A Life of Struggle? A Life That Makes Sense.

January 29, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” Colossians 1:9-10 NLT

Life is full of struggles, isn’t it? We struggle to get along with the people we love most. We struggle to understand what makes them tick and we struggle to know how to interact with them and improve our relationships. We struggle to keep our finances in order, to make sure our bills are paid and to use money wisely. We struggle to make sense of the complicated and chaotic world we live in. So much occurs that is beyond our ability to understand. How do we handle all this struggle well?

Knowing God is the secret sauce for a life that makes sense. Knowing Him produces a different kind of life. Knowing God is the key to understanding what to do and how to do it.

The Other Pandemic: Are You Safe?

July 17, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:14-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You are standing in the break room at your office and you hear it. It’s a dull roar that never really departs. The boss is awful. That co-worker is a pain. The government is a mess. Her husband is an idiot. His wife is a fool. Their children are annoying. Almost every word that comes out of your co-workers’ mouths are complaints. No one seems to have anything good to say. Everyone is finding fault with someone. There is an epidemic of complaint.

It’s easy to get caught up in it, isn’t it? Why is that? Because the truth is that a Christ-less world is a mess and Christ-less people are selfish and hurtful. What’s worse is that sometimes the most Christ-less people are people who claim to know Him, but their words….Oh, their words swell with the venom of complaint.

I don’t think of myself as a complainer. I pride myself in being careful with words, but sometimes…ugh! The pandemic of complaint has touched me as well. Are you a complainer? If you are, are you willing to take a hard listen to yourself and determine to make a change? What’s wrong with complaining anyway? Why should you overcome it?

What’s The Story of Your Life in 2021?

February 20, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

“For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.” ‭Philippians‬ ‭1:21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am a reader. I have been since childhood. When I was about middle-school age a family member gave me a bookmark that said, “My books are friends that never fail me.” That sums up my childhood relationship with books. I depended on that steady friendship.

At one time, reading was my method of escape and adventure. I could go places in my imagination that weren’t possible in my real life. I could imagine myself as the bold and daring lead character in the story, rather than the scared and timid girl I was.

Later on, reading became my way to learn about the world and then about being a Christian. One of my favorite types of books to read is biographies. I learn so much from reading about people. Reading about great Christians of the past inspires and challenges me. Somehow those people lived for Christ in the midst of great difficulty, at great cost and accomplished great things for Him.

I don’t think anyone will ever write a book about my life, but I want to live that way. Their inspiring stories challenge me to wonder: What does it mean to live for Christ in 2021? In the midst of a global pandemic? Let’s think about that together.

It means to live without fear. Living without fear...at all? Fear is a natural reaction to danger. God made us with the ability to fear for our own protection. So, no fear at all is not really the goal. But, there is a difference between healthy fear for our protection and the kind of fear that keeps us from really living for Christ.

How To Silence The Soundtrack of Chaos

January 16, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:4-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

2021 has just gotten started and already so much has happened! The trials that began in 2020 have carried over into the new year. A new year always renews hope for the future, but the reality is that some things have followed us. The pandemic along with national and global unrest continue. What do we do with what is, especially when we wish it were not? How do we turn down the volume of the chaos that is the background music of our lives right now?

One thing God has helped me to realize is that, whether I am aware of it or not, the current world and national chaos is always playing in the back of my mind. Whether I am conscious of it or not, it is taking an emotional, mental, physical and spiritual toll. There is an undercurrent of tension as I wait for events to play out on the world and national level, as well as in my personal life. It’s taking a toll on you as well, Dear Friend. Do you recognize the effects?

Whatever Happens

January 9, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

Whatever happens conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Philippians 1:27

Recent events have made it clearer than ever that the world we live in is chaotic and uncertain. It is impossible for us to know from one day to the next what a day will bring forth. Whatever we thought was “normal” can no longer be depended on. The path forward is unclear for all of us. Maybe you are asking, “What will the future hold and how can I prepare to respond in the midst of so much upheaval and loss? What is my part in the drama that is playing out in the world around me?”

It can be overwhelming to think about everything that is happening. Or perhaps you choose to avoid looking at the news headlines completely and to just go on with life as “normal” for as long as you possibly can. Regardless of what your coping strategy is, I want to encourage you that you have a clear and high call in the midst of the turmoil swirling around you. God’s Word has clearly spoken about how to respond in any and every circumstance. We have an unchanging and steady guide in the midst of upheaval. Are you ready to take a look?

Are You A Fixer? Yeah. Me, too.

October 24, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord GOD is the eternal Rock.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26:3-4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When you look at the news headlines, don’t you just want to tell them what they need to do to make things right? The constant squabbling between those with differing opinions is perpetually swirling in the air, clouding our vision, dimming hope for a peaceful future in our nation or in the world.

Like the football fan who yells at the TV telling the quarterback what he should have done, I have a tendency to look at people and situations, on the news or in person, and think that if they would just do things my way, everything would turn out okay. I hate to admit it, but I am a recovering fixer. They say admitting a problem is the beginning of overcoming it and I admitted that problem — let’s call it what it is: an addiction — a long time ago, but any recovery process is slow, isn’t it? I have come a long way, but I still have a looooong way to go! What about you? Are you a fixer?

When my kids were young, I read an article In a Christian parenting magazine that pegged me in an uncomfortably accurate way. It was called Confessions of Mr. and Mrs. Fix-it. The point of the article was that, as parents, we try so hard to fix the things in our kids that we think need correcting, but, very often God will use someone else to finally enlighten our kids to their need for change. I recognized my own patterns of constant fixing as I read the article and squirmed. Perhaps that was the moment when I first admitted my fixing habit. It made me more aware of my need to trust God with my kids instead of taking on all the responsibility for behavior repair. Still, even now that they are grown, I have to keep working on it.

Who’s Responsible For This Mess?

October 17, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

“For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I don’t know about you, but I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable just thinking about checking the news headlines. Whether it’s the latest COVID numbers, the 2020 election, natural disasters or injustice reaching the boiling point, it seems like every headline emphasizes the pain of living in this broken world. There is so much that is wrong with the world right now that it can become overwhelming. Am I the only one who feels this way? I expect not.

I know that some people take on every one of those headlines like a boulder in a backpack. They feel the weight and struggle to get through each day. That weight may feel like depression, but it can also feel like anger. Or anxiety. Maybe your brain tries to imagine every outcome, none of which are very comforting.

Of course, there are others who totally ignore any negative feelings and just skip to speaking the positives. You know, “God is in control!” Well, He is. There is no doubt about that, but there are times when making that positive declaration isn’t really a statement of faith. There are times when the right words are spoken as a way to deny the insecurity we all experience as part of our humanity. Being human is a risky occupation. Especially in a time like 2020, we are constantly reminded that being human has it’s limits. There is pretty much nothing that we have control over. Well, there is one thing I do have control over: Me. And the one thing you have control over: You.

So, what can we do? What can i do in the midst of all this uncertainty? What is my role in this historically unparalleled time? What is yours? If the only thing that we have control over is ourselves, how do we focus our thoughts and energy? What do we do to take responsibility for that one thing?

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.