Playing Superhero

It’s easy for me to want to play superhero. I like feeling as if I have a pretty good handle on my life.

I like routine, with flexibility. The routine helps me feel grounded, but working in space for flexibility allows me to shift gears more easily, being able to tackle unknowns with a little less fluster & a little more calm.

I like control. When it all boils down, what I’m really saying is that I like control.

I am pretty sure I am not alone on this, either.

Balance Is Good, but Leave Room to Trust God FIRST

And for those who feel their schedule has NOT been ironed out yet, leaving them with a little more fluster & a little more flailing through each day… the reason we feel that way is lack of control. We want control. (Also, check out my “Managing Time, with God in Mind” post!)

It’s not that this is a bad thing to want. I am much more stable now that I have bowed my schedule woes to God & asked Him for an overhaul that allows more balance & peace in my schedule. I am much more productive that way.

But there’s a catch.

We cannot grow self-protective in our control over our schedule. We can’t RELY on our schedule & using that control as our source of confidence & peace. We can’t learn to rely on OURSELVES.

A Fresh Example Why Trusting Our Control Doesn’t Work As Well As It Seems

I have talked before about our journey of praying for a baby & how I handled it when God had not yet answered that prayer with a “yes.”

MEANWHILE, I was building a self-protection back-up plan in my heart of, “Well, if God DOESN’T give us a baby, here are all the reasons why that would probably be better ANYWAY.”

This is a natural thing for us to do because the unknown can sometimes be the scariest place to be. We want to think of how to fix the problem in a way that returns that control back to us.

BUT if we’re not careful, that new plan can REPLACE our trust in God, creating a NEW problem in & of itself.

For example, if I built up in my mind all of the ways that pregnancy & parenting would add stress, exhaustion, & hardship into my life, not to mention a more-strained bank account, how do you think I will likely react if God then were to answer us with the, “Yes, you will be parents!” answer we had been previously praying so hard for?

Trading Control for Surrender

My point is this, if our contentment/joy in our schedule, our plans, or our life is based on us having control, we will inevitably lose that façade of control & will be left vulnerable & hurting once again.

We need something MORE than our meager, unreliable means of control over our own lives to base our hope & security.

We NEED to trust GOD.

Surrendering Our Control for HIS Control

In my baby scenario, the healthiest way I could have managed that fear of His “NO” would be if I had turned to Him in the hurt & talked with Him through it, “God, I don’t understand Your “no” & it hurts! I want a baby & I don’t understand why Your plan would not include that for me. I have wanted this phase of life to become reality since I was a young girl, playing with my dolls, dreaming of someday being a Mommy to my own precious child. I want game nights & prayer times. I want to teach them about You. I want to love them SO MUCH. I don’t understand. It hurts. Please help me to trust Your plan in the midst of Your “no” right now. Help me to trust You more than I trust having a baby or not. You are the One who can offer me the most fulfillment, so please help me to see that & to grow in that understanding & love for You & trust in You. Amen.”

(To calm your possible aching hearts, I HAVE since turned my prayer time on this topic toward this direction & God HAS provided me with peace & assurance in Him, no matter the outcome. I can jump for joy with friends becoming new mamas & I can live my days in contentment & purpose, knowing God has my heart in His capable, loving hands, in His perfect & loving plan. Do I still have occasional days where my heart aches? Yes. But this is more the rarity than the norm. He has me & will continue to have me… & that’s a great & safe place for my heart to be, come what may. He’s got me.)

He Does a Much Better Job-It’s Worth It!

I like feeling capable just as much as the next girl. I like feeling in control & empowered.

But I am just a girl, knowing I have limitations & knowing my dear God who has none & who loves me infinitely more than I can express to you. (And He loves YOU just the same!)

While I crave control, I want to learn to ditch that addiction that I cling to so tightly. I want to learn to cling to Him.

Because all can change. All can fade away. I can lose it all.

But His hope remains.

His power remains.

His love remains.

His GRACE remains.

Control & Surrender-The Life-Changing Difference

I want to train my heart to pry away my white-knuckled fingers from controlling my life & circumstances & I want to ever-learn how to rest back into His capable arms, asking Him to lead my day, my steps, my words, my LIFE.

There is so much life-changing beauty in learning & living the difference between control & surrender. One leaves us reliant on our own limitations & the other frees us to trust THE God who has none.

Because THAT, my friend, is where TRUE joy & contentment can flourish… & where we can finally learn what He meant when He said, “I have come that they may have LIFE, & have it more ABUNDANTLY.” (John 10:10)

Shine HOPE by letting Him have the reins of your life & by putting your full hope in Him, no matter what life may bring.

Trust Him FIRST, last, & everywhere in between. ALWAYS.

He’s GOT you, Girl.

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!!

Ramala Bracelet Set

(Only 1 of 2 Bracelets shown in photo.)

A set of 2, these bracelets are silver, adjustable, & 1 (shown) features real moonstone, with varying hues of lilac, blue, & purple.

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 & empower a woman in India!

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!

Fear Pendulum Recap

We talked about fear on here recently, with how it often incites a fight or flight response, & in the case of this recent pandemic, is usually expressed with either buying copious amounts of toilet paper or sharing specific memes that express a complete disregard &/or carelessness for anything virus-related. (See that post, here.)

We also talked about how neither of those options work.

Of those responses to fear, it either leaves us crippled & crushed under an unsurmountable mountain of anxiety or the other response leaves us being disrespectful to those in harm’s way.

But the third option is putting our full trust in God. Letting Him quiet our hearts, by leaning into Him… While also respecting the fear of others & seeking to protect them from potential harm by seeking our confidence in Him over ourselves & our “wisdom.”

Another Type of Fear-Reverence, Respect, & Awe

But there is another type of fear I want to talk about today: Fear of God.

Some of you, in going through this pandemic, have been faced with this fear a little more directly than you may have admitted to yourself in the past.

It is something we should all possess, but not necessarily in the way you might understand it.

Perfectly Just & Perfectly Merciful

You see, God is both our perfect, unprejudiced Judge & our merciful, loving Redeemer.

As the perfect Judge, He has to maintain His law.

His law says that the punishment of sin (or rejecting His way & rebelling against His way) is death. This death leads to eternal separation from His love & every good thing, leaving us with only pain unimaginable & unyielding.

But, He is also our perfect, merciful Redeemer.

In this, knowing we could never perfectly uphold His law without fault, God sent His very Son, Jesus Christ, to die on our behalf, taking our sentencing upon Himself & rising again, victorious over both sin AND death, that anyone who turns from their way to put their hope & trust in Jesus instead of themselves, will be met with REDEMPTION to an eternity with NO pain or hurt or tears or sorrow, but only joy & goodness & love.

But, Fear GOD

So, in the Bible, we are told roughly 500 times (according to a quick Google search) to “FEAR GOD.”

One being, in Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul & body in hell.” (Also in Luke 12:4-7.)

This could also be stated as, “And do not fear [this pandemic, which kills] the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (edit mine)

Now, this is not a fire & brimstone message, so don’t worry… stick with me for the Good News….

Fear, Reverence, Awe

So, keeping in mind that God is both our Perfect Judge & Perfectly Merciful, what exactly does it mean to “fear God’?

Think of it in the terms offered by the original Greek “phobeisthe”: to fear, to be alarmed by, to revere, or to be in awe of.

God loves you so infinitely & perfectly & unconditionally that NO MATTER your past or present, HE PAID IN FULL your debt to Him, through Jesus taking your sentence by dying for you if you but put your faith in HIM. That is LOVE.

BUT, He also deserves our undying respect & honor & reverence & awe as our Almighty God… Our KING… Our Creator.

A Joy Eternal

In this time of uncertainty, fear, inconvenience, discomfort, worry, sickness, & death, let us remember that while it is true that this pandemic is wreaking havoc, it cannot have our souls.

We can rest in God’s ALMIGHTYness. We can rest in knowing that He has a plan for GOOD to come from this. And for those who have said “YES” to Him in accepting His FREE GIFT of redemption, we can rest in knowing that whether we lose to this virus or not, our eternal home is one of no tears, no pain, no suffering, no hurts, & no sorrow.

There is hope.

HOPE

(Emphasis in all verses in this post are mine.)

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure….” (Hebrews 6:19)

“Guide me in Your truth & teach me, for You are God my Savior, & my hope is in You all day long.” (Psalm 25:5)

“… put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love & with Him is full redemption.” (Psalm 130:7)

Fearing the LORD Is:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, & knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10)

“The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.” (Proverbs 19:23)

Sometimes, when God displays His great power, we are tempted to hide & run, knowing we are unworthy. But, when God displays His power, it is to remind us that He has everything covered. He is the GREAT I AM. He is Creator, KING of kings, Lord of lords, Almighty God!

He deserves our respect & our trusting obedience. And while it is easy to self-protect, self-soothe, or self-solve, we CAN TRUST HIM with our burdens, fears, worries, etc.

Crave the Display of His Power, For in It Lies Our Confidence

I don’t know about you, but having that perspective makes me crave the display of God’s great power rather than avoiding or fearing it. It is a reminder that He is SO MUCH BIGGER than me!

And so, in this terrifying & uncertain time that we live in, look to Him. Fear HIM—revere Him, respect Him, honor Him, be in awe of Him… rather than cowering or running away from Him.

Exodus 20:18-21

Choosing a Response

Will you “remain at a distance” as the Israelites responded?

Or will you approach where God is & trust Him over all else?

Don’t run from His power, but crave it & submit trustingly to it.

God is still God. He is greater than this pandemic. His plan spans eternity. He loves us infinitely & unconditionally. He is Almighty God.

Even if it has to start with an uncertain whisper of the heart (where I began & where this man in the Bible began): “Immediately the father of the child cried out [to Jesus] & said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

Shine Hope. Fear God, not the virus.

How will you respond?

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:

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 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!!

Manilla Bay Earrings

Local capiz shell is dyed a light blue/green hue and hand cut into half moon shapes accented with silver toned metal.

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! 

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!