How to Have Joy Even If

December 21, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 NIV
“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence…” Psalms 16:11 NIV

Joy is the theme of Advent Week Three. Joy has also been my word for the year 2024. You will hear more about it in a future post, but around October or November, I begin to pray about a theme word for the coming year. I was and am certain that Joy is the word that was meant to be my 2024 theme. But to be honest, I am still trying to discern why. Would you mind processing with me?

Here are a few of my notes from last year as I looked forward to 2024:

JOY - Joy is about HOPE fulfilled. Joy is in the hoping, but complete joy comes as the hope is fulfilled. Joy is a choice based on hope. JOY releases control and obeys with hope. JOY comes from hopeful obedience. JOY is the natural result of hope.

From Christianity.com: “Biblical joy is choosing to respond to external circumstances with inner contentment and satisfaction, because we know that God will use these experiences to accomplish His work in and through our lives.” Joy is a choice, but God gives us the ability to choose it.

From a YouVersion Daily Refresh: “To rejoice is a declaration of trust.”

My conclusion note: Joy is an emotion of happiness that begins with a choice to trust in God’s promises. It is the natural result of hope. Trust is the key to joy

So, what is my takeaway from a year of contemplating joy?

Joy begins with a choice. In our emotion-driven culture, people tend to let their feelings guide them rather than make choices that guide their feelings. The emotion of joy starts with a choice to remain in God’s presence, to make Him the center of life.

There have been many unanticipated changes in my life over the years. Changes that I didn’t want and that caught me off-guard. I have had to learn to take an “even if” perspective and that has led to joy. What is an “even if” perspective?

Always. Never. Be.

November 30, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT

Here in the U.S. November reminds us to be thankful. You may think I chose the verse above due to the Thanksgiving holiday. You are partially right but not completely. I have had a weekly reminder of this verse popping up on my phone since January of this year.

My word for the year has been Joy. In January I chose some verses to support that theme and help me meditate on the meaning of Joy in my life so that I can apply it. I am still trying to distill the lessons that meditation has taught me. Do you mind if I process with you?

This verse helps me know a few things about Joy.

Joy is a choice. I can always choose to be joyful. 2024 America is a feelings-based culture. Advertising is designed to appeal to our feelings. People often disregard logic and make decisions based on feelings. Their logic boils down to the conclusion that feelings affirm what is true. But feelings aren’t always a good indicator of truth. That’s what makes the Word of God so important. Like a compass in the hands of a ship’s navigator, we need something to keep us headed in the right direction when we can’t see. A compass always points north. Always.

You and I can choose joy because God never changes. I can choose joy because I know what is true. He is. He was. He ever shall be. And I get to walk through it all with the One who never changes regardless of my feelings. I can choose joy. And so can you.

Joy results when I bring my concerns to God in prayer. I can choose to never stop praying.

Find Your Joy Through Trust

September 7, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.” Proverbs 16:20 NLT

Do you ever struggle to find your joy? Where does joy go when times are trying? What if the key to finding your joy is to uncover your trust?

The Inside Out movies from Disney and Pixar are among the most insightful pieces of cinema I’ve encountered. The animated films explore how emotions affect our choices. One key takeaway is that all emotions are valuable, even the ones we would like to skip.

Joy is the primary character in the stories. Joy is often trying to take the lead and squelch any of the more difficult emotions, but Joy, Sadness, Anger, Anxiety, Embarrassment, and all the other emotions learn that Joy can’t always be in control. Yet, as Joy relinquishes the lead, she doesn’t disappear. She remains a significant part of painful memories as well as the difficult present.

How does this relate to trust? Trust accepts whatever God gives and believes it will turn out for good. Trust doesn’t try to control the outcome but walks through the situation with peace. And when Trust is in control Joy is never far away.

Trust listens with humility. One of the mis-messages I picked up as a child is that I should just know how to do things. Expectations were rarely explained, but I knew when expectations were not met. My unconscious practice became a constant and unattainable quest to anticipate and meet expectations. I felt I should simply know how to do things without ever being taught. I was extremely frustrated when I had to learn how to do something.

How to Be Strong When You Struggle With Strength

November 4, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10 NIV

Do you struggle with strength? If God says, “Be strong”, where does He expect me to find that strength? Does He expect me to generate strength on my own? Of course not! But where does your strength come from?

There is so much wrapped up in God’s command to be strong. You and I tend to try to obey the command to be strong by looking within — to our own resources. But what if we approached it differently? What if we approached it by looking out and looking up?

As I have worked on making this my practice, I have found some things to be true that I hope will encourage you.

The strength doesn’t come from you. I think this is the hardest thing for humans to accept and walk in. Let’s be honest. We all like to think that we are strong enough to handle things on our own. That’s why we can be so down on ourselves when we feel like we aren’t. The need to find that strength within is the very situation that caused me to turn to God at the very beginning of my walk with Him.

I had been trying to handle overwhelming emotions on my own. I had been attempting to solve all my own problems because I thought I was supposed to. But I couldn’t. To the point that I fleetingly considered throwing myself in front of a speeding car! That fleeting thought was my wake-up call.

To Experience Joy, Transform Obligation To Offering

August 14, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

“But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you ever feel like you are just going through the motions of life, even a Christian life? You get up, do what you need to do, go to bed and then do it all over again? You go to church, you serve, but it all seems so empty? I have been through those seasons as well. There are times in our lives when we have been through a great loss - of a loved one or through trials - and just getting through each day is a miracle. That is not the kind of season we are talking about here. The question I want you to consider is this: Have you lost the joy of living for God?

Daily life can sometimes cloud the light of life in Christ. What I mean is, we get so focused on doing the tasks and checking the boxes that we miss why we do it. At least, I have.

At the heart of Christian life is not religion, what I define as “human attempts to reach God,” but a relationship. Not obligations to fulfill, but an offering to be presented. Are you following God from a place of obligation or are you making the choice to offer your life to Him on a daily basis? My dear friend, when you choose to make your life an offering, I can guarantee that you will be filled with joy. I want that for you!

Here are some things to remember that will help you transform your obligation to offering.

September 12, 2026

This is Not Forever

“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.