Ask: Why Am I Asking?

February 8, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“…You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3 NIV

Motives. It’s so hard to recognize and understand our own motives. What are my motives when I approach God? Am I asking Him to agree with me or am I agreeing with Him? What is it I really want? My motives when I approach God will affect how I ask and what I ask Him for.

Corrie Ten Boom was a well-known Christian author, speaker, and concentration camp survivor. I once heard a quote attributed to her that has shaped my prayers since. She said the key to knowing God’s will is being willing to do whatever He asks. Wow! That is a simple and challenging statement! Do I truly want to know God’s will? Am I willing to do whatever He says?

When I get honest with myself, I recognize times when God’s will is not what I want most. I am really looking for something else, even though I am going to God in prayer.

Comfort. I clearly remember the moment when God revealed comfort as a motive for my prayers. I was fervently praying for a loved one to break out of a deep depression. At least I convinced myself that is what I was praying for. As I prayed, I felt God’s whisper. “Stop!” He showed me that I wasn’t praying for my loved one. I was praying for myself. My loved one’s challenge made my life more difficult. What I was really praying for was my own comfort. My loved one’s healing would make my life easier. That was my motive for prayer. Yuck!

Ambition. I often hear people say they want to do great things for God. So do I!

What if God Really Does Love You?

December 28, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” 1 John 4:16 NLT

The most amazing and hard-to-believe aspect of the God story is that this amazing King of the universe loves humanity. He loves all of humanity. But, even more amazing. He loves us as individuals. He loves you and He loves me. It’s a concept I am still struggling to apply to my life. What about you? How deeply have you contemplated His love for you?

God loves you because of who He is. The first letter of John declares that God IS love. He loves because it is His character to love. That can be difficult to remember when reading some of the judgements in the Old Testament! Remembering that God’s character is love raises the question of why hard things happen. “If God really is love, why did He allow this to happen to me?”

The questions don’t negate the truth. God is love. Yet, He allows tragedy and difficult consequences. He doesn’t fix everything in our broken world. Sometimes life is confusing. But when I remember that God is love and that He loves me, I can focus on that love and let the questions rest. Relying on and trusting in His love brings peace. I may not understand, but I can choose to let go when I believe God loves me.

God loves you regardless of what you do. God doesn’t reject people who make mistakes. He doesn’t write you off when you mess up. His loves doesn’t change based on your behavior. That scolding voice you hear in your head is NOT God. It may be the memory of a scolding adult in your childhood, but it is not Your Heavenly Father.

When you and I make foolish and selfish choices, God does not dismiss us in disappointment. He doesn’t reject you because of your imperfections. He reaches out to lift you up and help you make the corrections or to help you walk through the consequences. He loves you and I enough to help us learn from our mistakes.

I have realized that making a mistake is one of my greatest fears. Some of that was born into me. My mother has told me she heard me practicing words in my crib before I said them in public. I have an in-born desire for excellence. But there is a line between aiming for excellence and avoiding mistakes at all costs. I’ve realized a mistaken belief that a mistake meant I should be rejected. Becoming aware of that has brought freedom.

Perhaps people may reject me if I mess up, but God never will. I still need to fight the wrong thinking, but it doesn’t control me anymore. If any of that resonates with you, I hope awareness brings you freedom.

God loves you right now. You don’t have to earn it. Knowing that and living it out are two different things.

A Christmas Blessing for 2024

December 24, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

Dear Friends,

A Christmas blessing for you! Enjoy this holiday season and keep Jesus at the center.

With love,

Cathleen

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?

Do You Want Perfection or Peace?

December 14, 2024 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

Do you feel like the holiday season is a giant tornado of responsibility, expectations and activity? I used to feel that way. I will be honest. One reason that has changed is that we celebrate Christmas with our adult children on the day after Thanksgiving. But that isn’t the full reason.

I remember feeling overwhelmed and like I was missing the point of the season. In His great love, God helped me understand that what needed to change was not the activity, but my perspective. He helped me shift the way I think about the season and that has led me to peace. The busy seasonal activities haven’t changed much, but I have learned to be at peace as the tornado swirls around me.

Could you use some of that? Here’s what I’ve learned.

Peace comes from an eternal perspective. An eternal perspective is simply remembering that this life is not the goal. A perfect Christmas is not the goal. The goal for a believer is a life that honors God. The goal is to experience heaven and that starts now. Heaven is where God is present. His presence consumes every space in heaven.

An eternal perspective here and now invites God to consume every space in my life. Isn’t that the biggest challenge of our earthly lives?

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.

What Are You Thinking?

November 9, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Philippians 4:8 NLT

Where are your thoughts these days? Are you expecting the worst? For your family? For our nation? Are you expecting the best? There are a lot of questions about all of it.

Where is God in your thinking? I have found that when my thoughts wander to the worst, God has provided a tool to wander back to truth. God has given us guidelines for our thinking. Philippians 4:8 describes what to think about so that we stay focused on Him and expect the best that only comes from Him. Expecting the best is expecting God to come through.

Expect the best even when you accept trouble. Does expecting God to come through mean you will never have any trouble? Of course not. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Focusing your thoughts in a positive direction is not about ignoring trouble or expecting God to deliver you from every trouble. Despite what some preachers have told you, trouble is a part of Christian life. Read the New Testament more carefully and you will notice that the New Testament writers came from that position.

Am I Closer to God?

October 26, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.” John 17:1 NLT

Do you want to get closer to God? If you are a Jesus-follower you probably ask yourself, “Am I as close to God as I should be?” For most of us, me included, that question can bring up a nagging feeling of failure. No. I am not as close to God as I should be or as I want to be.

So, what do we do about it? How will we know if we are growing closer to God?

Jesus sets the example in all things, right? It would be easy to dismiss His example of intimacy with God. He was Jesus! But what if we looked at His example for clues that could show us we are on the right track?

John Chapter 17 records a long prayer Jesus prayed just before Judas arrived with the religious leaders to arrest and crucify Him. Jesus covered a lot of ground in that prayer, but He begins with a statement that indicates His intimacy with the Father and gives us clues to evaluate our own. Curious?

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you.” John 17:1 NLT

Prior to this statement Jesus gave a “pre-battle pep talk” to His disciples at the Last Supper. He taught them about how to live without Him and about the coming Holy Spirit. Then He addresses the Father. Jesus’s prayer was an agreement with God’s will, a recognition of His timing and a commitment to His glory.

What does Jesus’s statement show us about how can you and I evaluate if we are growing closer to God?

Is the Future Good?

October 5, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” Isaiah 46:10 NIV

Ever been in a season of waiting? Like thunderstorm winds, you may find questions rumbling in your brain. What’s next? How is this going to work out? What am I supposed to do? Can’t I make this go any faster?

Tom and I are in a waiting season right now. The only thing we are certain of is that God has said to rest. Rest? What does that mean beyond sleeping and sabbath? We are learning, but the questions still buzz in our brains.

I find comfort in knowing that God holds the answers to all the questions. Much like the circle of calm in the middle of a hurricane, I can stand in peace. Here’s the truth that plants my feet in peace as the winds whip past me.

He knew before. There is so much comfort in recognizing that God is omniscient. He sees everything. He knows everything. He knows how things will turn out. He knows the future before it happens. He knows the end from the beginning.

Anxiety or Peace?

September 28, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

“I’m not anxious. I’m trusting God!” I want that to be true. But I know that what I want and what I am experiencing don’t always line up. What about you?

Years ago, God gave me an anxiety indicator. I felt like my tongue was swollen and asked for prayer. The Holy Spirit showed my pastor that I was rubbing my tongue against my teeth because of anxiety. That was a surprise! After that, I learned to recognize that tension in my jaw is an anxiety indicator.

You and I know peace is possible, but how do we move past anxiety and get to peace?

What are your anxiety indicators? Part of making our way to peace is to recognize anxiety. As I shared, when I notice tension in my jaw and neck, I know that anxiety is present. My brain may not be busy, but my body tells me the truth.

Sometimes my brain is busy trying to solve problems. You too? My busy brain might look like this: Recurring thoughts trying to resolve something that is or is not my responsibility to fix. It might be about money or relationships, the future or the present. It might even be about world events. The world is full of people and people have problems that need solving. But those problems are not usually my responsibility. Or yours. I have learned that mentally trying to solve a problem is my attempt to control it. Control is not trust, is it? In fact, the desire to control is a peace-stealer.

How do you release control and gain peace? I once heard someone say that anxiety results when I want to control something that is God’s to control, and peace comes from releasing control to God. Here’s an easy way to summarize it: A-C=P. In other words, Anxiety – Control = Peace.

If I feel anxious, I ask myself: What am I trying to control? How can I release that to God?

Easier said than done, I know. But the first step is to peace is acknowledging the anxiety and the desire to control to yourself and then bring it to God. When you and I bring our anxious thoughts and desire to control to God it’s a form of worship. Really! Being honest with God is worship because it acknowledges that He is the one with the power. It means that you or I step away from the steering wheel and let Him do the driving. When we acknowledge God as God that is worship.

What does peace look like? Peace comes when I leave the outcome to Him. If I am anxious, it is about the outcome, not the situation itself. Peace comes when I trust. Trust is ready to accept any outcome. That is when peace settles in like cloud cover.

Clouds seem to make the world a bit smaller. Although we prefer the expanse of blue skies and the warmth of sunshine, “peace clouds” call us to a cozy, indoor day where we are safe and comfortable. Ominous dark clouds are different. They call us to prepare for a storm. “Peace clouds” bring a gentle rain that refreshes vegetation and clears the air.

Dear Friend, you and I fail to trust God often. It’s a fact. But don’t be discouraged. God understands our weakness. That’s why He encourages our trust over and over. He knows trust leads to peace.

God has given you and I trust as a goal and then tells us how to work on it. Pray. Bring your anxious thoughts and desire to control into His loving and forgiving presence. Thank Him for His past faithfulness. Enjoy His presence now and trust Him for the future faithfulness you can depend on. Then peace will settle in.

Key Question: How do I move past anxiety to peace?

A Scripture to Consider: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

A YES Challenge: Ask God to show you any “anxiety indicators.” What outcomes are you trying to control? Take some time of honest prayer to release control to God.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for giving me anxiety indicators. Help me to recognize them and pay attention. Show me how my desire to control outcomes is leading to anxiety. Help me to bring my anxiety to You and trust You regardless of how things work out. I need the peace that only You can give. Amen.