Megan Byrd

Writer

four somethings

Four Somethings: September Edition

I am participating in a blog link up on the last Friday of each month where bloggers share four things from the month that fit into each of the following categories:

  • Something Loved
  • Something Said
  • Something Learned
  • Something Read

This has been a fun experience thus far! I am excited to continue to ponder these four things each month and see what I find! I’d love it if you’d join me and link up over at HeatherGerwing.com. You can also check out my Somethings from January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and August.

 

September’s Somethings:

Something Loved

My family was able to get away to the beach for a few days this month and it was heavenly! There’s just something about the beach that helps me completely unwind and relax. I think it’s a combination of no to-do list, the natural beauty, and a change of scenery. It might be one of my favorite places simply for the fact that I don’t feel a need to perform or achieve while I’m there.

Something Said

Careful talking to yourself

Cause you just may be listening

I went to the Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite concert with my husband at the Tabernacle in Atlanta earlier in the month. One of the songs, “I’m In I’m Out and I’m Gone” had these lyrics and Ben sang the phrase multiple times in a row. It really stood out to me. As someone who is really good at noticing my flaws, I realize that I have a lot of internal negative talk about myself. I will believe what I tell myself regularly. I need to monitor my thoughts, filter them through the truth of who I am, discard anything that is harmful or untrue, and replace them with affirmations.

Something Learned

I have struggled a lot with the concept of growing a platform. Most of the people out in the publishing world say that a writer has to have a significant platform (a place where a lot of people are interacting with you and your content) to be considered by a publisher because they want someone who will sell a lot of books easily and quickly with minimal marketing work for the publisher (they don’t say it exactly like this, but it’s my take away).

I am really bad at self-promotion and finding ways to insert myself and my work in public places. In a podcast episode from Woven titled Calling  (with a lot of good info for women that I would recommend checking out), the person being interviewed (Heather MacFadyen from God-Centered Mom podcast) reminded the listeners that David got in trouble with God for counting numbers (taking a census of his kingdom). She also reminded us that Jesus’s focus was always going smaller. He had his 12 disciples among all of his followers.  He had his three closest friends among the 12. He often ministered to individuals. He wasn’t focused on getting his name out far and wide. He was focused on doing the work God called him to do, whatever that looked like, and however far that spread. I hadn’t really considered Jesus’ ministry and how mine would probably reflect that. I am good at one-on-one. I should focus on my strengths and trust God for outcomes (which may never be a big platform).

Something Read

I had the privilege of receiving an early copy of It’s Okay Not to Be Okay by Sheila Walsh. This book was fantastic! It encouraged me that I don’t have to have it all together and that it is in my small offerings and weaknesses that God can work best. Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book to encourage you to pick up your own copy.

It’s okay not to be okay because we’re not home yet. It’s okay not to be enough because God doesn’t ask us to be.

We’re called to show up! It’ll never be about us getting anything perfect, but when we are present God can do what only He can do. 

Fear and the questions that give it fuel hold us back from stepping out in faith and living the life we long for. I think we’re afraid we’ll get it wrong, be misunderstood or rejected, or fail. The reality is, all of those things are possible, but they don’t have to stop us.

We believe that if we’re going to take a step out, we have to be sure that whatever we’re attempting will be successful…I believe we’re asked to step out in faith and leave the results to God. 

We’ll never have enough to fulfill all the demands made on us, but that’s okay. We’re not supposed to have enough. We’re supposed to bring what we have, our clearly not enough, to Jesus and ask Him to meet us where we are.

The way we move forward isn’t with a giant leap, it’s one step at a time. We want the leap, we want everything to change in big ways that are recognizable and significant, but lasting progress doesn’t usually happen that way. Not only that, when we wait for the big leap we can miss the progress that takes place little by little every single day with each simple step.

When you realize that you don’t have it all together you can give others that freedom too. Understanding that Christ is the hero of our stories allows us to be human.

 

What are some of your highlights from September?

Four Somethings: June Edition

I am participating in a blog link up on the last Friday of each month where bloggers share something from the month that fits into each of the following categories:

  • Something Loved
  • Something Said
  • Something Learned
  • Something Read

This is my favorite monthly exercise! I am excited to continue to ponder these four things and see what I find! I’d love it if you’d join me and link up over at HeatherGerwing.com. You can also check out my Somethings from January, February, March, April, and May.

 

June’s Somethings:

Something Loved

My family was in Boise in June for my brother and sister-in-law’s marriage celebration. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing family and friends all together. It was a wild, exhausting weekend but it was so wonderful to watch my brother and his wife express their love for one another in front of friends and family. They looked lovely and threw a great party!

Something Said

I listen to several podcasts, but have especially been appreciating Jen Hatmaker’s series “For the Love of Exploring Our Faith.” In the episode “Knowing Where We’ve Been to Get Where We’re Going” with Austin Channing Brown (whose book I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness I really want to read), Austin shares a story of touring various museums in the south on a bus with a mix of white and African Americans to explore and talk about race in America. After a visit to a museum focused on lynchings, there were several people who commented on the experience including Austin’s friend who said the following:

I can see all this pain. I know that I can’t fix it. There’s nothing I can say in this moment to make what we’ve experienced better. But what I can do is work for the rest of my life to try to make sure our children don’t experience this. Doing nothing is no longer an option for me.

That last line has really stuck with me. There is so much hurt and injustice in the world and I often feel that I don’t have any power to make a difference. But I should at least do something, even if it appears to be insignificant. When we see things that need to change, we should be compelled to do more than just talking about it. We should figure out some sort of action we can take as well. This is something I am wrestling with right now.

Something Learned

The kids and I went to the Boise Zoo for Galactic Day in order to meet and take pictures with a variety of Star Wars characters. My son was especially thrilled because all of his favorite bad guys were there. While touring the zoo, one of the volunteers informed us that there are multiple types of hyenas (spotted and striped are the ones the zoo will have after renovations) but only the spotted hyenas make the laughing sound they are known for. That was something I did not know.

Something Read

I read Deadly Undertow by Christy Barritt, the sixth and final book of the Lantern Beach Mysteries series. I loved this series so much! I loved the main character, Cassidy Livingston, who is actually Detective Cady Matthews hiding out in Lantern Beach to stay alive in order to testify against a deadly gang from Seattle after having gone undercover to acquire intel to send its members to prison. Each book has a mystery for Cassidy to solve while also revealing parts of her past and moving closer to the trial date for her to testify against DH-7, the gang she infiltrated. The final book wrapped everything up in a satisfying way. There are rumors of spin-off books focusing on other characters in the series. I hope so!

Four Somethings: March Edition

I am participating in a blog link up on the last Friday of each month where bloggers will share four things from the month that fit into each of the following categories:

  • Something Loved
  • Something Said
  • Something Learned
  • Something Read

I am excited to ponder these four things each month and see what I find! I’d love it if you’d join me and link up over at HeatherGerwing.com. You can also check out my Somethings from January and February.

 

March’s Four Somethings:

Something Loved

My daughter’s birthday was this month. She is a voracious reader like myself and I decided it was time to pass down my collection of Baby Sitter’s Club books that I loved as a girl. To enhance the reveal, I created a scavenger hunt with clues taking her all over the house before finding a large, heavy, wrapped box. I loved witnessing the joy she found in deciphering the clues to reach the destination. It was also wonderful to give my daughter something that I loved so much as a kid. (P.S. I always wanted to be Claudia because she was so artsy and creative unlike myself.)

Something Said

One of the surest ways to not fulfill your calling is to be paralyzed by fear. To do nothing. I know there have been chapters in my life when I’ve been so worried about getting it wrong, that I don’t do anything at all. ‘Cause it’s easier. In my mind, it’s easier. I don’t want to make a mistake. I don’t want to let God down. I don’t want to disappoint him. I don’t want to hurt the cause so I’m just going to stay here. Until he makes it really really really really really really clear I’m not going to do anything. And we call it waiting and it’s actually paralysis.

This was said by Jo Saxton on her podcast Lead Stories with Steph O’Brien in Season 1 Episode 35 on Calling. I heard Jo speak on a different podcast, enjoyed the interview, and was curious to learn more about her personal podcast. It is about leadership and I am enjoying the wisdom she and Steph are sharing. I am in a season of trying to figure out what I should be doing and this was a good reminder not to allow fear to keep me stuck.

Something Learned

I have learned through years of walking out my freedom that what you don’t reveal can’t be healed. When I bring something out of darkness and into God’s light, it no longer has power over me. So, let’s agree to never be ashamed to admit that we need healing. God didn’t make us to stay in the dark. No, Jesus came “as a light,” so we can be cleansed by His healing power. Choose to step into His light, and let His light dispel all the darkness and empower your freedom.

This is a quote from Christine Caine’s devotional Unshakable. I have been learning that I do have to share my struggles with others and seek help in order to find healing. This month has been a challenging month but I am experiencing the truth of letting things out of the darkness to remove their power.

Something Read

I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done in life, any choice that I’ve made. But I’m consumed with regret for the things I didn’t do, the choices I didn’t make, the things I didn’t say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. “What if…” “If only…” “I wonder what would have…” You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days.

This was written by Trevor Noah in his book Born a Crime: Stories of a South African Childhood. If anyone has lived for any length of time, they are aware of the regret that stems from omission, from the things we didn’t do or say. I appreciated the reminder that trying and failing brings more closure than never trying and always wondering what might have happened.

 

Yes, most of my somethings involved books. I love books! No shame, guilt, or apology here. 

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