A Question to Consider

Okay, think about this question for a second—“Do you trust in prayer or in God?”

Now, your first instincts might be to ask, “But aren’t they basically the same thing? We pray BECAUSE we believe in God?” In theory, yes… but oftentimes reality looks a little different.

Praying “Right”

To clarify what I mean, I used to think of prayer as saying the magic words, like if I ask enough times, with the right words, in the right timing then maybe I’ll get what I wish.

I was putting more weight on the words I was saying or how I was saying it than the actual trust in the One I was speaking them to.

Flip the Script

Instead, God has taught me to flip how I see prayer. To look to God, remind myself of His great & endless, infinite power, plus His grace & love & patience & gentleness—to consider WHO God really is & THEN just simply TALK to Him.

Saying, “God, You are infinite & so much greater than I can even wrap my head around. I don’t even DESERVE a moment of Your time, & yet You open Your throne room to me & my petitions with eager willingness to hear my call. You are so loving & kind & patient. Help me remember that & know that more. I need You way more than I realize. Forgive me for how self-capable I believe myself to be so often & help me to trust You more. Please help me with _________. I am struggling & I know this is a small matter to You no matter how major & impossible it seems to me, so help me to lean into You instead of myself & help me know what to do. Thank You so much for Your great love for me & the world in whole. I love You. AMEN!”

Do You trust in Prayer or in God?

Instead of putting my faith in my words, frequency, urgency, or any other HOW that I pray, the power comes in HIM, not in HOW we pray.

So, do you put your faith more in your prayers (or try to put your faith in them), or are you learning to place your faith in the Who you are asking in your prayers?

One of the most important takeaways from this is that when God answers differently than our prayers wished for, it is not because we didn’t pray hard enough or pray correctly. It is because we hope & trust in a God Who knows MUCH better than we do & we can always fall back into His arms, knowing the “No” we received was given from 100% PERFECT wisdom, understanding, knowledge, & most importantly endless LOVE for us.

He Is Always Near

He is just a thought away, never far, always close. Reach out your heart to Him & ask Him to hear your call. His love for you can never be fully understood, for it goes much deeper than we can possibly comprehend. Give Him a chance to show that great love to your heart. He loves you.

Shine Hope by trusting HIM more than HOW you ask/talk to Him. <3

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!!

Northern Lights Studs

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

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!

Trending: Exhaustion

I have seen a consistent theme in many Christian circles… Many people seem to think that the more they DO for God, the better a Christian or God-follower they are.

I am here to break that harmful thought pattern with a little truth we could all stand to benefit from (including me).

Being a “good” Christian is not about how many “godly” things you cross off of your list, it is about leaning into God with more & more of your life.

The Beauty of Letting God be GOD

In other words, being a “good” Christian is about trusting God to lead versus trying to cover all the bases, exhausting ourselves, & missing the mark completely.

We need to learn to understand the beauty of surrender… the beauty of letting God rule our minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc.

God has a beautiful & vast plan that is both all-encompassing & intimately personal to each individual.

He doesn’t need our help figuring out how to carry out His plans.

What God Needs

God needs us to be still & to wait on Him. He needs us to listen. He needs us to be willing to let Him lead. He needs us to trust Him enough to obey when He leads our hearts. He needs us to surrender our ideas to His will. He needs us to use our resources according to His nudging versus our earthly & thus greatly shortsighted understanding.

And sometimes, He needs us to LET GO of what He has NOT asked us to do in a season of life… but that we keep clinging to because to us it defines our level of commitment to God.

His Plans Are Not Our Plans

God is trying to show you YOUR individually created purpose & the joys of seeing all that He has set before you in His wonderful plan.

He wants us to join in HIS plan.

You see, being a “good” Christian is not about how much you accomplish for God, but in how much you trust Him & let Him lead your steps. It’s about making Him Lord over your life.

But… But…

I understand the temptation to want to prove our loyalty or love for Him.

I understand the pressure to prove to others that I am a “good enough” Christian or that I am doing “enough” for God.

I understand wanting to be Martha (Luke 10:38-42) aka a good hostess for my Lord.

But God wants more of our HEARTS.

Should we be willing to live out our faith, in action? Yes! But that should be done by leaning into God & letting Him determine & lead those actions, versus trying to do it all.

God Is Not Asking Us to “FIX” the World, But to Carry Out Our Given Purpose While in It

On this side of heaven, the world will never be perfect. God is not asking us to change that & He is not putting the pressure on our shoulders to make this world perfect.

What He is asking is for us to lean into Him & ask Him what His will for our day/life is.

Not to do it all, but to do what He has planned for YOU.

We have to be willing to trust Him to handle the rest.

We Want to be the Hero… But God Has Already Won the War

Are there gaps that you see & you want to fill it all in? Don’t jump to fill every void if you are already obeying God’s steps for you. Instead, ask for His wisdom & guidance & will & trust HIM to be the Hero.

Maybe He will help you restructure so that the need that is stressing you out is no longer needed in the same way.

Maybe God sends help from somewhere unexpected.

Maybe that thing is not actually needed at this time & maybe He is asking you to let it go & trust Him.

My point is this… God sees what we do not… & we should be trusting in Him & leaning into Him instead of trying to replace Him by doing it all for the God of the universe.

Saying “No” When It’s Hard

When I was out of high school, I faced my second battle with depression/anxiety. I was angry & sad a lot & didn’t know how to stop it. I had suicidal thoughts quite often.

So, I ended up seeing a therapist to help me understand the battle waging in my mind & she helped me see outside of my own loop of solutions that never worked but went like this:

Stressor -> Anger/sadness -> Suicidal thoughts -> Stuffing it -> Stressor -> Anger/sadness, etc. (It was a downward spiraling loop.)

She showed me a doorway I never knew was there before: to say “No” versus trying to be everyone’s everything.

My anxiety was brought on by my inability to say “no” or “not now” to others… I never wanted anyone to feel let down or alone–both wonderful things, but I needed to instill balance in my life.

The reality was that I COULD NOT be everyone’s everything… It simply was not possible.

Don’t Burn Out… Look to Him & Rest in His Plan/Purposes

The same is true with Christian living.

If we go about life trying to fill in every gap & perfect every imperfection that we see in this world, we will quickly become despairing & exhausted.

God doesn’t need us to fill His shoes. He needs us to obey where He calls us, specifically.

And we won’t know what that moment-by-moment, daily calling is unless we are leaning into Him for direction, wisdom, strength, & guidance.

Maybe, Just Maybe, He Knows “Just a Little Bit” More

Maybe He sees a side door or new direction/way that you have been ignoring or unknowingly bypassing.

Maybe He sees a person willing to step up that you have overlooked.

Maybe He knows a little (a WHOLE LOT) more than we do.

Maybe we should let Him be God & surrender our hearts & lives to serve His will, plan, & design in just the ways He personally calls us to… & leave the rest to Him.

Abiding more is all about leaning into Him more… direction, wisdom, guidance, strength, power, a way where there is no way, love, patience, joy, kindness, compassion, hope, grace, mercy, & everything else we need.

Pray, & ask Him to show you what that should look like in your own life.

A Prayer to Let Go… And to Act Where He Leads

“Lord, I feel like I am trying to do it all. I want to please You, but I understand that You don’t need me to do it all in order for You to accomplish Your will & way. Help me to let You have the control instead of trying to maintain it myself. You are not dependent on me for everything that You desire for this world. Help me to let go of control & offer it to Your able hands instead. Teach me to trust You to be GOD. Help me to see where you want me to give up certain things that You are not asking of me & help me see the areas You are asking me to fill. If there is a job or action that you want to restructure or omit for now, please make it clear to me & teach me to walk in You, letting You lead my every step, including how I serve You, whom I reach out to, how I spend my resources, etc. You are God. Teach me to trust You with more & more of my life every day because of Your great love for me, Your great love for this world, & Your infinite wisdom & power. Thank You for all that You are. I love You. Amen.”

Letting Him be God Over It ALL

Becoming a full-time Christian happens by learning the beautifully freeing art of letting Him be God of every area of your life… NOT by trying to do it all.

He can handle it, trust me.

Shine Hope by bowing your will to His way, & leaning into Him through every step of the way.

Coming Next Week

Join me this Thursday morning for our December Special Feature post & then also 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!!

Holly Necklace

Holly is one of the founders of Trades of Hope & her passion is to empower women to be all God created them to be & to live out their potential. Whether she is visiting the women living in the brothels of Asia or in hometown USA, her desire is to see women live out their calling with pride & dignity. This piece is a reflection of the pride & skills a woman rescued from the brothels has when given the opportunity.

A delicate piece, this golden/pink druzy necklace with a golden chain sparkles in the light.

Artisan Information:

In Asia, poverty leads many women to be sexually exploited in brothels. These women want to provide for their families but have so few options. But 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 themselves & their children. You can help these women experience restoration for their future!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in Asia!

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!

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.