Living Out Faith in Uncertain Times

October 17, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NLT

Faith in uncertain times. That’s been the theme of my posts for a while now. At the moment, I am living that out.

Tom and I went out of town for a trip and found ourselves in an uncertain time. He had been feeling fatigued, but nothing that we recognized as a red flag. Then he woke up in the middle of the night in extreme pain. A trip to the ER revealed pneumonia. A CT scan raised some questions about the origin of the infection. Subsequently, he was admitted. Over the next few days, doctors did a variety of tests to determine what was actually happening in Tom’s body.

At this point, they have ruled out the most threatening possibilities. Tom is responding to the IV antibiotics and the pain is mitigated, though not completely gone. We are still waiting for word of when he might be released to recover at home. He usually drives the long trips. This time it will be me.

So that is our current situation. An uncertain time. What can I tell you about my faith in a time like this?

First, over the years I have learned to accept situations as they are. The only thing I can control about this is me. I can’t speed up Tom’s healing so that we can go home. God controls the timing. Whether He heals miraculously or works through doctors, the timing isn't up to me. The best thing I can do is trust Him to work in the way He sees fit.

Often, our strong desire to control situations causes the most stress. The longing to circumvent the circumstance or make it stop leads to a great deal of angst. Accepting the situation as it is helps me direct my energy towards what is actually happening, rather than fighting against it.

Next, I have learned to accept my own limitations and work within them. Back to “The only thing I can control is me.” I don’t like driving in city traffic, especially in an unfamiliar location. I don’t like tight spaces in parking garages or parallel parking. I just don’t do it enough. I don’t trust my own sense of depth perception. I am not a terrible driver, but I know what stresses me out.

We are in an unfamiliar city with a lot of traffic, narrow streets, road construction, hills, and limited parking options. The hospital has a parking garage, but the first time I came, I found a close parking lot. The spaces were just as tight as a garage, but in the open air. Although I successfully navigated all of that with limited anxiety, once I was parked at the hotel near the hospital, I decided to pay a driver for the rest of my hospital trips instead of driving myself. Why? Because it takes away one layer of stress for me in an already stressful situation. It saves my emotional and mental energy for what is most important.

I have also learned to concentrate on the present moment without projecting into the future. What do I mean by that? There are questions about what happens next with Tom’s recovery. How long will he be out of work? We will have to decide what our priorities are when it comes to other commitments. We will have to navigate the hospital bills and other unexpected expenses connected with this time. There are some challenges ahead, but more than forty years ago I heard a statement that has guided me through many a trial:

“God doesn’t give us the grace to anticipate. He gives us the grace to go through it.”

It isn’t always easy to turn off the brain as it anticipates the future challenges. After all, God designed our brains for problem-solving. But I need my brain to spend its mental energy on solving current problems. I know that is what I need to focus on, so I must choose to put the future in God’s hands and trust that He will guide us through it with grace.

Every trial I’ve walked through has helped me trust God in a deeper way. I must rely on Him and trust in His love. (1 John 4:16) I can walk through this time with peace and grace because of what I have learned through previous times. It isn’t easy. I don’t want to minimize anything about this. But I have experienced God’s faithfulness in the past, and I expect it from Him now.

Dear friend, you can trust Him. Accept that He is in control even when everything is out of your control. Do your best to manage yourself. Accept the situation and your own limitations. Focus your mental and emotional energy on the present, believing there will be grace for what comes next, just as there is grace for now.

Praying that sharing this helps you through your own uncertain times.

PS: We are now home. Tom is better every day, but it’s going to take a bit longer to get back to full strength and “back to normal”. Thanks for your prayers!

Key Question: How do I live out faith in uncertain times?

A Scripture to Consider: “In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.” 2 Corinthians 1:9-10 NLT

A YES Challenge: Determine where you are trying to control or circumvent your current challenge. What can you do to release control to God?

Prayer: Father, You know all that is happening right now. I recognize that it is out of my control. Help me trust that You are present in this circumstance and help me trust and rely on Your love. You know my weaknesses. Help me accept them and teach me how to work within my limitations. You are faithful. You have been faithful. You will be faithful. Amen.

If you find my posts encouraging, then you will like my book, The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word. Check it out for encouragement, inspiration, and more about God-centered goal-setting. Please leave a review on Amazon! That will help other people find the book and receive guidance and encouragement in living a God-centered life.

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When All You Can Do is Press On

October 10, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14 NIV

Have you ever been in a season where all you can do is just keep getting up every day? It’s called survival mode.

Maybe there is a situation you can’t resolve. You can’t fix it or pray it away. Every morning you wake up to the same challenge. It seems like this may last for the rest of your life and you just don’t know how you are going to make it through.

In survival mode, the only thing that seems possible is to keep doing what you need to do to live. Go to work. Pack the kids' lunches and get them off to school. Buy the groceries. Cook the dinner. Get the kids to bed. Fall into bed yourself. And then do it all again tomorrow.

The happiness of the past is a distant memory. The future is a black hole. The only thing you can see is now. And now is like slogging through a marsh in combat gear. Heavy and messy. And you don’t know how long it will take to get out of the slop.

What if persevering is the only thing you can do? Then persevere, my friend. Press on.

Finding Rest for Your Soul. Part 2

October 3, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Soul. It’s a word we use often but is hard to truly define. What is your soul?

I’ve been thinking about this, and when I looked it up, I found that there are many definitions of what the soul is, but if we get down it, I think we can define the soul as the inner essence of who we are — the mind, the will, the emotions — everything that makes you you on the inside. It’s hard to quantify the soul but we are aware of its influence.

When your soul is unsettled, you just don’t feel right on the inside. You may not be able to articulate what is happening, but you know something is off. So, what does it mean to come to Jesus in those moments? What does it mean to come to Jesus and find rest for your soul?

What if it is as simple as bringing all those feelings to Him, recognizing that these feelings are messages that you can’t quite decipher? What if He is the One who can decipher them? To come to Jesus in that moment may mean laying those feelings before Him and trusting that even if He doesn’t reveal the meaning right away, He will walk you through to the other side, that He is with you to carry the burden. Wouldn’t that lead to rest for your soul?

Finding Rest for Your Soul

September 26, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

When you and I are going through difficult times, we want to do something. We don’t want to feel helpless and overwhelmed. We want to find ways to control outcomes. We don’t want to be passive. Or maybe that isn’t you. Maybe you give up in despair and hopelessly ride the waves without acting at all.

Neither of those approaches are going to bring us peace in the middle of the storm. Either we exhaust ourselves fighting against the waves of turmoil, or we succumb to the torrent and are overwhelmed by the tumult. But how do we find peace in the middle of the storm? What actions can we take?

Come to Jesus. This is active. It’s a choice we can make. We may not know exactly what that looks like, but we can choose it. To come to Jesus is to bring whatever you are thinking or feeling to Him. It doesn’t have to be pretty, poetic, perfect, or even prayerful. It’s a relationship, right? He loves you without any polish. Just come.

Receive what He gives. What does He give? Understanding, Wisdom. His presence right there with you in the middle of the mess.

Clarity After Action, Not Before

September 19, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.” Genesis 12:1-4 NLT

Many of us who follow Christ often struggle with knowing what God is asking of us. At least, I do. Maybe I am alone here, but I think not.

Often, the question is, “God, what are you saying to me?” What I’ve found is that I keep asking the question even when I feel like I have a sense of what God may have spoken. I have an inkling of what God is asking of me. I can see the next step. But I hesitate to take it because I can’t see where that step will lead. I can’t see a clear outcome, so I hesitate. Anyone else?

What I see in the life of Abraham is that he took the step of obedience even when the outcome wasn’t clear. He demonstrated faith and trust in God by acting. He went without knowing because he knew that God said go and had promised to bless him. No detailed action plan with stated outcomes. Just, “Go. And I will bless you.” So, Abraham went.

The thing about Abraham is that he didn’t do that just once.

He left Ur.
He divided the land with Lot,
He went up the mountain prepared to sacrifice Isaac.

He didn’t always do it perfectly. (Ask Sarah or Hagar.) But overall, Abraham demonstrated a life of obedience before clarity. A simple principle. Simple, but not easy.

It seems like Abraham lived a life that had a simple theme: Obey first. Understand after.

I don’t know about you, but I like to understand before I act!

This is Not Forever

September 12, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NLT

As I tearfully opened the sodden boxes of our stored belongings, wondering what was ruined, a verse came to mind,

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 NLT

We were temporarily living with my parents, and our stuff was stored in Tom’s parents' garage. They had a plumbing issue in their bathroom above the garage, causing a leak that soaked several of our boxes and other items, including our mattress. We weren’t sure what was salvageable.

That period of time was already difficult. We were waiting for a job to open up and unsure how long that would take, how long we would be living with my parents, how long our stuff would be stored. Both sets of parents had been patient, loving, and gracious. There was no one to blame for the water damage. Sometimes things just happen.

But when that verse popped into my brain, it completely changed my perspective on going through the damage. The tears didn’t stop. There was some mourning and disappointment. But at the same time, there was hope. This was temporary. These things were just things. What really mattered was how I responded. I could choose an eternal perspective. I could choose to treasure Christ more than an earthly possession.

As it turned out, very few of our things were unsalvageable, and insurance more than covered anything that was lost. But the eternal perspective I gained is a treasure that I still carry. That simple shift helped me through the three and a half years of living in the in-between.

Do You Believe?

September 5, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”Romans 4:3 NLT

How do you handle the inevitable uncertain circumstances in your life? Believe it or not, your response says a lot about what you believe about God.

I’ve recognized that my response is usually to try to get more information about the situation. I search the internet for possible causes or solutions. I try to understand the people involved and reason out why they are acting the way they do. Understanding and information make me feel more like I have a handle on the uncertainty. Information makes me feel like I have some control. But do I? Not really.

What does that say about what I believe about God? Do I really believe that He is in control and working for my good if I feel like I need to be in control? Do I really believe that He loves me and is for me? There must be some doubt about that. Time for some self-reflection!

I’ve been thinking about Abraham. He is referred to as the father of those who have faith (Romans 4:11-17). What makes him an example of faith to follow for you and me?

The Scripture says that he believed God, and God counted that as righteousness, in right relationship with Him. (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3)

If that is the example, then what can we learn from Abraham’s belief?

I’ve been asking myself some questions.

What made Abraham believe God? What made Him choose to believe what God had spoken to Him and to go without knowing where he was going? My conclusion is that Abraham believed God because of what He believed about God. What did he believe about God?

Hope For Dark Times

August 29, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

'I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ' Colossians 2:2-3

It was a dark time, one of the darkest times I have ever lived through. A loved one was struggling through the shadows of depression, and every day was a battle. Just getting out of bed and facing the mundane tasks of daily life took every ounce of my strength. The future was a wall of fog. The present was a slog through mud with a backpack full of rocks. It was all I could do to just get through today.

Perhaps that is where you are right now, dear friend. I am so sorry that you find yourself in such a difficult time. In that time of darkness I heard from a conference speaker say something that gave me perspective: Every trial will come to an end. As those words rang in the arena and resounded in my ears my heart knew that they were true. Although that time seemed to last forever, I eventually experienced that truth in my circumstance. You will experience it in yours, too.

But now, while you are in it, can I offer you some perspective I learned while walking through my own fog? Jesus really is enough. He is!

Christ Himself is God’s plan and gift. That is the long and short of it. If you are a follower of Christ, then you are looking for God’s plan amid the mud and muck of now. What does God really want from me while I am slogging through this?

God’s Idea of Getting Back to Normal

August 22, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.” Psalms 37:23-24 NLT

What is normal? I mean…really? We talk about normal. We think about normal. And when everything is out of whack in our lives, we long to get “back to normal.” I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit. So have you. When faced with challenging seasons, all we want is to get back to the way things were. Back to what is familiar. Stable. Predictable. That’s what we want, but is that what we need? What is normal?

On a recent trip, I found myself in bed for an entire day with some kind of illness. Was it food-borne? Maybe. I was uncomfortable. Sick. Unable to eat anything, but I didn’t want anything to eat either. What did I want? Just to get back to normal. To do the things I normally do and eat the things I normally eat. I wanted to be comfortable and enjoy life. Perhaps that is how I define normal. What about you?

If our definition of normal is to be comfortable and enjoy life, then most of life is not normal! So much of life is uncomfortable and unenjoyable. Isn’t it? So, what is a better definition of normal? And above all, what is God’s definition of normal?

In the beginning, God created His idea of normal. I guess if I want to find out what God’s idea of normal is, I need to consider creation. When God created everything, called it good, and then placed humans in the middle of it all, what did He want? What was the purpose of all He designed?

God created Adam and Eve to enjoy and help each other, but also to enjoy and obey God. To partner with him in caring for creation and each other. What is normal for God? I guess it is creation functioning according to design. That means people who completely love and trust Him. Ouch!

How to Win the War Within (Repost)

August 15, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

'Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ' Colossians 3:1-2

You’ve left the room, but the argument is not over. Your thoughts are stuck in a loop. The same hurtful exchange of words flashes across your mind over and over and over. You can’t seem to reset your inner replay. All the emotions that should have stayed in that room follow you everywhere you go. Hurt and anger continue to shout in your ears. Your heart rate is through the roof. Hot anger rises in your flushed face. The war is far from over.

Your inner screening room then begins playing out possible outcomes for a future exchange. You don’t really know what will happen, but your mind is already strategizing your next offensive in the war of words. Your emotions rise and fall with every imagined interaction. When you hurl an imagined barb at your intended target proud and triumphant vindictiveness rises to the surface. You feel all the emotions of a situation that hasn’t really happened and then you carry that resentment into the next conversation which turns into another altercation. Your emotions have become attached to an unreality. Nothing actually happened before you walked into the room. Do you truly want to spend your emotional energy on something that isn’t even real?