Megan Byrd

Writer

God

God’s Love for Us

Love Within Reach devotional

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23 ESV)

Do you ruminate over missteps? Does it lead to thinking back over your life and replaying all the big mistakes you’ve made over the years? Do you continue to feel worse and worse about yourself until you think you must be the most unworthy person in the world? Surely it’s not just me.

In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul’s thoughts spiraled downward as he considered his tendency to do what he didn’t want to do and fail to do what he ought to do (Rom. 7:15-20). Fully mired in the weightiness of his sinful nature, he cried out in verse twenty-four, “Wretched man that I am!” Tell me that doesn’t strike close to home.

More than once, I’ve forgotten to complete a task I promised to do. And more than once, my slip-up has shadowed me for days or weeks. The reminder that I let someone down plays on repeat. Instead of acknowledging that I’m imperfect, my brain continues to spiral with negative thoughts–I’m unreliable, I’m flaky, I’m stupid for forgetting, the person will never trust me again, I’ve ruined the friendship. On and on and on it goes until that one mistake becomes a part of my identity.

Many of us are excellent at beating ourselves up for our failures. We’re also subpar at acknowledging our successes. Of course, achievements don’t blot out or cover up our mistakes, but just as a win is fleeting, so, too, should our mistakes fade into our history.

A person can be generally kind but occasionally snap at another person because of stress, tiredness, or hunger. It doesn’t mean that they should now be labeled cruel. We all have the capacity to demonstrate the uglier characteristics of humanity and do on unfortunate occasions. It doesn’t mean we should allow those instances to define us.

God doesn’t want that for us. He has done everything he can to show us that fresh starts are possible. Each day, each hour, each minute, God offers us the chance to be renewed. The verse above states that his mercies are new every morning and that they never end. If God’s mercy is continual, then we can receive it at any time. God’s love for us is always available, ready for us to wrap ourselves up in it instead of wrapping ourselves in the self-condemnation we are prone to.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we let the negative stick to us while the positive glances off? Why can’t we remember all that God has said to us and about us regarding our value?

Read the rest over at The Glorious Table.

Choosing God’s Rhythm for Our Days

A pitcher of milk and a jar of honey

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Ps. 90:17 NIV)

There are seasons when we feel like we’re soaring gracefully through our days. We’re able to accomplish everything that’s needed. We have strong connections with family and friends. We feel God’s hand in our lives, paving the way and opening doors.

There are also seasons when it feels like our bodies are repeatedly slamming into brick walls. Plans fall apart. Relationships feel stilted or fractured. Nothing we do seems to be enough. All God seems to be saying is “No” or, worse, nothing at all.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who wishes they could stay on the smooth and breezy path. When life starts to get rocky, I tend to grow frustrated and weary. My inner perfectionist tells me there’s something wrong with me that’s the cause of all of my tribulations. I forget about the rhythms of life and get impatient with myself when things are not happening on the timeline I think they should. Often, it’s a timeline from someone else’s life, and I believe that my path must match theirs or I’m failing.

I need a constant reminder to be patient with myself. I looked online for reassuring quotes about patience, and the most popular one says, “Be patient with yourself; nothing in nature blooms all year.” The words comforted me. God didn’t create anything to go full-tilt all day, every day. Some animals hibernate. Plants go dormant. Every living thing requires sleep (although I learned that dolphins can sleep half of their brain at a time in order to swim continuously, which is fascinating).

My life circumstances aren’t constant. There are times when I can produce a lot of work and activity and other times when I require more rest and down time. I know this, yet I struggle with allowing myself periods of rest and rejuvenation.

When I turn to the Bible, I’m reminded that I don’t have to work so hard or try to live on someone else’s timeline. God will work out the things he wants me to do in the proper time and manner. What I need to do is draw near to God and allow him to show me what is necessary. Let him determine the rhythm of my days.

Read the rest over at The Glorious Table.

Come to the End of Yourself

There’s a prevailing belief among Christians that once a person accepts Jesus into their heart, their life will immediately become easier and they will experience fewer struggles. I have been a victim of this thinking before. When a new hardship invariably comes along (because this world has many troubles), we feel devastated. We erroneously believe we must have gotten something wrong and caused the difficulty. Often this leads us to double down on prayer and confess all sins, real or imagined, to God or another person, certain that there’s something we’ve done to cause this malady.

When we’re unable to find an explanation for the trial we face, we may seek guidance from others, who may tell us God is testing us. The story of Job, whom God allowed to lose nearly everything, is often cited as evidence. It appears to make sense, so we believe God wants to test our mettle and see if we have a strong faith. We may even quote the often-used phrase, “God won’t give me more than I can handle” and make it our mantra.

If we study the Bible thoroughly, though, we’ll find that neither of these lines of thinking is accurate.

In the ninth chapter of John, we find the disciples subscribing to the first belief that our sinful behavior causes hardships. They encounter a man who was born blind and ask Jesus which member of the family had sinned to cause the blindness. “‘Neither this man nhis parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him’” (John 9:3 NIV).

God wants to display his power through the blind man’s weakness. He shows his ability to heal, to make whole, through a broken and seemingly hopeless circumstance. The man doesn’t have to work to earn God’s favor. He already has it. His blindness isn’t a punishment, but an opportunity to receive God’s love and grace.

Likewise, our own struggles and hardships are not necessarily because of something we’ve done. God loves us and has given us purpose. We know we are to love God and others, but only God knows exactly how we can do that best. He’s given us abilities and specific life circumstances that allow us to love uniquely. Our job is to find out what those are. For some, it may be through notes of encouragement and kind words. Others may display love through physical acts of service such as mowing lawns, doing yard work, or serving lunches. A parent with young children may serve by volunteering to watch others’ children so they can have a much-needed break.

Just because we find our calling doesn’t mean the path will be free of snares or tangles. Consider Mary and Joseph. God called Mary to be the mother of Jesus and Joseph to stand beside Mary, despite the scandal of having a pregnant fiancée. They chose obedience to God’s will for their lives and likely received ridicule and judgment from their friends and families.

Read the rest over at The Glorious Table.

Three Ways to Connect with God

Love Within Reach devotional

Recently, my relationship with God has felt more like a checklist item than something living and vibrant. The fault is mine. I haven’t been to church in over a month, partly due to traveling but also due to our family’s struggle to find a church where we feel a sense of belonging. We want to visit new places, but with COVID still out there and our kids vulnerable to infection, it’s hard to find the motivation to venture into a new community of strangers.

I haven’t stopped going through the motions of connecting with God. I’ve maintained a daily devotional reading and a few minutes of quiet meditation, but I seem to forget what I’ve read once I close the book, and my mind wanders all over the place during the silence. This isn’t the quality time with God I yearn for. Obviously, something has to change.

This isn’t the first time I’ve felt my daily quiet time become stale. Through trial and error, I’ve learned a few action steps that help get me back on track:

  1. Prayer journaling. It requires time, but it helps me focus on the present and open up to God. I tend to share my heart and struggles more freely through writing.
  2. Praying for others. There are times when I struggle to voice personal concerns, but speaking to God about friends, family, and the world tends to connect me to him. Interceding for others draws me closer to his heart and reminds me of his love for all of his creation, including me.
  3. Extending my meditation time. I use an app on my phone that lets me choose meditations of one, three, five, or ten minutes. If I choose one or three minutes, usually because I’m in a hurry, then I don’t tend to get much out of it. When I spend five to ten minutes in meditation, it gives me the opportunity to quiet my mind and focus on what I’m doing. Paying attention to which option I’m choosing regularly helps me gauge my connection with God.

a journal and pen on top of an open bible

These three steps are usually effective at helping me get out of the quiet time rut and back into a growing, living relationship with God. Additional steps that have worked are reading a Christian nonfiction book, reading a Christian fiction book, finding ways to serve others and put my faith in action, reading my favorite Bible passages, making a list of the ways God has been faithful to me in the past, listing the current blessings in my life, and sharing my struggle with another Christian.

Read the rest over at The Glorious Table.

Choose Grace

In The Book of Forgiving, Archbishop Desmond Tutu uses the example of being cut off in traffic to demonstrate our ability to choose our response in any given situation. One choice is to take it personally and become angry, which will not lead to anything positive. It will increase his blood pressure and negatively affect his attitude for an extended period of time. His other choice is grace. He can choose to attribute a forgivable reason for the driving. Perhaps a family member is in intensive care in a hospital. Or perhaps the driver is rushing to help deliver a baby. If the archbishop can identify with those feelings of fear or anxiety the other driver might be experiencing, then he is able to extend grace. When this happens, he often prays for the person and wishes them well. He’s then able to move on without it noticeably affecting his mood or the rest of his day.

Looking through the Lens of Grace

I was amazed at how true his example rang for me. I often jump to the conclusion that invites me to take personal offense to another’s behavior. I am quick to think the worst rather than provide a reasonable and understandable alternative. Since reading this story, I’ve been trying to change my way of thinking, starting with my family.

When my children act out of character, I know that I can choose to believe they are purposefully being difficult or sassy and get angry in response. But I also know that there’s another option. I can pause and think of alternative rationales for their behavior. Reminding myself that they’re normally kind and obedient can help me realize that they’re probably tired or hungry. When I can think of a non-personal reason for their behavior, then I’m more easily able to act in a loving and compassionate manner. Instead of getting angry and escalating the situation unnecessarily, I can bring gentleness and grace, and we can all move through the event with a more positive attitude. It doesn’t mean I don’t address the behavior; it just means I err on the side of grace in attributing meaning to the behavior.

Choose Grace

Showing Grace to Ourselves

I’ve learned that I can also choose grace over judgment toward myself. I’ve dealt with perfectionism for a long time and can be pretty hard on myself when I make a mistake. Experience shows me that being hard on myself doesn’t change what happened nor does it impel me to change my behavior. The times I’ve been compassionate toward myself, I’ve received glimpses of a better way.

I had an appointment one morning and started driving my usual route to the doctor’s office. I noticed that the GPS was instructing me to take a different route. I ignored it, choosing to go the way with which I was most familiar. It turned out to be a big mistake as there was an accident further up the road that I couldn’t yet see. I ended up stuck in traffic and late for my appointment. I could have berated myself for my stubbornness, but instead I allowed myself to be human. I called ahead to let the office know I would be late and was met with grace and understanding. I then spent the extra time in the car praying and listening to worship music. I also resolved to listen to the GPS next time.

Read the rest over at The Glorious Table.

Do You Trust God’s Goodness?

A plate with a stack of blueberry pancakes and a glass of milk

Have you ever tried to make a deal with God? Have you tried to bargain with him to get out of something you sense he’s calling you to do, something you don’t want to do because it’s uncomfortable, challenging, or inconvenient? Did you try to give a half-hearted effort to show God that it wasn’t something you could do? Did he call your bluff?

Just me? I don’t think so because there’s a story in the Bible that sounds very familiar. It’s along the lines of how I tried to get out of something God wanted me to do.

In Judges 6-7, we read about Gideon, a young boy threshing wheat in a winepress to try to hide his activity from the Midianites. God sends an angel who tells him to save Israel from its oppressive rulers. Gideon tries to make excuses for why he can’t do it, but God shows him his power and tells him he will be with him.

Gideon obeys God’s first order to destroy an altar to a foreign god and build one to God in its place, but he does so under the cover of night because he’s afraid. God then gives him a second order, to lead the Israelites into battle against the Midianites. Gideon asks for a sign from God twice to prove that God is really calling him to do it. God provides the proof, and Gideon moves forward, obeying God completely and defeating the Midianites.

Gideon experiences fear and tries to wriggle out of the difficult and uncomfortable tasks God has assigned to him. But God does not give up on Gideon or make him feel bad for needing reassurance. He is patient and helps Gideon overcome his reluctance and fear, providing him with what he needs in order to be faithful and complete God’s instructions.

trust God's goodness

Several years ago, I was struggling with a couple of my friendships. Both people were dealing with difficult situations and were in very negative headspaces. I wanted to be able to support and encourage them, but after each get-together, I felt drained and frustrated. I didn’t think there was anything I could really do to help. I couldn’t change their circumstances. I was tired of helping them carry their heavy burdens.

Read the rest over at The Glorious Table.

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