Sometimes…

Sometimes, life isn’t so pretty. Sometimes, insecurities win. Sometimes, we let our desire to be good outweigh the good that God is actually calling us to do.

Whatever distractions are holding you back personally, my biggest one is doubt.

I always doubt whether my actions are led by a desire to feel or seem good, or whether they are actually led by God’s will.

Am I living to glorify myself or to glorify God?

Am I living to please man or to please God?

Am I living by my wisdom or God’s?

It is so hard to navigate some of these feelings & sometimes it makes us want to just quit & hide away in comfort. (At least, that’s how it makes me feel).

And Today…

Today, I struggled yet again with these doubts.

I don’t know all the answers. I don’t know whether God will empower me to continue this blog or to shut it down to go wherever else He may be calling me, but until I figure that out, I will keep seeking God’s direction & I will keep seeking to honor Him.

Letting My Heart Show

The following prayer resulted from brain fog. Every week seems like a battle of the will to show up & write a blog & I am constantly doubting whether it is God’s will or whether I am just trying to feel like I am doing good. (Or whether Satan is just trying to keep me from shining any light of hope into this world).

Please pray this openly & ask God to show you His will for Your life. Don’t settle for hiding. Don’t settle for less. Don’t let excuses rule your day. God is bigger. God is able.

My Prayer

“Dear God,

I am not worthy to write this blog. Why did this come in my path? Are you asking me to do this, or is it my way to not feel like I am wasting my life? I say I want to serve You, but does my life really display that as reality? Or am I just wanting to feel good about myself?

I don’t think I can do this blog. I don’t want to do this blog. I don’t feel like I have anything worthy to say that could do any real good in anyone’s life.

Is this Your way of telling me to quit the blog or is Satan trying to dim Your light in my life? It is easy for me to believe the latter because this seems like something that would honor You, but at the same time, I have so distanced myself from You over my years of bitterness that I don’t know if I can always accurately discern Your voice anymore.

I wonder sometimes if I should give up working with Trades of Hope, too, because I have failed so miserably in representing them & in supporting my team. I wonder sometimes if I should quit my Facebook page community because I am so scattered & not always professional & others seem to not even be interested in it. I want to quit this blog because I wonder what good I could realistically do for You.

I feel like a failure at everything I try to do for You. Does this mean You don’t want me doing it? Or are You trying to teach me to rely on You instead of myself?

Show me what You want from me. Make Your voice clear amidst the insecurities & fears & facing the unknown. Show me what YOU want from me.

I know that oftentimes, we like to jump to do good & claim that it’s Your will when You might have a completely different plan for us that we’re avoiding because we think we have already figured things out for You.

I don’t want that. I want YOUR will. I want to shine YOUR light. Not mine.

I feel so conflicted that I just want to slam my laptop shut & never try blogging again.

I want to quit Trades of Hope & blogging & doing LIVE videos & all of it.

I don’t want to feel this conflict anymore. It was easier when I did nothing.

I want to sit on the couch & try to tune out the hurts in the world. I want to stay in pjs & watch tv & try not to care. I want so badly to be comfortable!

But then it isn’t any easier when I do nothing because I feel the pain of seeing a hurting world pass me by & then knowing I am doing nothing to make it any better.

I am a mess. I don’t deserve to be used by You. I don’t deserve for anyone to listen to me.

I have scars & a past & insecurities & weaknesses & areas of intense pride & I struggle being gracious to the flaws of others & I constantly choose comfort over You or the people of this world that You love so much who are hurting so much.

I don’t deserve to be a part of anything You are doing in this world.

I just want to be used by You & I don’t know how.

I don’t know how, God. Please show me Your will.

I don’t want to just do things that make me feel good about myself. I want to do Your will. I want to follow Your call. I want to join in where You are already working.

Not my will, but Yours be done.

Whether I quit this blog or whether You ask me to continue writing & continue allowing myself to be vulnerable for all the world to judge. Shine through it. Even if you ask me to do something harder than this. Your will. Not mine.

I am tired of making excuses & hiding from what I don’t yet know or understand.

Be the Light & shine a path for me.

Use me how You will, God. Make me Your vessel. Shine through my brokenness. Make me Your ambassador.

Show me Your will.

I am tired of trying to force goodness. I am tired of fighting against my excuses. I am tired of trying to be strong on my own. I am tired of being dragged down by the idol of Comfort. I am tired of living for me. I am tired of fighting You.

True strength & power & wisdom & peace & GOODNESS comes from You ALONE. Help me to stop trying to create it on my own, in my own strength. Help me to submit & to draw near to You.

Whatever is holding me back from Your will, remove it. Wherever I am hiding away, expose it with Your Truth. Wash me. Cleanse me. Renew my heart & mind & draw me back to Yourself.

I want to know You. I want to serve You out of LOVE & devotion. I want others to know Your love through how I live & how I love others. I want to be self-disciplined & productive in Your kingdom. I want to serve others by expressing Your love for them. I want a real faith defined by real action. I want to know & love You more.

Don’t give up on me.

In Jesus’ Powerful Name,

Amen.”

The Truth

The Truth? I don’t have it all together. Satan tries to discourage me. But when that happens, I have a choice. I can either choose to give up & stay where I’m at… forever… OR, I can take those fears, those doubts, those insecurities, & everything else that tries to hold me back to GOD. Because that’s when the real change can happen. That’s where the power is. Don’t give up… Give it to God.

Shine Hope, Lovelies. And don’t you ever give up.

Coming Up

This Thursday is time for our Special Feature blog post for this month! Check back Thursday morning for Part 2 of “A Love Story”! To catch up with Part 1 before Thursday, read it here.

Also, as always, check back next Monday morning for more encouragement.

I am praying that this reaches the women it was meant for. God sees you, Lovely.

A Note from Michelle:

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!!

Weekly Special Spotlight:

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

The Warrior Cuff

Empowering Women in India Out of Poverty!

This brass gold, hammered, stacked cuff opens in the back.

Artisan Information:

The poverty cycle in India continues primarily because of the lack of education. Most schools are not free or affordable. Therefore, many children never learn to read or write & grow up with limited opportunities. However, every purchase of this product empowers women to provide for their children & send them to school! You have the opportunity to end poverty & create an impact for generations to come!

Purchase this piece and empower a woman in India!

(*Also shown: Empire Earrings, made by artisans in India.)

Shop Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE, Lovely!

Getting Real

Being “Authentic” is a tricky topic for most people, including myself. I think it’s tricky because oftentimes, we aren’t completely sure what is the “real” us.

This may not seem to make sense, because it sounds so ridiculous, but the fact is that none of us really know who our authentic selves are—not completely or accurately anyway.

That sounds pretty crazy, but hopefully after we take some time to discuss it further, it will begin to make more sense.

We Should Know, Right?

In all logic, it seems that of all the people who should really know who we are on the inside,  it would be us, right?

But how well do we really know ourselves?

Let me explain.

We all have our perception of reality. This is sometimes labeled as “our truth” because it’s how we personally see the world around us & also how we see ourselves.

But is it always accurate?

Probably not so much.

Here’s why….

For starters, we were all shaped as children, by our surroundings. This could include, but is not limited to, childhood trauma, for example. But it can also be something as simple as the ideologies of our parents & how we were raised, as a result.

We Are Shaped By What We Know

Something so awful can happen to us, or even a subtle wrong… And it can often become etched into our minds as truth, even if it isn’t!

A common example of this would be seeing a parent abandon the family, thus “realizing” that marriages don’t really work… creating a fear of intimacy or long-term commitment.

Another example is hearing how your parent describes someone of a different nationality, upbringing, or even judging based on outside appearances such as weight.

We will often grow up with a prejudice built into our brains, as a result of this upbringing, that we are not even fully aware of as wrong or incorrect.

Image issues, insecurities, commitment or other phobias, etc. can be etched into our subconscious so deeply that we may not even see them as anything other than “just the way things are,” because they are “our truth.”

Our idea of truth can be completely wrong, but feel so completely right because it is all we have ever known.

Family Histories Often Seem Like FACT

Also, considering how we grew up or even our family histories, it can be ingrained in us even further that that is just the way life is, & that there is little we can do to change things.

Because it has been approved or acted upon for years, or decades even, it seems to us as factual.

So who are we really? How can we truly be authentic if we don’t have a clear picture as to who we really are?

Perception Doesn’t Always Equal Truth

The other thing to consider is perception.

Perception is a tricky thing because it is just how it sounds—it is OUR perception. It is simply how we perceive things to be, even if they are not actually that way,

We may even have something happen to us or around us, & we might perceive it as a specific turn of events or as a memory etched in our minds, when really, we misinterpreted the situation completely, whether for the better, or for the worse.

For example, seeing a grumpy look on someone’s face & assuming they dislike something about you, when really, someone may have just done something awful to THEM & they were struggling at hiding their physical facial reaction, which just happened to be aimed in your direction.

I could list TONS of other examples, but I think we can agree that this sort of thing has probably happened to us & we have probably inadvertently caused this same situation to happen to some other bystander.

Perception is a powerful influencer, but it is not always based on reality.

So Much Out There

There are so many outside factors that shape what we believe about who we are, even if many of them are lies.

So, considering these factors, how are we supposed to know who we really are?

Do you ever feel like you are living life, the best you know how, but something just never seems to fit? Like you don’t WANT to be “like that” or do “that” or live “that way”? But it just seems like it’s “just the way things are?”

Or maybe it seems like that is “just who YOU are” & you can’t change it?

I have struggled against that angst many times growing up.

But I oftentimes convince myself to just accept it & to flourish despite it (instead of changing my idea of who I really am based on actual facts or truth).

What the Heart Wants

We want to be “real” or “true to ourselves” but we often don’t REALLY know what that even looks like!

How confusing.

On top of those considerations, we sometimes want or long for things that are not actually what we want in the long run.

We can be so convinced that we have found what our heart so longs for, & then be completely wrong about it. (Keep reading… Hope is coming through all of this!)

Take my experience with my first serious relationship. I was so convinced that he was the absolute best man for me & I was ready to accept a ring & start a life of endless bliss with him.

I wanted it more than anything I had ever wanted!

I was sure of my decision–More sure than anything I had ever known.

But when I prayed about it, something just felt off. I never received peace, even though I was so sure that I wanted to be with this man forever & ever.

Obeying When We Don’t Understand

I obeyed that nudging from God through my lack of peace & I trusted God enough to let go, breaking my heart as well as his. It was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. But I don’t regret it, because I knew God was behind it & I trusted Him more than myself.

But then I met my husband, a decade or so later, & I realized that God had a better plan for me than I had had for myself. My husband didn’t seem like my “dreamboat” from first glance, the way the other man had, but the longer we are married (six years now), the more he seems tailored to fit my weaknesses & insecurities & past & future better than I imagined possible.

Long story short, I am so glad that I trusted God above my own fierce desires & temptations to believe that my heart knew better than God a decade earlier.

The Bible even speaks to this, “The heart is deceitful above all things… Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

“Be True to Self”

How can I trust myself to be “true to myself” when that understanding of myself is so often incorrect or incomplete?

And again (& in so many other verses as well), the Bible speaks to this: “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)

You see, because we don’t fully understand ourselves the way God does, we can’t really understand what will help or benefit us in the long run… We only have a marred & blurry glimpse into what we think we want or need right now, in this moment.

But God sees the full picture. He knows you inside & out. He sees your comings & goings, when you sit & when you rise (Psalm 139:2). He numbers every hair on your head (Luke 12:7). He knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). He sees all things & knows all things. Your past, present, & future are laid out before Him.

He Knows Us

He can be trusted to know us better than we know ourselves.

And here comes another doozy… We all want to be liked & accepted for “who we are,” even though we ourselves often do not know who that is.

We shape so many behaviors in this quest to find true love & acceptance for who we are. Sometimes we highlight what we believe to be better about ourselves & sometimes we hide away what we believe others can’t love.

We want so badly for someone to “get us”, the “real” us, but oftentimes, we are left wanting more, because we may not fully understand what will satisfy that longing fully & completely.

But here’s the thing… We will never be fully satisfied on this “hamster wheel” of trying to be “authentic” & “liked.”

We were meant to find our satisfaction & identity & worth in Jesus Christ.

God Wants You to Know Yourself Through HIS Design!

God made you for a relationship with Himself.

God MADE you. He KNOWS you.

So take the time to ask Him about HIS design for you. Be willing to toss out all presuppositions, perceptions, passions, or longings to ask Him what you were designed for & to show you what will actually satisfy you the way you are so desperately searching.

Ask Him.

I went through the same process & I was amazed, awed, & so glad I did!

I have a long way to go & many areas that I excuse or hide about myself because I think it’s just a part of me, but God knows better & I refuse to leave it at my own perception or even my own ability to change.

He is bigger & wiser & stronger & more powerful & more loving & more ABLE than we will ever comprehend.

So, ask Him!

Ask Him & Don’t Stop Asking Him

Refuse to accept the prison chains that hold you back or hold you down.

Ask Him to let His Truth set you free—for Good! (John 8:31-32)

Don’t settle for a façade. Don’t settle for anything less than the beautiful design that God intended for you, Lovely. Ask Him.

Coming Next Week

Join me next week for more encouragement on michellehydeonline.com! See you then!

A Note from Michelle:

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!!

Weekly Special Spotlight:

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

Stardust Studs

Empowering women out of poverty in India & Jordan!

These sterling silver stud earrings hold a white opaque moonstone.

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! Through these artisan groups, these women in India have the opportunity to earn an income, attend financial management classes, & receive education and healthcare. These women are now able to give their family a promising future because of your purchase!

Purchase this piece and empower a woman in India!

(*Also pictured: Sea Glass Necklace from Jordan)

Shop Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE, Lovely!

(*This is Part 2/2 of a Special Feature Short Story, called “Falling.” Check out Part 1/2, here!*)

******************

Having been awake for three days & having eaten what I soon discovered was rabbit meat (not my favorite, by the way), I was starting to feel a little more alert & a little more safe.

But as the initial fears of immediate danger & hunger wore off, I began to fear something even greater—the loss of my husband.

My husband wasn’t on that flight with me, but the thoughts that must be going through his mind right now sent my emotions flaring.

I wanted to call him or contact him in some way, to let him know I was okay. I wanted to hold him & reassure him. I wanted to continue with the life we had planned together.

But I couldn’t.

And because I couldn’t, I needed to do my best to figure out how to survive this new environment… this new life.

This could be the new rest of my life….

I thought over what I had learned in the last few days of being awake.

I have learned that we have no way to communicate with the rest of the world, to let them know we are alive. I have learned that we are on some sort of abandoned island that looks to have once been fully inhabited. I have learned how to start a fire & how to cook good ol’ rabbit meat (bleh).

The building I initially woke up in was indeed a hospital… one that was abandoned a LONG time ago, by the looks of the overgrowth & overall dirtiness of the place. It was covered in vines, moss, & mildew.

There was still, surprisingly, some equipment left in storage containers. But everything else looked old & grimy, for the most part—except the beds, which looked only mildly dirty & dusty.

The only other building we have found was a dormitory-type building directly across from the hospital. Everyone had been assigned to rooms, keeping women with the children & able-bodied men close to the exits, in case whoever once inhabited this place (or anyone else who could be “unfriendlies”, for that matter), were to try to get in.

Other than room assignments, the camp was complete chaos. Everyone was fighting over anything they found. People were either crying, arguing, or avoiding the rest of us. Bickering was everywhere. Some were power hungry, some were just plain hungry, & most of us were just scared, to be honest.

Something in me just couldn’t take the sight of this. Looking around & seeing our only chance for survival—working together—just being tossed out because of fear. The whole situation equally angered & disheartened me.

There were only about 40 of us left, including some children.… We could not afford to be so divisive & hurtful & defensive. We needed to work together, but I was too shy to say anything, & something about waking up late to the party, made me feel less than qualified to say anything at all.

So I had kept pretty quiet around camp. Hopefully someone will help make sense of this mess before things get even worse for us.

Then I heard it… a gunshot.

We have guns here?!?

Everyone scattered & screamed & covered their ears.

I saw the culprit & noticed two things right away: One, they were standing fairly close to me, facing the opposite direction, & two, I realized they had only shot a warning shot to threaten someone else.

Realizing how close they were, my fight instinct finally (Finally!) decided to kick in & everything happened in a blur as I came up from behind them & knocked the gun out of their hand… not the smartest move, but it was instinct to act fast.

Once the gun fell to the ground, & I realized there was no immediate threat, I lost it.

“SHUT UP! EVERYONE JUST SHUT UP!

WHY ARE WE ALL FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER? DON’T YOU ALL SEE THAT WE NEED EACH OTHER TO SURVIVE?!!

STOP FIGHTING. STOP GIVING UP! WORK TOGETHER!!!

YOU—Go form a search party for more wood!

YOU—Organize a search party to look for debris & other passengers we might have missed!

YOU—Assemble a hunting party to make sure we have sufficient food!

YOU—Find a team to secure water holes nearby!

EVERYONE STOP PITTING YOURSELVES AGAINST EACH OTHER & TEAM UP TO WORK TOGETHER. OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!! GO!!!”

Everyone stared at me with shock & wide eyes.

Having been the quiet “coma girl” up to this point, no one quite knew how to respond to that, until one gentlemen stood up & yelled, “WELL, YOU HEARD THE WOMAN! GO!!!”

He looked at me & nodded.

That did the trick. Everyone scampered off & began electing team members to their assigned tasks.
I just stood there, in awe myself, unbelieving that those words had ever come out of my mouth in the first place.

******************

Several weeks later, I now sat in the passenger side of a rundown pickup that some mechanic, the current driver of said vehicle, had found randomly in the overgrowth & had worked it back to life with supplies he found at our camp, aka the abandoned hospital.

Staring outside at the lush greenery as the truck bounced along the rocky dirt, makeshift road, I thought about how I got here. I still wasn’t confident in the new position of “camp leader,” but because I had been the only one bold enough to take a stand (more like fed up & desperate enough), I was given the title whether I liked it or not.

Several of the more influential people in the group handled any naysayers for me, by reminding them that I had been the one to bring the camp together. No one else really wanted the responsibility of keeping everyone sane & happy anyway.

I reluctantly accepted this role, for the mere hopes that we could avoid any more fights or injuries (or deaths). I just wanted us to survive… & to not have to live in fear for our lives every waking moment.

As the pickup truck bounced down the road, I glanced out the dirty windows, amazed at the view before me of our small group of airplane-crashed colonists paving the way for our survival.

I wondered at our luck to even find this truck, abandoned in the woods. We had little fuel available, but it was quite handy in hauling heavy wood for building new structures & for expanding our camp.

The driver’s name was Fred (AKA the mechanic who got this truck running). He was a nice guy, Fred, & I remembered again with appreciation that day he had shouted back at the crowd to get themselves together after my little (big?) outburst that day.

I was lucky to have friends like him, whom I felt I could trust.

But part of that made me ache to my core. I felt guilty for feeling contentment when my loving husband was probably mourning my death, after a funeral he most likely held already. I ached for my family & my friends. I wanted to hug them & shower them in kisses & reassurance & love.

I wanted us to all be together again. A family reunited.

The pain caught in my throat like a heavy lump as I watched the forest go by on this bumpy road, through the woods.

Fred noticed.

“You’re thinking about your family & friends again, huh? It’s hard for me to focus any energy on that because it just kicks me in the gut.”

“Yeah. I can’t help it.” I fought back tears. (Why is it always harder to keep from crying when you talk about your pain out loud?)

“I’m always here for you if you need a friend. Don’t forget that.” He reached over & gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, keeping his eyes on the narrow, uneven road.

And I knew he meant it. He had made it clear that he in no way wanted to replace my husband, in case we ever could be reunited, but he also wasn’t shy about expressing a fondness for me. He had said several times that he admired my ability to get everyone working together & my compassion for the hurting ones here (which was all of us, really).

It was a little harder for Fred to understand, not having left a wife behind, but his heart hurt for me & a part of both of us realized the harsh reality of the little chance we had of being reunited with our families ever again.

Fred didn’t want to live in the misery. He wanted to start fresh after having been stuck here for a little over a month with no word from the outside world.

He wanted to move on & marry me & start a new life here. He was sensitive to my hope, though, & never pushed me on the point.

But I wasn’t ready to give up. I couldn’t. If there was even a chance to run into my husband’s arms again, I wanted to be ready & open to do so. I loved him. He was my person. I couldn’t give up.

But ache burned in my chest because I knew, logically, that may never happen. I knew he was probably mourning my loss. I knew he was a great catch & that any woman would be lucky to have him by her side. I knew that it wouldn’t be long before he let himself love a woman like that again, even if it took a few years. I knew all of that.

But I just couldn’t let go. I couldn’t.

I also knew that Fred was a steady guy. He was kind & honest & ready to face each day with hard work & diligence, always ready to jump in & help someone else. I admired him as a wonderful friend.

I hid my face by turning to look out the window even further as a tear rolled down my cheek. I never wanted to be faced with this type of decision & I would do whatever I had to, to hold off forever from making it. I will wait for my love.

But would he wait for me? What if he remarried? And I wanted kids. Should I give up on that dream & potentially die here on this island alone and having never raised a family? How long is too long to wait? Is it ever okay to move on? How could I? What if he waited for me? What if he didn’t?

Questions swirled through my mind, making the tears run faster, but one thing was certain. God had kept us alive & He was making a way for us. He would have to help quiet my heart & guide my steps. He would show me the way.

Because even if we didn’t, God did have a plan.

******************

Then, my eyes opened….

I was in my bed.

The sound of my husband’s steady breathing coming from his sleeping form beside me.

I blinked against the darkness.

It was… a dream…?

So vivid. So real. But a dream?

I get choked up at the questions that had been swirling through my head just moments before, & I thank God that they were all only in a dream.

I thank God for the man sleeping soundly next to me, as I lay there, thinking through those hard questions that had just plagued me moments ago…

As I drift back into sound, peaceful sleep, I smile a sigh of relief as the dream fades & a new one fills its place….

Coming Next Week:

Thank you all for tuning into Part 2/2 of my recent short story, “Falling.” This story was inspired by an actual dream I once had. The question was still difficult to wake up to, but I was thankful to find it all a dream. I hope you enjoyed the adventure!

Check out “Falling”-Part 1/2, here!

Make sure to check back on Monday to see the introduction to our next set of topics!

A Note from Michelle:

If you want to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” & “Hope is Found” pages, 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!!

Weekly Special Spotlight:

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

Charisma Bracelet

Representing Woman Artisans in India!

This bracelet has lavender and light pink suede, threaded with faceted gold colored beads.

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, and receive education and healthcare. These women are now able to give their family a promising future because of your purchase!

Purchase this piece and empower a woman in India!

(*Also featuring the Lyla Pearl Necklace & Empire Earrings.*)

Shop Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE, Lovely!

A Quick Reflection

It has been so neat seeing God grow even me as I begin this blogging journey.

I began this journey expecting to inspire & encourage others, but as is true in most cases, the more I apply myself to pray over & encourage others in these areas, the more I inevitably grow & learn along the way.

Diving in Together

As you can probably tell from the title, “Intentionality Part 3”, I am wanting to park on this subject for a little while & really take some time to work through different areas of our lives where intentionality may be less than we hope.