Hesitantly Agreed

I have been praying about what I should talk about today, asking God to give me something I should share. This was the topic that kept coming back to mind.

When I first considered agreeing to this topic, I felt like, “God, no. Something else please. This isn’t something I’m very good at.”

Then I felt a gentle whisper over my heart, “Your blog shouldn’t be about sharing what YOU’RE good at, but rather what I’M good at, even when you’re not.”

*Sigh*

Fellow Traveler in Need of God

So, again, I come to you not as some kind of expert on the topic, but as a fellow traveler on this journey called “life” to hopefully encourage BOTH of us to look to where our only true hope comes from—Almighty GOD, through Jesus’ loving sacrifice for us & the Holy Spirit’s comfort, wisdom, guidance, & help.

Living Hard Things with Grace

Living through hard things, with grace. What a difficult thing to consider.

I don’t think any of us enter a hard life circumstance thinking we will struggle quite as much as we will, but hard things are hard & I know I am often surprised by how quickly I want to scream, “Uncle!” & give up.

I can’t even handle small stresses very well, ha.

Setting the Stage

For example, I had been waiting on a package, knowing the sender had accidentally put the wrong box number & having visited the post office several times to try to make sure it was sorted out, being informed each time not to worry because it “will self-correct & everything will be just fine.”

But, knowing intent or even good training cannot prevent mistakes in a monotonous job, I wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page & aware, doing my part as best I could without erring on the side of nagging.

Well, all of the reassurance was for nothing because guess what, the package was automatically & immediately returned upon arrival.

Caving in under the Pressure

I was incredulous & was quite ready to slam my hand on the desk & unleash some verbal wrath upon the employees, in a “Are you kidding me? After ALL that reassurance & all my trips here just to make sure & NONE of it made any difference? Are you serious right now?!?”

But I had to take a *very* deep breath, do my best at a gracious reply, & walk out before I lost my resolve.

I then spent the whole drive home (& about 20 minutes in our driveway) rehashing my trouble, concern, efforts, & the inevitable mistake of returning my package anyway, complaining & whining in my head. I basically threw an adult temper tantrum in my car.

Humanity (Including Me) Has Many Weaknesses, but God Offers His Infinite Strength

And when I got tired of my wrath, I took a deep breath, realized how bad & unforgiving my attitude was for something that really wasn’t that big of deal in the big story of life, & I immediately felt some stubborn remorse nagging at my heart, reminding me how NOT well I had handled that situation.

Did I have a right to be frustrated & upset? Yes. Did I have a right to treat them like trash (even if just in my thoughts) because of it? Nope.

I was being self-focused, & I had turned righteous anger into bitterness & a hateful, unforgiving attitude of sin.

Finally Turning it over to God

*sigh* I told you I wasn’t good at this. I can’t even handle someone messing up my MAIL.

So, I hung my head low & cried again, this time for my bad attitude & frustration that I had let take over my afternoon instead of giving it to God.

And I finally gave it to Him.

My Prayer Sounded Something Like This:

“God, I’m sorry. I am so frustrated right now because I was really looking forward to that & now I have to wait for it to return & re-ship & after all my efforts to prevent this & it was all wasted. I just feel so defeated & disappointed & angry. Why couldn’t it have just worked out? I tried! I tried to help fix it. Why did I get my hopes up so high? But I shouldn’t have let my anger take over me like that. I’m sorry for how I reacted in my heart. I shouldn’t have had such a sour & terrible attitude toward them. It was a mistake. It’s a new system & they’re trying to work out the kinks & everyone makes mistakes. Please forgive me for getting so hurtful & angry over something that’s so small overall. Help grow me in it & teach me gratefulness & to trust in You through the messes in life. I don’t like when things don’t work out, but even in them, You have a beautiful plan I can’t always see. Even in holding & comforting me through it, letting me know of Your love on a deeper level through my hurts. Thank You for those moments of the gentle reminders of Your love & care for me & all of us. Help me to forgive. Help me to realize I am often just as in need of Your great grace as anyone else & to thus give grace to others much more willingly & quickly. Help me trust You more than my circumstances working out ideally—especially in this covid world we live in right now. Nothing is normal anymore & it’s hard. It’s an adjustment with hidden culture shocks that pop up unexpectedly because so much of life is no longer normal. Help me to cling to You & trust You & listen to You in humble trusting love. Thank You for hearing me gripe & complain & for Your endless, wonderful graciousness. Thank You for helping me have better, more loving perspective & continue to grow me in that way, having grace in living the hard things. Thank You & AMEN.”

Failing TOWARD Grace

Life & sharing isn’t about always getting it right or always knowing how to handle every situation.

Life’s messy & hard & we’re not meant to be good at any of it on our own. We’re meant to need Jesus’ grace. We’re meant to need Almighty God’s power. We’re meant to need the guidance & comfort & wisdom & strength of the Holy Spirit.

We’re meant to need Him.

We’re Meant to Need Him

So, whatever part of your life feels messy or hard or makes you want to yell & cry in your car for 30 minutes, call out to God. Pour out all your heartache to Him & ask for His help. He’s listening & waiting to help because He loves us that much.

Shine Hope by admitting your need for Him & calling out to Him through every struggle & trial of life.

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 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!!

Turning Leaf Set

This silver finish hammered metal necklace with matching earrings was inspired by the beautiful shapes of leaves. (And also resembles dragonfly wings!)

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!

Aren’t Christians Supposedly “Good People”?

Have you ever been asked why Christians mess up so much or why they do wrongs when they’re supposed to be “good”?

First off, no one is good, except God… we ALL mess up… but let’s keep going.

Have you ever wondered this yourself when you see Christians royally mess something up in a way that “makes us look bad”?

Has this ever made you doubt your faith in God? Or made you feel ashamed of their representation of Christ?

We Are All Just Human… Not a Cop Out, Just the Truth

I think the most important thing to remember when faced with this question is the fact that Christian or not, we are all just human.

That may sound like a cop out to you, an excuse to allow us to continue doing whatever we want the way we want it, whether or not it causes any harm.

But my point is just as I said it, we need to remember that we are only human.

Without intentionally bowing temptations or ideals or determinations to God Almighty, we are simply acting in human (fleshly) wisdom & actions.

We Are the “Branches” & He Is the Vine… Without Him, We Are Just Sticks

We are called to plug our daily lives into our “Vine” aka God through prayer & reading His Word, the Bible (John 15:1-8). Without drawing from Him & actively submitting to His will & His way, with His help, we are simply acting as we are on our own—human.

That is why I am so passionate about this topic of constantly pointing us to look to, draw from, & lean into God in every area of our lives. We (including ME!) need this constant reminder to look to Him to lead, equip, guide, instruct, teach, empower, embolden, strengthen etc.

Without making intentional effort to lean into Him for our daily lives, including our thought lives, we are vulnerable to the attacks & tricks of the devil, even the subtle nudges that urge you to take or do what you want without regard for checking in with Almighty God.

Everyone Is Looking for Us to Fail… But WE Are NOT God

My husband wisely pointed out to me that, as Christians, we are also on display as representors of Jesus Christ & because of this fact, media eats up the juicy shock & awe factor of plastering our mistakes for all to see, making it seem much more prevalent than it is, at least in comparison to any other humans doing the same thing.

God Is Greater

And, we must consider the fact that we have an active enemy on this earth who spends all of his time prowling the earth seeking who he may devour or destroy—Satan.

Being a Christian means that Satan can do NOTHING to take away the HOPE we have received in accepting Christ to cover our debt to God by His death & resurrection on our behalf… BUT, Satan will do whatever he can to discourage us, distract us, & keep us from displaying the LOVE & GLORY & GRACE of the GREAT God that we serve… the GREAT God Who offers a rescue for all our souls.

Satan tries to keep us from representing well the wonderful God we love.

Guard Yourself with God’s Truth & His Strength

This is one MAJOR reason why we should be reading & meditating on God’s Word “day & night” as the Bible tells us (Joshua 1:8), to quench the fiery darts of the devil through your faith in Who your help comes from–God (Ephesians 6:16).

Let God’s Word/Truth help you deflect the lies that our enemy tries to tempt or discourage us with.

When we are not leaning into God & when we are living by our own strength & wisdom, we are just as susceptible to sin as ANY other person.

Our spirit may be willing, as Jesus puts it, but our flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

We must yield our willing spirit & weak flesh to God to allow for His power & wisdom to lift us up & help us out as we strive to live in a way that shows Him honor & gives Him glory.

Only God Is Perfect. Only God Does No Wrong.

It is extremely easy to put people on pedestals with Christ. We tend to see how they encourage or inspire us to seek Jesus & yet we forget that they need Him just as much as we do & when they take their eyes from Him, they are just as vulnerable to submitting to sinful thoughts as we are.

That’s also a big reason why we should actively pray for spiritual leaders. They have a big target on their backs because Satan wants to use their influence to try to ruin God’s reputation. We can bet that Satan is putting his resources into taking them down publicly to discredit God & the grace He offers to the world.

God Has Already WON. He CANNOT Be Thwarted.

I need to step back from the mention of Satan’s work & determination to remind us of something so powerful. NO MATTER what Satan accomplishes on this earth… no matter who he discredits… GOD HAS ALREADY WON THE WAR. God’s purposes, plan, & will WILL PREVAIL.

God canNOT be thwarted. EVER.

Remember These Things…

So, while it does make us ashamed & embarrassed when representatives of Christ royally mess things up, we need to remember several things when this topic is brought up or when we see it arise in the media:

1. God will have the final say & He is never caught off guard or thwarted. EVER. He has already WON.
2. That person who screwed up did so because they took their eyes off Jesus & either tried to do it on their own or were distracted by temptation, failing to lean into God’s strength to help them overcome.
3. There is no such thing as good versus evil people… only PEOPLE loved by Almighty God who do good or evil things. NONE of us are good & ALL of us are redeemable through God’s grace.
4. Look to GOD as your guide ultimately, through prayer & time in His Word—not to other people. People can encourage, teach, admonish, redirect, uplift, edify, etc. us, but ONLY God is perfect in all things & perfectly able to not sin & perfectly able to help you in ALL situations. So, turn to Him, ALWAYS.
5. We have an active enemy on this earth. Don’t take that lightly. Turn to God as your source of hope, strength, comfort, wisdom, guidance, etc. He is King of kings, Almighty God, but He is also our unconditionally loving GOD who offers freely His GRACE to ALL who trust in Christ, His Son.

Our Common Humanity & Our Common Need for CHRIST

Don’t begin to doubt God when people mess up big time… begin to recognize our common humanity & our common need for Christ in every situation, leaning into Him daily, moment-by-moment.

Only God cannot, does not, & will never sin.

Every person has access to His grace. EVERY person.

Shine HOPE by being gracious to fellow humans in their mistakes that you are just as capable of making if you take your eyes from Jesus & by shining God as our perfect 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:

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!!

Worthy Necklace

All the Pink! Beautifully delicate in design, this rose gold plated chain displays a light pink rose quartz stone. Crafted in India.

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!

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!