Measuring Success

June 21, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. Acts of the Apostles 20:24 NLT

How do you measure success? That’s an important question as you review your goal progress. Your perspective can encourage or discourage you.

When you are discouraged, you will not be motivated to keep moving forward. If you measure success by check marks next to goals achieved, you may find yourself discouraged more often than not. Are you discouraging yourself?

When you set a goal, you want it to be specific and measurable. However, we often set goals that are outside our realm of experience. You don’t know what you don’t know. That means your goal may turn out to be idealistic. We should set completion dates for our goals, but our information and experience are sometimes not enough to help us set realistic timelines. That may lead to discouragement.

Encouragement is a propellant. It is the wind in your sails and the gas in your motor. Encouragement is the needed fuel for this journey. Goal setting is not an exact science and goal achievement requires flexibility. You need a perspective that allows for that to properly measure success.

Keep an eternal perspective. You need to remind yourself that any goal you set is temporal. It only matters if it has impact that lasts beyond you.

What I am l Learning: Sometimes You Just Need a Break

June 15, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”Matthew 11:28 NIV

Well, my friend, it’s been a rough week. I had an unexpected medical issue arise. So even as I am recovering from two broken wrists and right wrist surgery, I found myself facing another challenge. Ever been there?

Part of what I am learning throughout this stressful season is that sometimes you just need a break. I see it on my husband’s face as he walks through it with me and I recognize it in myself as well.

So, if you will indulge me, I’m going to step out. I’ll see you next week!

By the way, my friend, if you are going through a rough season, maybe you just need a break, too.

What I am Learning: How to Roll with the Unexpected

June 8, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT

I don’t know about you, but the unexpected can rattle me. My current season is full of the unexpected. I am currently healing from surgery on my right wrist after a fall that broke both my wrists. The morning of the surgery I found myself praying, “God, I know there are going to be unexpected things in this process. Help me to roll with the unexpected.” I am glad I prayed that prayer!

So, here are a few of the unexpected things that I experienced. Because both of my wrists are injured, the medical staff did not want to add fluid to an already injured body location. Did you know that an IV in the foot is the other option? Well, I didn’t. I was surprised, but not rattled when the nurse told me about it. “Time to roll with the unexpected”, I thought. The initial “pinch” felt like any other IV. It hurt at first, but then it was just weird knowing it was there.

For the same reason, a blood pressure cuff was wrapped around my leg rather than my arm. IV on the right foot. Blood pressure cuff on the left leg. I was connected to that all day as well. Every so often the cuff would tighten around my leg to get a reading. What a strange sensation! Surprised, but not rattled. Another opportunity for God to come through with grace. And He did.

I have never had a cast before, so I have never had a cast removed before. As the nurse was removing my cast so that the surgery could take place, the whirr of the machine she was using to cut through the plaster filled the room.

3 Tips for Waiting Well

October 21, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36 NIV

Are you in a waiting season? Yeah, me too. Sometimes it feels like forever when you are waiting for something. God has made us to crave resolution. Maybe it’s so that we long for heaven. Whether it’s an unresolved chord, a fractured relationship, an incomplete sentence, or a situation in progress we naturally bend toward the resolution. We want to skip to the end, play the chord, fix the relationship, finish the sentence. But life doesn’t work that way, does it? You and I are in good company, though. How many times do the psalms ask God, “How long, Lord?”

So, what do we do while we are waiting? We persevere. We keep living. We keep hoping. We keep looking to God. Easy to say. Not easy to do, right?

So, here are a few tips for waiting well. I need them just as much as you do!