When The Change You Want Isn’t Happening

September 7, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

Change. It is a well known fact that none of us really likes change. Some of us may like changing scenery and changing environments, but none of us really likes the changes that matter most, the inner changes, the changes of our character. I remember being terrified to pray this prayer from Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” I knew that I meant it and God would answer it, but I was so afraid of what He might show me and what He might require of me. I don’t remember any startling and horrifying revelations after that terrifying moment of prayer, but I do know that God has been faithful to answer it and, degree by degree, has been faithfully making changes in me.

For those of us who belong to Christ we recognize that change is part of the Christian package. God’s goal is to continually change us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). We know this, but we get bogged down and discouraged when change doesn’t seem to be happening in our lives. We still struggle with the same old thoughts and behaviors. We say to ourselves, “Why am I not past this already? I should be further along than this. I thought I had already conquered this. Why is it coming up again?!”My encouragement to you as you face those inner changes is to keep yourself open and let Him do the work.

Keep doing what you have been doing. Obey the Word. As you are day by day in God’s Word, be confident that His Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12) and is making a difference. Like your daily intake of food, sometimes you taste it, sometimes you don’t but it is always having an effect in your body, the word of God is always having an effect in your inner life. Don’t give up your daily spiritual nourishment. Approach it with faith and trust Him to make those changes, degree by degree.

Remember that He loves you more than you love Him. Don’t give up! You might be tempted to give up when life feels especially hard, when you feel like no change is happening inside or outside in your life. Don’t give up! God is faithful. He can be counted on to do what He has promised. You love Him, right? You have to trust His word that says He loves you. (Romans 5:8) He really does! If you can believe that He really loves you then you can find the strength to keep going because you know that He will come through because of His love for you. Don’t quit!

Remember that, even though your effort is required, the real work is God’s. He is the one that is working the desire to change in you and He is the one who will bring it to completion. (Philippians 1:6) God is the one who makes the change in you by the power of His Holy Spirit. (Philippians 2:12-14, Romans 12:1-2) He is the one who transforms you as you submit yourself to the truth of His Word and the power of His Spirit. He is the one at work in you. You keep making the choices that line up with His Word and He will empower you by His Spirit. That is a promise that He will keep! (Ephesians 1:12-14)

My friend, whatever internal struggle you are facing, whatever it is that you feel needs to change and isn’t, remember that God is the one who put the “want to” in you and He will give you the power to do it. You can count on it! Compare who you are now with who you were in the past. Recognize what God has already done. Don’t get stuck on the change you haven’t seen yet. Don’t quit!

Key thought: God is the one who works change inside us.

A Scripture to consider: “Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:12-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A YES Challenge: What changes do you believe God wants to make in your life? How have you been trying to make those changes happen? Have you been trusting in God or your own effort? On a sheet of paper or index card write out the one change you would most like to see happen in your life. Take that paper and present it before God. Offer it to Him and express your trust in Him to make that change. Put that paper in an envelope and seal it as an indication that you are putting it in God’s hands.

Prayer: Father, I get so discouraged by all the changes that I see need to happen in me. I have been trying so hard, but I realize that I have not been fully trusting You to make the change in me. I choose now to offer those changes to You and trust you to complete Your good work in me. Amen.

Life At 80: Live, Learn, Give

August 31, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

Do you ever wonder what you will be like when you reach the age of eighty? Do you imagine yourself sitting on a porch rocking chair and reminiscing about the good old days? Let me give you a different picture. This weekend, my dad turns eighty and one thing he refuses to do is to sit and remember. When I reach the age of eighty, I want to keep living, learning and giving like my dad.

If you will indulge me for a few minutes, I”d like to honor Dad and let him know what I am learning from his example. Here’s what your life at 80 could look like.

Life is meant to be lived. Dad, I have never known you to live in a state of reminiscence. It’s not that you don't think back on things, but you don't live there. You have always been one to be thinking ahead. I imagine that made you good at your IBM job. Doesn’t that seem like a long time ago? Your life has been so full since you retired because thinking ahead keeps you living. Now, you and Mom are traveling so much, I can’t keep track of your trips. You finish one excursion and start planning the next. You have been so many places and tried so many things. And you aren’t letting more birthdays slow that down. You continue to go new places and do new things. You continue to live your life forward, not looking back. You live now and don’t consider your best living behind you. At least, you don't appear to. Living forward is what keeps you from getting old. Thanks, Dad.

Learning lasts a lifetime.

3 Things I Learn From The Ocean

August 24, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

If your life is like mine, it seems to just whiz by. Even at the most mundane times in life the days seem to pass more and more quickly. It can be so difficult to grasp what is moving at light speed. A few days by the ocean is always a treasured time for me. The lull of the waves, the warmth of the sand and the shade of the umbrella as the breeze surrounds me all unite to bring me to a stop inside so that I can truly rest and so that I can better hear what God might be saying to me in the midst of my life. We all need some of that , don’t we?

So, as I spend a few days by the ocean, here are a few things I am learning:

Clear The Path. Be An Example Worth Following.

August 17, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

This walk with Jesus is not an easy one. Constant obstacles threaten to divert us. It might be the temptation to head in a wrong direction. Not necessarily a bad direction, just not the best one. Or it might be a person who grates on your last nerve. You know who it is. The person whose words and actions bring out your least Christlike thoughts and reactions. Then there are the day-to-day distractions. The kids need to be chauffeured to friends, activities, school, doctors. The boss wants you to do what? By when? That unexpected bill. The unforeseen illness. That conflict with a loved one. Life throws us a lot of curves. Something in us is always expecting the level path, but that isn’t the way it works, is it? When the path gets steep and rock-strewn how do we keep our focus? How do we push past the obstacles and stay focused on walking with Jesus?

I’ve heard that the best way to clear a path is to walk it. So, here’s how to keep walking with Jesus in order to clear the path when it seems full of obstacles:

Communication Overload! Who Gets My Attention?

August 10, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

I pick up my phone and am immediately bombarded with a myriad of messages. You know what I mean. We all experience it constantly. Text messages, notifications, phone calls, commercial ads online or on TV. Emails from people we know and people we don’t. Our family wants our attention. Our friends want our attention. Our business associates and customers want our attention. Advertisers want our attention. How do we rightly evaluate and respond to the mass of messages we receive daily? In the end it comes down to one question: What really matters? How do we focus our attention on the messages that matter most?

Step back, look at the clump of communication coming at you and ask yourself: What really matters? What is it that really makes a difference? When you are clear on that, everything else becomes clear. Why?

Three Things I’ve Learned About Distraction

August 3, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

Hello, Friends! I have been spending this week at a conference and writing time is limited. But let me encourage you with these three thoughts I’ve learned about distractions when it comes to accomplishing your God-given purpose. Your purpose is more than checking things off a list. Your purpose involves God, people and love. Anything else is just stuff.

1. People are not a distraction. People are your purpose. Your purpose and mine will always be a derivative of Jesus’ stated purpose, “To seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) The things on your God-ordained to-do list are meant to serve people, not the other way around. I can be task-oriented at times. This is a biggie for me!

2. When you re-arrange your schedule for the sake of relationship you are accomplishing your purpose. Why? See point number one. If you rearrange your planned tasks in order to spend time with a family member or someone who needs you, you are accomplishing your purpose. Kudos to you!

3. Purpose over perfection. I like things done well. Sometimes that can lead me toward perfectionism. In evaluating the success of a task or event, I’ve learned to look past the mistakes and slip-ups and ask, “Did this accomplish our intended purpose for the people involved?” As long as I can say, “Yes” to that the event was a success no matter what went wrong.

Dear One, purpose is bigger than accomplishments. Accomplishments are nice, but they don’t necessarilly fulfill purpose. Review your to-do list in terms of people served and you will find that you are accomplishing so much more than you think. Your God-ordained purpose is not about doing something. It’s about loving and serving someone in Jesus’ name. Be blessed!

Key thought: People are your purpose.

A Scripture to consider: “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:13-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A YES challenge: Prayerfully review the last couple of days. Notice when you put people over tasks. Ask God to show you how you accomplished His purpose for the people in your life.

Prayer: Lord, I want to accomplish Your purpose for my life. Help me to remember that Your purpose will always be about people. Amen.

Live. Learn. Share. Yes, Even You!

July 27, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

“You have a lot of wisdom,” someone recently said to me. “You know what that comes from?” I responded, “Years!” I have found growing older to be more emotionally challenging than I expected, but it does have at least one benefit. My years have given me experiences that have taught me. Surprisingly or not, it’s probably the experiences I wouldn’t have chosen that have taught me the most.

So, what does one do with this treasure-trove of accumulated lessons? What you and I have learned from our years, many or few, isn’t meant just for ourselves. God has taught us things so that we can share.

American culture prizes do-it-yourself make-it-happen individualism. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to simply know what we need to know so that we can do what we need to do. But we don’t just know it, so we often feel like failures.

God has made us to need each other and one of the ways we need each other is in sharing what we have learned. You may be on the verge of something new in your life. You see a path in front of you that is unfamiliar and challenging. You feel ill-equipped. Maybe even scared. You may not realize that some of the answers you are looking for can be found in someone else’s years and experience. You really don’t have to figure it out for yourself. But, on the flip-side, even your minimal experience may be what someone else needs. Yes! You do have something to share!

You can learn from the failures of others or learn from your own failures. It really is true that experience is the best teacher. We don’t like it, at least I don’t, but, we learn most from our own failures. It’s a fact. If you would prefer to avoid failure, (Count me in!) you do have some options. You can learn from someone else’s failure.

Let me just say right off that you can’t avoid every failure. It just isn’t possible. I know, I’ve tried! When I am approaching something new I research and try to learn as much as possible so that I don’t fail. But there are times when God knows that the best way for me to learn is to walk through the failure. So, even though I try to avoid it, He allows me to go through it. I think those times are the exception rather than the rule. So, I share with you from my years: Find someone who has walked in the direction you are heading and learn from their failure so that you don’t have to go through it!

We Don’t Work Alone

July 20, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

You always learn something when you say YES. I recently returned from a mission trip to Armenia, Colombia, South America. This is part of my YES adventure. I never expected to go to Colombia. It wasn’t on my radar, but I felt God’s whisper asking me to go and I said YES. There are many things that I am still processing about the trip. One of the things that I am most aware of is that the YES adventure is not a solo journey. We need each other in order to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives.

When I said YES to Colombia, I said YES to being a part of a team. Our team began working together before we ever left the USA. We prayed together, fasted together and prepared practically together for our ministry in Colombia. Not one of us could have completed the work alone. We needed each other from the moment of YES.

God has designed us to need each other. That’s a significant part of our walk with God, whether we are simply trying to live out our faith day by day at home, serving in our home church or going on a mission trip. We aren’t designed to have all the answers, abilities or energy to get the job done. God has made us with weaknesses where other people have strengths. Only together can we accomplish God’s purpose.

On the Colombia team, a main weakness for some of us was language.

Am I Distracted?

July 13, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

NOTE: This article appears in the summer edition of “The Encourager”, a quarterly publication for ministry women in the New Your MInistry Network.

Martha gets bad a rap. The truth is, as committed Christ-followers, we are all Martha. We may not want to admit it or we may totally and hopelessly own it, but when it comes to serving Jesus we are so much more about getting it done than just being at His feet as Mary is described in Luke 10:38-42. But aren’t we supposed to serve Him whole-heartedly? He’s worth it, isn’t He? What’s wrong with falling into bed exhausted…every night…because of my ministry and family responsibilities?

Martha didn’t have it all wrong. In fact, she had a lot right. But when Jesus corrected Martha it wasn’t her behavior He was correcting. It was her priority. Notice I used that word in the singular. The word “priorities" is actually a relatively new one. Originally the word was singular, meaning the ONE important thing. Martha was “distracted with much serving” (v. 40) and after her request to Jesus for Mary’s help Jesus told her, “One thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Jesus redirected Martha’s priority.

There is always a danger for those of us who serve of being distracted by our service.

Taming Your Too-Long To-Do List: Practical Advice for An Over-filled Schedule

July 6, 2019 Cathleen Zahradnik

When I was a young mom I often came to the end of my day wondering what I had accomplished. I was busy every moment, but seemed to have nothing to show for it! That is when I started using a planner. I wrote down all the things that I needed to do that day and checked them off as I completed them. At least at the end of the day I could see that I really did finish something! The problem is that I never finished all of it. Even now, in spite of knowing that I am loved by God regardless of what I do, my tasks don’t go away. I still come to the end of the day without fully discharging my to-do list. It can be difficult not to feel like I’ve failed. Maybe you feel that way, too. So, then what do we do about it? How do we tame our too-long to-do list?

Here’s the truth that must be confronted first: You really cant’t do it all regardless of what any ad campaign tells you. You are not invincible. You are not a robot. You have limits and you can’t do it all. You have limited energy, limited capacity to act, limited abilities. Someone else will always be able to do more and do it better, but that doesn’t mean you are less. It just means you are you.

I heard a great illustration to help determine our own capacity: What kind of plate are you? Are you a turkey platter, with the capacity to fit a lot on your plate? Or are you a dinner plate, still a lot of room, but not as much? Maybe you are a dessert plate. Not much room, but space for something sweet. In order to determine what to expect of yourself you need to understand your own capacity. Your capacity helps you determine what should stay on your plate and what can wait.

I am not a turkey platter, but I’m not a dessert plate either. I have learned to recognize and accept that I can’t do as much as some other people and have stopped pushing myself to fit more on my plate. As I have begun to recognize and work within my limits I find myself less exhausted, more productive and more satisfied in what I am able to accomplish. What kind of plate are you?

So, here are some tips for taming your too-full task list so that you can work within your capacity: