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!

When Tom and I moved from the Hudson Valley, where we had spent most of our lives, to the Syracuse area it was because we had a sense of calling. No clear picture of what was going to happen when we moved. But we felt like God said, “Go. And I will bless you.” So, we took the time to transition the church we were pastoring to new leadership and left our well-established roots. Abraham was often on our minds. Go without knowing. Action before clarity.

Even after several years of living here, there is not a complete sense of clarity. But there is a sense of rightness. We are where we are supposed to be. We have obeyed, and God is blessing us. But we know there is more.

I have found that clarity comes with obedience. In seasons of uncertainty, it’s easy to avoid action. We often don’t fully know what God wants, but something seems to keep rising to the top of our minds. There is one thought that won’t go away. Often that is the thing we must do. But we hesitate, wanting to be certain. The truth is, like Abraham, we won’t be certain until we actually do it.

Abraham could not get away from God’s request to sacrifice Isaac. He acted in obedience. It was then that the clarity came. God made it clear when he told Abraham to stop and explained that Abraham had demonstrated his commitment. God wanted his whole heart, not really his son. (Geneses 22: 9-12)

Dear friend, what might God be asking of you right now? What thought can’t you get away from? It’s very possible that is the thing you must do, but you won’t have clarity until you actually do it. It won’t be easy to go without knowing. But obedience leads to action and action leads to clarity. Faith in uncertain seasons looks like a decision to act on what you know and believe God has said even when— especially when— you can’t see the outcome.

Key Question: How can I get clear on what God is asking of me?

A Scripture to Consider: “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

A YES Challenge: Take a few deep breaths and sit with God for a few moments. What has been thought that won’t go away? Consider your next step and determine when you will take it.

Prayer: Father, I want to obey You. I want to follow in Abraham’s steps and go without knowing, but it’s hard to take that step when I just don’t see how it’s going to turn out. I want the certainty, but it seems like certainty is only possible after I take the step. Empower me by Your Spirit. Help me go without knowing. Help me trust that You will bless my step of obedience and grant me the clarity I seek. Amen.

My book The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word is now a year old! Check it out or 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 their God-centered goal-setting.

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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?

What does God want? To know what God wants from me, I need to start with Christ Himself. God wants you and me to receive the gift of Jesus Christ. Not just once, but every single day in every single circumstance.

In my murky mess, I found Jesus to be almost tangibly present. I began to learn to talk to Him when I couldn’t really share with anyone else. I began to look to Him in those moments when I felt alone and overwhelmed.

In the middle of a normal day during that completely abnormal, seemingly endless time, I was driving home alone. Sadness and hopelessness seemed to grab onto my shoulders, dragging me under, attempting to drown me. I had a choice. Give in or go on. I opened my mouth and began to sing the old hymn, It is Well With My Soul:

When peace like a river attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll.
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say
It is well. It is well with my soul….

As I chose to sing, I experienced the presence of Jesus lifting me above the waves of my storm. The words of that hymn became a weapon against the darkness. It wasn’t easy. The situation didn’t change. But I found Jesus to be enough.

All the wisdom you need is found in Him. Dark days like the ones you and I walk through are filled with choices. There really aren’t any more choices than in a “normal” time, but the cloud that seems to surround us in survival mode can make everyday choices seem overwhelming. Even a trip to the grocery store can feel like an uphill climb dragging a ball and chain. Our brains and emotions are so fully occupied with our circumstances that choosing which box of cereal to put in the shopping cart can stop us in our tracks. You find yourself asking, “How do I just get through today?”

In my days of living in survival mode, I found Jesus to be enough. I can’t tell you exactly how I made it through, but He helped me moment by moment, small decision by small decision, step by step. He guided me through paying bills, getting my kids to school, holidays, birthday parties for my kids — a five-year-old still needs to celebrate and be celebrated, even when the adults in their life may be struggling, right? All the things that needed to be done, somehow got done. Jesus gave me the wisdom I needed in the moment I needed it. He will do the same for you. I have no doubts about that.

When you don’t know what to do, trust that He will guide you. Let’s face it, you and I go through one trying time after another, don’t we? Looking back at some of the times when I felt like I was going to drown in the storm, I see Jesus. He was there when I could not see the future. He was there shielding me as the waves crashed over the side of the boat. He was there, holding on to me when I felt like the rocking vessel was trying to toss me overboard. He was my safety rope. He was my anchor. I didn’t realize it at the time. I was just trying to survive.

Maybe you are there right now. Your circumstances have knocked the wind out of you. You feel breathless and disoriented. What will the future hold and how will you ever get there? Is life as it is now, the way it will always be? Most likely not, but what if it is?

I came to a decision while the wind blew, and the waves crashed over me. “Jesus, if this is the way my life is going to be from here on out, then You are enough. You have what I need. You will help me. I will find my satisfaction in You.”

Dear friend, I know that it can be hard to imagine a future right now. It is hard to imagine that things really will turn out for good. Right now, all you can do is get up every morning and trust God for today. You are doing that. It’s hard to see, but you are. God is giving you His treasures in your darkness. He is giving you wisdom and knowledge. He has given you Jesus. Jesus is the calm in the storm, ready to give you all that you need to navigate the waves.

And He, Dear Friend, really is enough.

Key Thought: How can I make it through this dark time?

A Scripture to Consider: '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

A YES Challenge: As you consider your current challenge, how might Jesus be present in ways that you don’t yet recognize?

Prayer: Jesus, You know the situation I am currently facing. You know how overwhelmed I feel, the pain, the discouragement. It can be easy to slide into hopelessness, but that is not what I want to do. I choose now to look to You. I trust You to give me the wisdom I need for today and the strength I need to keep going. I choose to believe that You really are enough. Amen.

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?

A - C = P: Anxiety - Control = Peace (Repost)

August 8, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

'Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. ‘Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

I was listening to a podcast when I heard a quote that brought so much clarity, I couldn’t get it out of my head. Here it is: “Anxiety results from wanting to control something God has not given us to control.” I didn’t remember the name of the person or why she was on the podcast, but what she said made so much practical sense. (I looked it up later. So, if you are interested, it was Joanna Weaver’s podcast, The Living Room, and the guest was Sharon Hodde Miller, author of The Cost of Control: Why We Crave It, the Anxiety It Gives Us, and the Real Power God Promises Us.) As I pondered her statement, a formula took shape in my brain, “A – C = P,” Anxiety – Control = Peace. Easy to remember and a goal worth aiming for.

Anxiety is something we all experience. Anxiety steals peace and commands focus. Whether it’s something personal about your family, or a job, or something broader like politics and the world situation, anxiety creeps up behind us, leaps upon us and gets us in a stranglehold. Ever feel that way?

Your brain goes in circles, trying to resolve something you are powerless to resolve. You can’t sleep and every waking moment is consumed with mental and practical fruitless attempts to solve the problem. Suddenly, it seems like nothing else is happening in your life. What started as a thought becomes a huge shadow. What do you do?

When God Trusts You with Pain

August 1, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 NIV

God has trusted you with this challenge. Life may not be the way you expected. What you dreamed of seems to have crashed and burned. It’s hard to envision what the future might look like.

And the pain. Well, the pain may be unlike any you’ve ever experienced before. It’s so deep and unfathomable. At times, it pours out. Other times, no one knows it’s there. But for you, it’s always there. Always under the surface. The pain doesn’t go away. You learn to live with chronic pain. It becomes part of you.

That certainly is not the life you envisioned, is it? A life where pain becomes part of you. But sometimes, that is the life God trusts you with. The key to accepting that kind of life is trust.

You can’t trust yourself to handle this. You and I must trust God when He allows pain to become part of us. We must trust what we know of His character, His goodness, His love.

Ultimately, what God wants from you and me when He allows pain to become part of us is to represent Him well in our world. To show that He is trustworthy, even in painful circumstances. To demonstrate what it looks like to walk in faith, because faith trusts what it can’t see. (Hebrews 11:6)

Trusting the Leader

July 25, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalms 32:8 NIV

How do you handle not having the answers to questions about your life?

What is next?
How long will this take?
How is this all going to work out?

We all face those kinds of questions, and they are definitely not easy to grapple with. If you are like me, you come up with a list of possible scenarios. My brain is always trying to answer questions or understand the reason why something is happening. I guess it gives me a sense of control or security to feel like I understand. Key word: feel.

No matter how much I may feel like I understand the reason why a season is difficult and full of questions, the truth is that I don’t see the whole picture, so I don’t truly understand. But I sure like feeling like I do!

Our recent trip to Alaska allowed me to grapple with some lack of control and insecurity when we embarked on a chosen excursion called Dog Sled Summer Camp. Trainers bring the dogs to the Alaskan mountains where the temperature stays cold enough to keep them comfortable while they train to pull the sleds in the winter. Their agreement with the cruise company and tourist purchases like ours help fund the training camp.

The excursion involved a van trip on a winding mountain road with no guardrails up to the camp where the dogs would pull us in a wheeled cart as part of their training.

Insecurity and lack of control: No guardrails and a steep drop-off. A bear in the road brought the van to a halt for a while on the way up!

As we arrived, the camp full of Alaskan huskies saw us and knew that a run was coming. They barked excitedly, “Pick me! Pick me!”

Insecurity and lack of control: No say in the speed of the cart. Bears in the woods around us. Wondering if the dogs would stay on the road as the cart seemed to veer off to the side as they ran.

Panning for Gold: How to Trust God When You Can’t See the Answer

July 18, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalms 27:13-14 NIV

On our recent trip to Alaska, one of the excursions we chose included panning for gold. The description declared every participant would leave with “guaranteed gold.” We were skeptical, but it was intriguing. Why not? It sounded like a fun experience.

We traveled from the port by bus and arrived at a tent camp, something like what the gold rush prospectors would have experienced. After a brief theatrical presentation, one of the actors led the group over to waist-high troughs filled with water, silt, gravel…and guaranteed gold. We were instructed to take a pan. He then described the process of dipping the pan through the water, lifting some of the silt and gravel, and carefully tilting the pan, allowing the tiny real gold flecks to remain behind as the water carried the rest out. He assured us that if we trusted the process, the gold would be heavier than everything else and would most definitely remain in the pan. At that point, he showed us how to partially fill a small zip-lock bag with water, pick up a tiny fleck on a wet finger, and transfer it into the bag to take home as a souvenir. So, we each began our attempts to pan out that guaranteed gold.

Tom was next to me and, before too long, was transferring several tiny flecks of gold into his little bag. Although I heard what the instructor told us, it was difficult for me to make it happen. I felt awkward and uncertain. It didn’t come easily. I heard what was said but wasn’t sure how to do it. I quickly grew frustrated. What was fun about this?

I handed my pan to Tom, and shortly after, he was transferring more tiny flecks of guaranteed gold from my pan into his little bag. The guide had said more than once to “trust the process.” But trusting the process took more patience than I had. So, I stopped trying. Tom understood the process, had the patience, and successfully retrieved all the little flecks of gold from his pan and mine.

What does panning for gold have to do with trusting God when you can’t see the answers?