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?

Faith in Uncertain Times

July 11, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10 NIV

“What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3 NIV

How do you say YES to God when you don’t know what you are saying YES to?

We all face uncertain seasons in life. But the unspoken truth we must grapple with is that every moment is uncertain. If we are honest with ourselves, we can admit that not one of us knows what the next moment holds. Yet, there are times when we are simply more aware of that uncertainty. We feel it and it unsettles us. That’s where Tom and I are right now.

What is our first reaction when we feel unstable? We search for stability. We attempt to find something we can control. It’s okay to admit it. The desire to control the unknown is human. Ask Adam and Eve.

And what did they find? The only One who controls the unknown is God Himself. And He is not willing to give up that control to you and me because He can see everything and we can’t. That is the simple unsettling fact. No matter how much we want to know the unknown, we can’t.

But: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.” Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV

So, how do you and I keep our minds focused on God and trust Him? How do we say YES when we don’t know what we are saying YES to?

Seeing Future Freedom

July 4, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Hebrews 12:1-4 NIV

Wherever you are right now is the result of someone else’s faith.

Your parents, as imperfect as they may have been, sacrificed to help you grow.

Our spiritual forefathers forged a path for faith.

Our American forefathers forged a path for the freedom America is known for.

None of this is perfect.

None of them were perfect.

Only one is perfect.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”Romans 5:8 NIV
“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 NIV

Dear friend, what you have now cost someone something, even if they didn’t do it perfectly.

Your parents. The founders of our country. Your church leaders.

They all have added something to your life worth having. Regardless of their mistakes, their sacrifices have enriched you.

Who are you sacrificing for?

Are you willing to pay the price without seeing the result?

Living a Christ-centered life is not easy, but it is worth it.

The cost of living for Jesus purchases your eternity, yes.

But it also clears a path for those in your circle of influence.

Your sacrifice lights the way for them to follow your example.

You may never see the impact of your sacrifice, just as our forefathers could not see the future we live in now.

But your life matters.

You can make it count by committing to the cost.

It’s going to be worth it.

My book The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word is almost 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.

If you are stuck and would like a partner to help you process your next step, I’d love to help. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary coaching session here.

When Your Hopes are Disappointed

June 27, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5:3-5 NLT

How do you handle the disappointment when something you looked forward to does not happen? Do you let it ruin your day? Do you spew anger all over everyone around you? Do you blame?

It’s a small thing in the big scheme of life, but I was really looking forward to the train ride from Talkeetna to Whittier, Alaska. We traveled in a glass-domed train car, enabling us to absorb the scenic views of the Alaskan countryside as we transitioned from the land portion of our trip onto the cruise ship. A car host was assigned to each car. Their job was to make our trip enjoyable, to tell us what we were seeing along the way and to point out the Alaskan wildlife. Bears, moose, caribou, bald eagles, and Dall sheep, a unique species of wild sheep. Tom and I had watched a promotional video for the train ride when we were exploring the idea of an Alaska trip. The train ride was the bait that hooked us on this itinerary. We envisioned a peaceful, beautiful trip that would be one of the high points of our journey through Alaska. It turned out to be a low point.

The visual experience was all the promotional video promised — minus the bright sunshine. The day of our trip happened to be the only day we had rain in the whole ten days in Alaska, but the views were still spectacular. However, rather than a peaceful ride through the countryside, our trip was more like a visit to a bar full of raucous sports fans. People in other train cars came to call our car “the loud car.” Our young train host encouraged those who were drinking and rowdy. That was his idea of fun. Eventually, he stopped giving any narration along the way. The noise was out of control, spoiling the experience for those of us who had looked forward to a peaceful enjoyment of the natural beauty.

A Pivot - Enjoy a Few Alaska Photos

June 20, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

What do you do when your plan falls through? Do you pivot, pout, or have patience?

Thankfully, God has helped me get past pouting…most of the time. This post is a pivot. Next post will be about having patience when there’s nothing you can do.

I’ve got a post in process for you about how preparing my heart in advance helped me deal with the unexpected on our trip, but I’ve been sick the last few days and need to give myself some more recovery time.

Enjoy a few more Alaska photos!

I kept taking pictures trying to capture the magnificent expanse of snow-capped mountains. It’s impossible!

Beautiful blue-green Marjerie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park. Kudos to Tom for this beautiful photo. Stunning!

A picture-perfect day in Ketchikan!

Thanks for your patience.

Blessings, friend!

Preparing Your Heart Matters

June 13, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

I’ve heard it said that when you travel, don’t forget to pack your patience. There were a few things that happened on our trip to Alaska where that was the case.

If you follow this blog, you’ll remember my post from May 23, Don’t Sweat the What-ifs. I shared some Scriptures I was “packing” to prepare for the unexpected. I am so glad that I did.

Here’s a quote from that post that describes the most important preparation I did:

Trust is the most important thing I can pack. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

So, here’s one story from our trip. We booked our flights through Princess EZ-Air. That way if anything went wrong along the way, Princess Cruises would have to get us to our destination. There was no easy way to get from Syracuse, NY, to Fairbanks, AK, to start our journey. We flew from Syracuse to Washington, DC, to Denver, CO, to Fairbanks. It was a long journey, but there were no issues along the way.

However, I was a bit concerned about our return flights from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The Joy of the Journey – Alaska!

June 6, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 NLT

Tom and I have a lot to process from our trip to Alaska. All the planning paid off, and God did so much more for us than we could have imagined. You will hear more about it in the coming weeks, but here are a few photos and some quick takeaways.

Dinali (aka Mt. McKinley, the highest point in North America) We are in the 30% club! Only 30% of visitors get a view of the mountain. Most visitors don’t get to see it because of cloud cover. The clouds are always shifting, so parts of it may be visible, but rarely the whole mountain. We had beautiful views of the whole mountain more than once. This shot is from about 40 miles away!

Margerie Glacier (Glacier Bay National Park) What a spectacular sight! Visitors hope to see the glacier calve, when large chunks of the blue-green ice shed into the ocean with a dramatic crash and splash. We didn’t see that, but as you can tell, we had glorious weather and beautiful views.

Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan was the port furthest south in our journey. We had a beautiful, warm, and sunny day to walk around and enjoy the city park and to stroll along the famous Creek Street and Salmon Walk. Summer visitors watch the salmon swimming upstream during the spawning season. No coats needed this day!

My biggest takeaway for you today: The most important preparation I did was to prepare my heart for the unexpected. I will tell you more about that next week. Check my post from May 30, Don’t Sweat the What-ifs for a preview. Every thought and Scripture I shared in that post came into play during the trip. I am so glad I had those tools ready!

Check out my book The YES Adventure: Transform Your Life with One Word 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 their God-centered goal setting.

If you are stuck and would like a partner to help you process your next step, I’d love to help. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary coaching session here.

Enjoy What You Planned

May 30, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another.” John 1:16 NLT

If you are reading this on the day that it posts, then I am in Alaska. The prep and planning are complete and now it is time to enjoy what we prepared for. So, this will be short and sweet.

As I am writing this, we still have packing to do and a few things to get in order, but we are mostly done. Now I get to look forward to enjoying what we planned for. But I have to choose to do that instead of letting myself get distracted by all the details.

That’s the purpose of planning and preparation. We’ve done the hard work. And sometimes it was hard work. But that work enables us to take in the beauty of God’s creation, to enjoy it, and let Him speak to us through it. And it enables us to focus on enjoying being with each other. That’s the next step in my plan!

Thanks for letting me share some of the preparation with you. Next week I’ll share a few pictures.

Whatever it is you are planning and preparing for, remember to enjoy it!

If you are stuck and would like a partner to help you process your next step, I’d love to help. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary coaching session here.

Don’t Sweat the What-Ifs

May 23, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:28-29 NIV

As we are counting down the days to our big trip to Alaska, I am aware of places in the plan where things could go awry. Sometimes, I am very aware of all the “what ifs.” You know what I mean? Maybe you are experiencing some of that, too.

Here’s the thing: every day there is a chance that something will not go as planned, not just on our trip, but in life, yours and mine. That’s not thinking negatively. It’s part of planning for the unexpected. I can’t decide what is going to happen, but I can decide how I will handle whatever happens.

Understanding that, I took some time to think and pray through how I am going to respond to the unforeseen on the trip, but also, as a tool for the future.

So, here are a few truths that I am going to hold on to.

God is good regardless of what happens. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:28-29 NIV

He will help me through whatever happens. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NIV

He promises to guide me. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalm 32:8 NIV

My behavior is up to me. “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” Philippians 1:27 NIV

Trust is the most important thing I can pack. Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

He is able to do even more than I ask for. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

Ephesians 3:20 NLT

There’s a good chance something will not go as planned for you today. Don’t sweat the what-ifs. Go ahead and plan in advance how you are going to handle it!

If you are stuck and would like a partner to help you process your next step, I’d love to help. Schedule a 30-minute complimentary coaching session here.

Prepare to be Spontaneous

May 16, 2026 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

It doesn’t matter who you meet; there always seems to be tension between those who plan and those who are spontaneous. Whether it is in church or work or the neighborhood, there are those who think ahead and succeed because of that, and there are those who don’t think ahead and always seem to hit the mark. Which are you?

I am a planner, yet I see the value of spontaneity. You can’t plan for everything. Life is full of those unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes, planning is what makes a moment fully enjoyable and sometimes it is the spark of spontaneity that adds the joy. So, how does one prepare and plan without losing the flexibility to be spontaneous?