Joy? Now? YES!

December 12, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

“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

So, here we are. December 2020. The holiday season is in full force, but what a season it is! COVID Christmas 2020. What’s your Christmas going to look like?

No doubt we are all going to try to maintain as many traditions as we can, but, for many of us Christmas will continue to highlight a year of disappointments and discouragement. Depending on where you live, family visits may be inhibited by travel restrictions. States are doing their best to discourage travel by requiring quarantines and COVID tests. So, we won’t see most of our family in person this year, but we will still connect virtually. I know what you’re saying. It isn’t the same! But it is better than nothing, right!?

You may be asking: Is there a reason for joy in this COVID Christmas season? Lost jobs. Travel limits. Maybe sick family members. Or family members lost, to the pandemic or to other causes. Being stuck at home so much, or separated so much, may have highlighted tensions in your relationships. Where is the joy in a year that has been clouded by controversy and coronavirus?

If you are a believer in Christ then you have a reason for joy, regardless of what else you are experiencing. You have a joy that, although covered by clouds, still shines. You have a joy that is unquenchable, even when its a little harder to reach.

Formulas and Variables: What Is The Formula For 2020?!

December 5, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

“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

Wouldn’t it e nice if life worked like a math problem? You know, 2+2=4. Simple. Easy. Always the same answer. It never changes. Put in these numbers and you get the same answer. Dependable.

But it isn’t like that, is it? And, although math is reliable, it becomes difficult at the more advanced levels. Formulas and variables get more and more complicated. The answers may turn out the same, but it becomes more challenging to get there.

Math is not my strong suit! I did really well at algebra for some reason. I remember getting a 96 on the New York State Regents exam! Discovering the value of x was not as difficult for me as geometry. Proofs and theorems just never settled with my brain. I took the Geometry Regents exam three times trying to get a better grade and just couldn’t improve enough. Geometry was challenging for me. Challenging. There’s a word for 2020.

A year like 2020 makes us long for the predictable. What is the formula for 2020?! None of us have ever walked this way before. We don’t know what to expect. We don’t like where we are and we just want it to be over. Lots of people have their opinions and ideas of what it will take to end this pandemic. They all think they are right. They each present their own “formula” for reaching the desired solution to the pandemic problem. “If we just do this...then that will happen.... and this whole thing will be over.” Yet, even the experts have no idea what will really happen. No one knows the formula to solve COVID-19 because there are so many variables. And COVID is only one of the 2020 problems that need solving.

Formulas. We like those. Variables. Not so much. This has been a year that has thrown formulas out the window. For example, the holiday formula goes like this: It’s Thanksgiving. Everyone comes home to visit and we go to Grandmas’s house for a turkey dinner. In 2020 — wrong! That formula did not work at all! 2020 has been a year full of variables. Nothing is the same. Add COVID as a variable and you get don’t get together with family for Thanksgiving. Christmas 2020 will be skewed by variables as well.

So what do we learn from all this? Let’s end 2020 with some positive takeaways, because there are some.

Stop. Think. Thank.

November 28, 2020 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

2020 has added extra stress to an already stressful time of year, hasn’t it? So, how was your 2020 Thanksgiving? Did you travel against recommendations? No guilt! You did what you thought was best for your family, but there was a layer of unfamiliar stress, right?

Did you cook a Thanksgiving dinner for the first time ever after you decided not to travel? I remember my first Thanksgiving cooking experience. As a newlywed, my job gave us a free turkey, so, after the holiday, Tom and I had both sets of parents for a Thanksgiving-style dinner. One of the most stressful experiences of my life! I feel for you!

Whatever your holiday looked like, it was different than you normally celebrate it, even if you did what you normally do. Now, we are entering the uncharted waters of a pandemic-altered Christmas season. Just the uncertainty of what this will look like adds an undercurrent of anxiety, whether you acknowledge it or not. We may as well acknowledge it, right?

Okay, here’s a little exercise for you in the midst of this holiday weekend. It won’t take long, but do it! You’ll have a new perspective on this whirlwind of activity with its 2020 twist.

First, stop what you are doing.

What Is The Truth? The Holy Spirit Knows

November 21, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me." John 16:13-14

Truth. It’s a precious commodity in this crazy world. Many people see truth as a variable, something that depends on the eye of the beholder or the twist of a circumstance. What God says is truth without variable and when God speaks I want to listen. I want to hear what God is saying to me because that is the only truth I can depend on. I want to be listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit, don’t you? But how do I recognize what the Holy Spirit is speaking to me?

Take Time To Listen

November 14, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 NIV

Doesn't life feel like a whirlwind sometimes? And that’s just in a normal year! 2020 has been far from normal! Amidst COVID concerns, the news headlines, household chores, family worries, ministry responsibilities, community tensions and a myriad of other things that call for our brain space, it's hard to know where to turn our eyes and ears. So many voices that blend into one loud roar. How do I know which voice to focus on so that I know where to turn my energy? Sound familiar?

I like checklists. I like being able to mark off a task that has been completed. It makes me feel successful, like I am accomplishing something, making a difference. What about you? 2020 has eliminated lots of things from my list without them even being attempted. That is so frustrating to a list-checker! Maybe you are someone who just kind of goes with the flow. Whatever calls for your attention first is the way you will turn. That works too, but I imagine that this year has had your head spinning! Whether you are a list-checker or flow-follower, how do you determine the best way to discern which voice in the whirlwind is the priority?

Hearing God Above The Noise

November 7, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

“And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ “‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19:12-13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There are a cacophony of noises swirling around us right now. News headlines echo accusations in the political realm and carry the cries of the pain of thousands around the world. Social media roars with voices calling for contradictory actions and attitudes. Even our own homes are filled with the normal voices of life that call for our attention. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and distracted. Which voice has your attention right now? Is that the voice you most need to listen to?

Where is the harmonious sound of God’s voice in the midst of all that dissonance?

An Empty Place At the Table - Tribute to Tim

October 31, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

"Let love be your highest goal!" 1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT

How many friends do you have who are so close that you decide to create a new family name from your two last names? What's that you say? You've never heard of such a thing? Never even thought of it? Let me introduce you to the "Zillardnik" family.

The Millards and Zahradniks attended the same church, but were no more than acquaintances until 1995. One ministry of the church we attended was to host baby and wedding showers for congregants. After the birth of our youngest child a shower was held for us which included both men and women. We found out later that Tim and Ginny Millard had felt called to plan that shower for us.

That summer, after serving together at VBS, Tim and Tom made a date to go to the movie Apollo 13. The guys thought it would be a good idea for Ginny to hang out with me, and our three kids, while they went to the movie. I didn't really know Ginny, so I was a little nervous. What would we talk about for three hours? Those hours flew by. And so began a friendship that has been one of the greatest gifts of our lives.

Over twenty-five years we have spent thousands of hours together. I have a mental slideshow of us around countless tables sharing meals together. At our home - three different ones in twenty-five years - or theirs - two different homes. At restaurants and church events. At weddings and funerals. For several years in a row we went on vacations together, so there we are at our rental home tables in Cape Cod, in Maine, in Delaware. Thanks to the grocery store's free turkey promotion, every year that we could we shared a holiday dinner between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Of course, our kids grew up around those tables with the Millards. It was on one of our vacations that we became the Zillardniks. (Spelling will vary. We never discussed spelling!) None of us really remember whose idea it was, but I think it was Tim's. Those thousands of hours spent together fill a treasure box of memories. Each one is precious.

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?

The Significance of Simplicity

October 10, 2020 Cathleen Zahradnik

“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2:14-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am one of those people who likes to take time at the beginning of every year to review the year that has past and to set some goals for the year ahead. What about you? Did you write down some goals for 2020? Even if you didn’t write anything down, I bet that you had a few things that you wanted to accomplish this year. I know I did. How’s it going for you?

2020 is probably the most unusual year that any of us have ever experienced. Noting has played out according to plan for any of us. We are all in unfamiliar territory and any plans we had are out the window. Am I right?

When life is interrupted it can be unsettling. All our plans are thrown into disarray. It causes us to have to reevaluate what is really important. So, in the middle of all this confusion and instability, how can you find focus? What is it that you really need to accomplish in 2020? What do I need to accomplish? What should our goals look like?