Celebrating Small Step Victories

May 3, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

Are you a goal-oriented person? Maybe I am wrong about this, but it is my observation that goal-oriented people struggle to celebrate their progress. Do you?

If you are goal-oriented, you may be so focused on the end that you don’t recognize the milestones along the way. Here’s my advice: Learn to celebrate small steps.

Every forward step is a victory. That may be a big perspective shift for you, but it will be worth the effort. Recognizing forward steps as victories will serve to fuel your motivation. What happens when you’re motivated? You keep moving forward. Isn’t that what you really want?

Backward steps are still part of the journey. The overall goal is progress, not perfection. Backward steps are going to happen. Stumbling is part of being human. I don’t like it, and I’ll bet you don’t either. Accepting the limits of being human will ease some of your goal-oriented angst. Probably not all of it, but that’s okay. It’s helped me a lot. Why not give it a try?

Why Routines and Rhythms Help You Reach Your Goals

April 12, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT

A morning cup of coffee is part of my daily routine. What about you? I don’t think about whether or not I will have a cup of coffee. I know that I will. I’ve already thought about it. That gives my brain space to just wake up and make other decisions.

That’s the importance of developing routines. I like to call them rhythms for growth. When you have already decided what is important and what you will do, your brain is free to be creative. I can’t quote science on it, but I’ve experienced it. Those rhythms are structures we have created unintentionally and intentionally that help us do the things that are important to us.

Structure guides growth and helps you achieve your goals. Why do you need structure to achieve your goals?

Structure keeps you in your lane. You know where you want to go. The structure of routines keeps you going in the right direction.

Have you ever thought about why there are lines on the road? They exist to help keep people safe. The white lines on the side of the road help drivers keep from drifting. The yellow lines in the middle help drivers remain on the correct side of the road but also give signals of what is safe or not in that area. Lined highways protect drivers from smashing into each other. I especially appreciate the dotted lines in turn lanes. Sometimes a lot of traffic is disorienting. Those lines guide me to turn into the correct lane amidst the busyness of an intersection.

Your personal rhythms, systems and routines can help you achieve your goals in the same way road lines help me make disorienting turns.

How to Set God-Centered Goals — The Word and the Spirit

February 22, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” Ephesians 1:14 NLT

How do you set God-centered goals? If you are like me, you want your life to line up with God’s goals for you. You want to live for His glory. That means you want to set goals that honor Him and advance His Kingdom. A worthy desire! But how?

The key to lining up your goals with God’s goals for you is to know what His goals are, right? But how do you know what His goals are? He has provided all that you need. His Word and His Spirit.

The Word. If you want to set God-centered goals you must immerse yourself in the Word of God. His goal for your life will always line up with His Word. His word is one story from beginning to end. His Word helps you understand the big picture of God’s love for humanity and His plan for their redemption. God-centered goals fit into that big picture.

To know God’s goal for you, you must know His Word. You understand His desires as You understand Him through His Word. Jesus is the Living Word. God-centered goals glorify Jesus and always point to Him.

The Spirit. The Spirit is God present with us here and now. He is the guarantee that our lives belong to God, that we have a part in the inheritance He has planned for His family. What an awesome thought!

Ask: How to Get What You Pray For

February 1, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 NIV

Do you ever wonder if praying is worthwhile? Do you question if God hears you? I get it! It’s not unusual for believers to question. We wonder why it seems like our prayers aren’t being answered. We wonder if God is listening, or if He is ignoring our prayers. It’s okay to be honest about your questions. Honesty is the place to begin to move forward.

I often hear those questions in my mind, but I have decided not to pay much attention. I have been through the struggling but have come to the conclusion that I can trust God’s character and His word. If I believe He is good, then I can trust Him to answer in His way and His time. If I believe His word is true, then He has given you and me a guideline for how to pray and get what we pray for. Here it is:

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 NIV

If I ask Him for what He already wants I can be confident He will do it. The key to knowing what He wants is to focus on Him rather than what I want. Then prayer becomes about relationship rather than a transaction.

Ask - The first way to get what you pray for is to pray! How many times do we forget to pray first? Approach every endeavor with prayer. Approach God and include Him.

One of the worst legacies Benjamin Franklin left behind is a quote that has been attributed to him: “God helps those who help themselves.” While there is the truth that God wants us to act on His promises, Franklin’s statement puts God in the passenger seat. This idea influenced how I approached life. I felt like — maybe I still feel— like I need to do everything I can do before I ask God for help. Before I include God.

I’ve learned this is not our Father’s heart. He wants to be involved every step of the way, from idea to completion. He wants to walk alongside you and me like a parent alongside the child riding a two-wheeler for the first time. The parent helps them get started. There is effort on both sides until the child is riding on their own. But that is where the analogy breaks down. Our Heavenly Father stays right alongside us, empowering us and guiding us as we ride.

Anything - You won’t get 100% of the things you don’t ask for. Don’t be afraid to approach God with your requests. He wants to hear from you! I don’t know about you, but that idea of God helping those who help themselves has made me believe that I take care of the small stuff and don’t bother God until I can’t do it myself. Not true!

From the smallest detail to the largest project, He wants us to ask. He wants to be involved in every area of our lives. My life is His. That means all of it. Praying about anything and everything is part of the way I surrender to Him. It is acknowledging that I am His and don’t want to function independently. He cares about all of it! And it’s all His.

According to His will – This is the key. If you ask according to His will, you can be sure that you will receive it. But how do you know His will?

The key to knowing His will is to make knowing Him the priority rather than knowing what He wants you to do. Then you will learn His character and His heart. Those aspects of your relationship with Him will guide you to His will. Knowing His character and His Word is the key to knowing His will.

Dear Friend, He hears your prayers. He understands you and your heart. Do you understand His? If you want to get what you pray for make sure that you are asking God and including Him in the process. Remember you can include Him in anything and everything by bringing it to Him in prayer. But above all, seek Him and His will. When you pray according to that you can be confident that He hears you and you will receive what you ask for.

Key Question: How can get what I ask God for in prayer?

A Scripture to Consider: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15 NIV

A YES Challenge: Set aside a half hour to ask yourself some hard questions about your prayer life. Do you ask God first? Are there things you don’t bring to God? What do you believe about His character and His word? What do you want to improve based on your conclusions?

Prayer: Father God, You know me and You understand me. Thank You for Your patience! Forgive me for bringing my will to You in prayer rather than seeking Your will first. Help me to recognize where I am leaving You out of the process and trying to do things on my own. I want to include You. I want to know You better so that I can pray according to Your will. Father, let Your will be done in me and through me. Amen.

Goal-Setting Step 1: Ask - Listen for the Unexpected

January 11, 2025 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.” Psalms 32:8-9 NIV

Tom and I like to begin the year with a season of prayer and fasting. Why? We want our relationship with God to set the tone for the year. What characteristics does He want to build in us? What weaknesses will we work on? What does God want me to know about Him this year? What goals does God want me to set to help me grow toward the person He designed me to be?

Setting God-centered goals starts with asking God what He wants. This goal-setting process begins in the final quarter of the previous year. That is when I begin praying, listening, and looking to discover my word for the next year. That word becomes a guide as I enter the fasting and prayer season. This process of praying and waiting is about staying open. By removing distractions, like sweet treats, social media, or mindless games on my phone, I make space for God to speak. And He does.

God-centered goals often lead us in unexpected ways to unexpected places with unexpected people. Last year one of my goals was to finally finish writing and publish the book that has been in process for a decade, The YES Adventure. That goal led me to apply for an aspiring author’s cohort with a well-known writer and speaker…and I was accepted! I received one one-on-one input from a woman whose ministry I have admired for several years. Her guidance helped me finally see a clear structure for my book. Not only that, but I also received meaningful personal ministry from her at a conference several years ago and was able to tell her how much she had impacted me. After the online meeting she called to tell me she had left that conference discouraged and wondering if she had connected with anyone. I said, “You did! With me!”

I didn’t know about that cohort in January. If I had not recognized God’s nudge to make the book a priority I would never have applied for the group, received clarity on structure, or had the opportunity to encourage my mentor. The goal wasn’t just about the task, but the people who became part of helping me complete the task. Developing tenacity, learning techniques, and influencing people have all been a part of the book project. It’s so much more than achieving a goal. It’s about the growth, more than the goal.

God-centered goals are about God’s plan for my growth.

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.

Why Does Healing Take Time?

July 20, 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

What is God doing? I am still not sure. I am a healthy person, but in the last three months, I have found myself with doctors multiple times. If you are a regular reader, then you know about the fall in May that broke both my wrists and led to surgery on the right wrist. A miraculous, immediate healing would have been nice, but I knew it would take time to recover. My orthopedist says we are almost “out of the weeds”. Praise God! Recovery has taken more effort and patience than I imagined, but it wasn’t unexpected.

Most recently I ended up in the doctor’s office for something that seems small and unnecessary. If you know me as well as my husband does, you know that even deciding to see the doctor is a big deal. My practice with most anything is to try to figure it out myself first or wait to see if it resolves. I don’t ask for help until I am absolutely certain that I need it. That has not served me well when it comes to medical issues. I confess I sometimes wait too long before heading to the doctor’s office or emergency room.

I was experiencing ear pain and then couldn’t hear out of my left ear. After a few days of trying to resolve the issue, I determined the problem was earwax that wasn’t responding to home treatment. Earwax! Come on! Do I really need a doctor for that? I called and was surprised to get an appointment the same day. I thought I would go in, get it taken care of, and go home healed. Not so!

My diagnosis was correct, but my expectation was not. The PA could not flush out the wax with the normal tools. It was too hard! She told me to continue drops at home to soften it and come back in a few days so they could flush it out.

Tom told me the doctor I was to see on my return visit “doesn’t mess around.” I didn’t look forward to the process but was confident I would go home hearing. But no! After some uncomfortable efforts he told me what he had already done would normally have removed it. The largest clump was still too hard. He sent me home to continue drops for another five days and then come back… again! The next day my ear began to open, and I could hear...most of the time. Finally, I went back to the doctor and left with success. But still questions.

Why does God sometimes require us to participate in the healing process rather than give us a quick resolution? I’ve got a few thoughts about that. I hope they encourage you.

Patience requires trust. If you and I are honest, we want a quick healing so we can just go on with life as it was.

Pain is a Gift: Lessons From the Hospital

April 6, 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. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT

In the dark of early morning Tom stood at the bedroom door clutching his side and said, “Cathleen, we need to go to the hospital.” I scurried to throw on the clothes I had set out the night before in anticipation of this possibility. And so, this journey began. It’s been a week!

It all started with pain. Intense, breath-robbing pain. Pain led to the flurry of hurry-up-and-wait in the Emergency Department and the discovery process of blood work and scans that led to one diagnosis, a prescription and release. But there was still pain.

Pain led us back to the ED for more hurry-up-and-wait, more blood work and scans and an additional diagnosis that led to in-patient treatment. That is where we are a week later. Perhaps by the time you read this, he will be home. Thank you for your prayers!

But that isn’t why I write now. I invite you to consider with me the gift of pain. It is human to avoid pain. We often try to ignore or minimize pain in any form. It would be crazy to seek out pain. There is a good chance you are experiencing some kind of pain at this moment. What would it look like to accept that pain as a gift?

I don’t know what kind of pain you are facing. But, if you can receive it as a gift, I know that it will lead to healing, because when we let it, pain leads us to God, the healer of body, mind and spirit.

What’s Your Response? Grumbling or Gratitude?

November 25, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 AMP

Are you getting weary of all the gratitude talk this week? Well, don’t check out on me yet! Do you catch yourself grumbling instead? There are certainly many reasons why being grateful is important. I’ll bet you think you’ve heard them all. But I don’t know if you’ve considered this one. As I have been mulling over the idea of gratitude, I found a connection I hadn’t considered before. I am hoping that you get something out of this, too. Stick with me!

Here’s the idea: Giving thanks in every situation gives glory to God. Have you ever thought about that? If you want your life to bring glory to God, then you can start by being thankful. And — oh, by the way — being thankful is a choice, not a feeling. You can do it regardless of how you feel. Just saying.

So, here’s some motivation for giving thanks even when things are tough.

Gratefulness is what gives us the power to persevere when things are not going well. Gratefulness helps us see God when He is hard to find. Gratefulness helps us go to God when we need answers and help. Gratefulness reminds me that God is good and trustworthy. Why would I go to a God I don’t trust? Thank You, Lord, for ALWAYS being faithful!

One Thing Yoda Taught Luke: Be Present in the Process

October 14, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” Psalms 105:4 NIV

Are you a Star Wars fan? No? Well, let me intrigue you and you might become one.

There’s a scene in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Yep! I am a Star Wars fan!) where Yoda, the Jedi Master, is deciding whether or not to train Luke Skywalker and chides him for a mindset that will prevent him from becoming the Jedi knight that he wants to be.

Yoda says, “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. All his life has he looked away...to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing.” (“8 Creat Life Teachings from Yoda” StaWars.com accessed 10/12/23) Because Luke was always looking ahead, Yoda knew he would not be present in the process. Unless Luke committed to be present in the process, his progress would be limited. Did you catch that? Luke’s tendency to be far ahead in his mind, imagining what he wanted to be doing and where he wanted to be, would keep him from being fully present in the very thing that would get him there, his training. As his training begins, Yoda’s concerns prove to be correct.

What about you? Are you fully present right here and right now? Your dreams of where you want to be are important. They can motivate you. They can inspire you. But they can also distract you. If you are always in the future in your brain, but not present in the present you will miss the presents that are waiting for you here and now.