What is the Best Gift?

October 19, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.” 2 Corinthians 8:5 NLT

My mom has a birthday today. The number of her age is not as important as understanding she is closer to ninety than to eighty. I am still trying to wrap my head around that!

Birthdays are an opportunity to express love and appreciation. We usually give gifts, right? What gift does an almost ninety-year-old need? What is the best gift?

Perhaps you’ve asked that question as well. I’m learning that the answer has implications far beyond a birthday present for my mom.

Jesus is the model for the best gift. When God gave a gift to humanity He gave Jesus. John 3:16 describes the gift that matters most.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 NLT

God gave His only Son to redeem our broken relationship with Him. The fullness of God dwelt in Jesus. (Colossians 1:19-20) When God gave His only son, He gave us Himself. Yes, Jesus sacrificed Himself, but then He also gave us the gift of His presence in the Holy Spirit. He is with us. Jesus gave us Himself. Not just on the cross, but every day.

Giving begins with a decision. At the right time, God sent Jesus, but He decided long in advance. (Galatians 4:4, Ephesians 1:4-5) From the moment of creation God knew humans could not maintain an intimate relationship with Him. (Isaiah 46:10) He knew Eve and Adam would succumb to the temptation to forge their own broken path and planned in advance to restore what was broken. Sending Jesus started with a decision based on our need.

What Will They Remember About You?

April 13, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“There has never been another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.” Deuteronomy 34:10 NLT

When people think about you what is the first thing that comes to their minds? What do you want them to think about? What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

I’ve been thinking about Moses. Moses was identified by his relationship with the Lord, not by all the miraculous things he had done or how he led the people. His legacy was intimacy with God. How’s that for a legacy? I want to be identified by my relationship with the Lord more than anything that I do. That’s what I want people to remember. Boy, have I got a long way to go!

Isn’t that the legacy of the “spiritual giants” who have done great things for God? They preached to large crowds but spent hours alone on their knees. They taught the principles that defined their daily actions to lead others into the kinds of relationships that they had with God. That’s why we remember them.

Brother Lawrence, Oswald Chambers, Charles Finney, Eric Liddell, Billy Graham, Jim Elliot, Elisabeth Elliot, Amy Carmichael, Mother Theresa, Joni Erickson Tada and so many others. I’ve read about them or read their words. What is it that attracts me to these people? Not their mighty deeds. It is the deep relationship with Jesus that motivated their works.

When people remember me, I want them to be inspired to spend their energy pursuing His presence in their lives. That’s all that really matters.

What can you and I learn from Moses about intimacy with God?

Believe You Are A Blessing

February 24, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’” Acts 3:25 NIV

Does being productive make you more valuable? Of course, you know the answer is no, but do you live it? You and I know that God determined our value and settled our value by paying the price for our redemption with the death of His Son. But what we know is true doesn’t always guide how we act, does it?

There is an unspoken understanding in our culture that more and bigger is better. That our value is determined by productivity and public opinion. How does that unspoken understanding influence you?

Ask yourself:

How does a search for value influence my desire to be productive?

Why do I want to manage my time?

What drives my desire for excellence?

Who am I trying to impress?

Who do I need to validate my value?

Your value is rooted in who you are. You are valuable because God has declared you to be a blessing.

Something I hadn’t considered deeply is that God’s covenant with Abraham to bless him and make him a blessing is now God’s covenant with me. He has promised to bless me. That is awesome! If I believe that, I can rest from a lot of striving to provide for myself. But He has also promised to make me a blessing. That means my presence in the world makes a difference. I can focus on being fruitful rather than productive.

A fruitful life is a settled life. A plant is not searching for value. It just is. It does what it is designed to do. It produces fruit. I am designed to be a blessing. What I do blesses others. I contribute. I have value simply because I am His and I exist. Do I live by that promise? What difference would it make in my life and in the world if I did?

You Become What You Believe

September 2, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

There’s a phrase that I have heard quite often: You live what you believe. What that means is that you can say that you believe something, but if your actions don’t line up with what you say, then you don’t really believe it. What you do is what you believe.

When it comes to faith, I’ve heard it said that you only believe the parts of the Bible that you actually do. Well, that could be pretty convicting! Am I doing what I know the Bible says? Am I living what I say I believe?

What do you believe about yourself? You may be able to quote Scriptures about being a child of God and more than a conqueror, but are you living out of those things? Think about how you reacted to a recent challenge. Did you behave like a confident child of God? Did you live like you are more than a conqueror?

Don’t be too hard on yourself, friend! None of us live up to what we know 100% of the time. However, if we become more aware of our responses and what they tell us about our beliefs we can begin to shift. We can become the person we want to be.

What do you really believe about yourself? Do you realize that what you believe is what you will become? What beliefs will set you free to become all that you were designed to be?

Paul told his friends in Rome to “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Romans 12:2 NLT) Where do you want to be transformed? What would you like to believe? How can you begin to become that new person and let God change what you think?

Here are some tips to get you started. Read on, friend!

Who is Calling You?

June 3, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Live in a manner worthy of the calling you have received, you have been called by God. Ephesians 4:1

Imagine that your phone rings and when you answer it you realize that the call is from the White House. Regardless of how you feel about the current occupant of the White House, the fact that you have received a call from the seat of our country's government would catch your attention. You would know that the call was important, and you'd do whatever you could to give the call the honor it deserved based on where the call was coming from. You would follow whatever instructions were given to you and you might even feel kind of important. After all, the White House is an important place. Doesn't a call from an important place or person make you important? It does!

You have received a call from an important place and an important person. You have been called by the King of Heaven Himself. He knows your name and has identified you as His own. How does that knowledge permeate your life? Does a desire to honor the One who called you motivate your decisions?

Think about it. YOU have been called, not by the White House, but by God Himself. GOD. Called YOU! Called ME! When such greatness and goodness reaches out to such smallness and weakness it's hard to fully comprehend all the implications.

Happily Ever After? Really?

July 23, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

I was 14. He was almost 18. It was my first "real" relationship. I remember the moment he said "I love you. And I've never said that to anyone before!" I believed him. He believed himself. We were happy. What else would we be?!

It lasted almost a year. An eternity as far as teenage relationships go! When it ended there was no amicable separation or catastrophic blowout. I saw him kissing someone else. He knew it and stopped calling. I was cast aside. His love for me had come to an end. Where was the happy ending every romantic movie, book, or fairy tale promised me? Was it my fault? Was I not lovable?

Romantic love. It seems like everyone wants it. It certainly is big business, but is it good business? Does it promise something it can’t deliver? Romantic love sells products, movies, and experiences. An entire TV channel is devoted to romantic movies! Every single one has a happy ending. But it doesn’t really happen, does it? You've been hurt by the fractured fairy tale, just as I have been. If we all know that "happily ever after" isn't reality, then what is it in us that cries out for love that lasts forever?

Experts recognize that the need to be loved is basic to every human being. If that is so, then there can only be one reason: We are God-wired for love. Why? Because you and I are made to be loved by Him. he has hard-wired us to want to be loved unconditionally, unceasingly, and unapologetically. The problem is that, as in so many other areas of life, we look for that need to be met in an earthly and natural way, rather than in a heavenly and supernatural way.

Are You Worth The Risk?

July 9, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5

What could have been one of my most terrifying childhood memories has become one of my most treasured moments because someone decided I was worth it.

At ten years old I was already comfortable swimming in the deep end of the pool. In fact, I loved it! One of my favorite games with a friend was to push ourselves from the surface to the bottom of the pool and then back up. We had spent summer mornings at swimming lessons for the past several years. I knew my way around the water and had a great time splashing, swimming, and playing water games.

My dad has always wanted to see as much of the world as he can. When you have a family, traveling can be cost-prohibitive, but Dad found that renting a camper for our summer vacations gave us the opportunity to go further on a smaller budget. One of his favorite activities was planning our itinerary and determining which new places we would visit.

My ten-year-old summer we took our first trip to the Midwest to visit with some college friends of Mom and Dad. They had a really cool house with a gas fireplace that opened into the rooms on either side of it. For someone who had never seen a gas fireplace before it was awesome! The house was situated in a community that had a pool and tennis courts and other recreational activities.

One afternoon we all went to the rec center, Mom and Dad, their friends, their friends' kids, my siblings, and me. We kids had no complaints about playing in the pool while the adults watched tennis in an adjoining area. The adults were within easy distance of the kids but didn't feel the need to be watching us every moment. We were all old enough and comfortable enough in the water.

This pool had something that made it especially enticing: A water slide! Our family had a pool, but not a slide. Every one of us got in line for turn after turn, sliding and splashing into the water. We relished the excitement of whishing down the slippery slide, hanging in the humid air, and then plunging into the cool, chlorinated wet.

I had been down the slide a number of times without incident. But this time when I hit the water, I became disoriented and couldn't find which way was up. The taste of chlorine filled my mouth. I was flailing my arms trying to find my floating balance and heard myself making unintelligible noises. "Help!" I realized it was my voice calling out.

Through my panicked splashing, I saw my Dad turn and start running toward me. Before anyone had time to think, he dove into the water, fully dressed — glasses, watch, sneakers, and all — and pulled me to the side of the pool. We both got out dripping, and out of breath.

Am I Enough?

October 9, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

100 percent!!! Did you ever get a 100 on a test? What a good feeling that is! Right?! I remember a time in the fourth grade when I was the only person in our class that got a 100 on a Spanish quiz. And the teacher made sure to tell everyone, too! I remember how special I felt. It was like I had proved that I was worth paying attention to. I felt like I had achieved something. So much more than a test grade. I felt like I had proved that I had a right to exist.

That moment became a motivating factor for my future life. It unconsciously became my goal to always get good grades after that. I don’t think grades really mattered to me until that moment. But why did it become so important? I think that God created me with a desire toward excellence, but that moment felt like I was set apart and valued in a way that I hadn’t been before. I wanted to prove my worth, so I wanted good grades. I wanted to feel valued all the time. Don’t you?

I think we all crave affirmation in some way. We want someone to say, “Good job!” It makes us feel appreciated and like our efforts were worthwhile. But there is a trap in affirmation. We can become addicted to approval and work hard for the purpose of receiving it. We want to feel that we are good enough, approved, valued.

Is that what God wants for you and me? Does He want us to work hard for Him so that we can be valued and approved by Him and others? What really matters?

Am I Good Enough For God?

October 2, 2021 Cathleen Zahradnik

For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Would someone call you a hard worker? Who is the hardest worker you know? I have seen my dad work hard my whole life, and that is just at home! He is always working on projects around our house. It’s taken some effort for him to learn to stop and rest. I learned a lot from my Dad just by observing. I appreciate his example.

Being a hard-worker is highly valued in many cultures, and certainly in American culture. Being referred to as a hard worker is considered a high compliment in the workforce. Hard work is valued and praised. Rest is not. People don’t cheer you on when you stop and rest. “Keep pressing forward and reach your goals!”

It is easy to transfer that idea to God’s kingdom as well. In the church, we often praise those who are there whenever the doors open or honor the person who serves in multiple areas or allow families to spread themselves thinly and take away from family time by planning events every night of the week. Why? Jesus said that He would give rest to those who come to Him. (Matthew 11:28) Is this trusting in what Christ has done for us or giving ourselves stuff to do to make us feel more valuable?

Dear Friend, have you been working hard for God, but feel like your efforts have fallen short? Do you feel like you need to do more? Do you question if you are good enough for God?

The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus did all that was necessary to make you and me good enough for God. We don’t have to work hard to prove our worth to Him. We don’t have to rely on our own efforts to be valuable to Him. All you and I have to do is to rely on what He has done, but how?

You ARE A Leader. Yep! Even You!

February 22, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I used to apologize for my very existence. Really! I did! Maybe without realizing it, you do, too.

The first time I clearly remember openly expressing regret for my imperfect existence I had my first featured role in a play. I was a freshman in high school and was very excited to be playing “Agnes Nolan” in the musical, George M!, about the iconic American songwriter, George M. Cohan. (Even if you don’t know his name, you probably know a few of his songs like You’re a Grand Old Flag.) I even had a solo! But, as often happens among young thespians, I was sick the weekend of the play because of not getting enough rest leading up to the performances. I was disappointed knowing that I would not sing as well as I could and, as a true newbie in theatrical endeavors, I had not yet learned to put myself aside and project the character regardless of what happened. So, whenever I sang I made an apologetic gesture to the audience to indicate that I knew what they knew, I wasn’t singing my best. I didn’t realize at the time that I wasn’t really apologizing for my performance. I was apologizing for existing as an imperfect human being. I downplayed anything that was good because I couldn’t see past what wasn’t. It was my pride that needed to declare, “This isn’t my best! Maybe if it was my best I would have a right to be here.”

So, what does that have to do with being a leader? The title of this little post refers to even you being a leader. When I make some kind of regretful acknowledgment for being an imperfect human being I immediately devalue myself.