeem us from before we were ever even made–Jesus was His plan all along.

We are MEANT to glorify God, not to satisfy His ego, but to display His love, forgiveness, & GRACE to mankind.

A HOPE-Filled Solution for a Sin-Torn World

THAT is why we are to live to give Him glory—to spend our whole lives & purpose striving to put His grace on display, filled with His patience, grace, love, tenderness, & His POWER to SAVE.

I have long heard the quote, “But WHY would a “good” God send ANYONE to Hell??!” But again, Satan is twisting the Truth into a LIE.

The true question, seeing as how God created us, knowing we would rebel & thus setting in motion a plan for our redemption… The TRUE questions is not “why would a good God send anyone to Hell,” but rather…

“WHY would anyone CHOOSE Hell over a GOOD God??!”

The Truth Satan Wants Us to Miss

God fulfilled the plan for our redemption, through perfect, sinless Jesus (God-come-as-man AKA Emmanuel, “God with us”) who WILLINGLY took on the wrath deserved for our sins upon Himself & DIED humbly FOR US, rising again-victorious over both sin & death.

All we are asked to do is to admit our wrongs against God to Him, accept our need for Him, & ask for His grace to cover us. That’s it.

Why would anyone choose Hell over a Good God?

And THAT is why we live to glorify Him. THAT is why it is our life-mission/purpose to bring Him GLORY. Because He loves us that much. Because He wants EVERYONE to know there is TRUE HOPE they can COUNT ON, found only in Him.

How Is That Reflected in Your Life?

And so I ask us this, what are we doing in life to reflect this honorable & loving God-given purpose?

Are we living for ourselves? Are we living just to get through the day? Are we living numb & shut off? Are we living trapped in trauma? Are we living the lies that Satan bottle feeds us daily?

Or… Are we laying down our longings for TRUST that HE IS SUFFICIENT… & asking God to help us find our satisfaction more in Him & less in stuff &/or lifestyle?

… Are we laying down our daily mundane woes or rushed existence to ask God the purpose He has designed for us to give Him glory? … Asking Him how WE can be a part of HIS grand mission to offer grace to the world?

… Are we asking God to help us fight where we feel trapped & broken, asking for healing & renewal & freedom from the pain that keeps us locked in place? Are we trusting He can do that?

… Are we refusing to let Satan write the narrative & instead, asking as in Psalm 139:24 to reveal where we need correction toward TRUTH & away from lies? “See if there is any offensive way in me, & lead me in the way everlasting.”

Show Up… & Let God

It is our time to stand up… to SHOW UP.

It is not up to you to save the world, but it is up to you to ask God where He will have you to go, & when… to let Him lead.

It is not reliant on your resolve, your strength, your wisdom, your courage, or anything else. It is GOD.

It is showing up daily & saying, “God, I am ready. Where do you want me? Give me the wisdom I need… the courage… the strength… the PEACE.”

Or even, “God, I CAN’T. I am nothing! I have NOTHING to offer! I am terrible at this. PLEASE HELP ME & be what I need as I seek to live for You.”

It is being slow to anger, slow to speak (for God) & QUICK TO LISTEN (to God) (James 1:9). It is having a Nehemiah heart of praying through every, “I don’t see how…” “I don’t know what to do…” “Give me the words to say….” It is realizing that WE aren’t their savior. But we know the One Who IS.

It is realizing that WE are WEAK… But HE is STRONG. … WE are FOOLISH… HE is ALL-WISE & ALL-KNOWING… WE have LIMITATIONS… HE does NOT. …WE FAIL… HE FORGIVES.

(***NOTE: I have linked those above Truths to Scripture on BibleGateway.com, so click on them to visit BibleGateway & read them for extra encouragement for just a glimpse of all God is capable.***)

Faith of a Mustard Seed…

Faith the size of a Mustard Seed–Not how big your faith is, but how big your God is.

It’s not being the faith giant that never doubts God & has perfect faith… it is humbly accepting our need of Him, our need of growth, & asking for HIS HELP. It’s not “proving” our faith by doing it all ourselves, it is proving our faith by recognizing our need for His help & ASKING for it every step!

It is not WILL-POWER… But HIS POWER.

Give God the Glory in it ALL

Giving God glory can be done in EVERY part of life, big & small.

Even if it is displayed in how you parent… In how you treat those around you… in how you answer a co-worker or friend’s questions…. Even in the little things, we can point to Him as our hope in it all… We can GIVE Him GLORY.

Shine Hope by living for Him… surrendering your will to His way… surrendering your efforts to His help… by living a life that puts His grace on display wherever you go. Not perfect, but PROGRESS.

He gives grace, not just in death, but all along the journey of life.

He’s worth the glory, so let’s seek to give it whenever humanly possible, with His help every step along the way.

Point to Him as the HOPE we ALL so desperately need. In how you bow your needs to Him, your desires, your fears, your hopes, your everything. Point to Him in it all. THAT is giving God glory.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

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

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week!

A Note from Michelle:

This blog/website has been running for TWO years now! Thank you for your continued support & encouragement. <3

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

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

Fashion as a Force for GOOD:

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

Nairobi Necklace

Small hammered ovals & ethically sourced bone shapes adorn this golden necklace that shimmers in the light. Crafted in Kenya.

Artisan Information:

In Kenya, where many people struggle with starvation & poverty, the women we partner with are defying the odds! Your purchase empowers these women to earn an income, overcome physical disabilities, & become important parts of their communities!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in Kenya!

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