Know Who You Are Because of Whose You Are

April 9, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NIV

The YES journey is the grand adventure of life with God. We often think of our life with God as what we do FOR God, our devotional activity, our acts of service. But what God really wants us to understand is that our life WITH Him isn't really about those things. What it IS about is knowing and living in our identity in Christ. God wants you and me to be defined by our relationship with Him rather than all the other things that we look toward to tell us who we are.

How do you find out who you are? What criteria do you use? Is it what other people say or have said about you? Is it public acclamation or your accomplishments? Is it the opportunities that you may have received or not received? Perhaps you define yourself by your good behavior or religious activity. I can say that was my story. Yet, none of those things are what God uses to define us. Ephesians 1: 11 in The Message translation of the Bible says that "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for." As you consider what defines you ask yourself if that is the measure you are using. Are you finding out who you are in Christ?

Reconciled: Finding Peace Amid Chaos

April 2, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

'For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. ' Colossians 1:19-20

I don’t remember a time when I didn’t believe that God existed. But to me He was “out there” somewhere, not personal, not close to me, not someone to call on. He was this cosmic force in charge of the universe. Untouchable. Inaccessible. He just was. Is that familiar to you?

But there came a point in my life when I began to wonder and hope that God was more than an idea or a cosmic force. I found myself feeling simply inadequate for life. My circumstances may not have seemed overwhelming to someone else, but they were to me. My emotions and thoughts were beyond my ability to process. I could not cope. Clouds of hopelessness overtook me. Although I tried, I couldn’t find within myself what I needed to survive and thrive. I needed more.

It was a night like any other as I was crossing Main Street in Geneseo, New York, heading back to my rented room at 16 Oak Street from the SUNY Geneseo campus. My soul was overwhelmed with the darkness that had encompassed me, darker than the night I was walking home in. Heavy. Hopeless. Heart-weary.

First

March 26, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.” Colossians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The gun shot is startling, but expected. Feet begin flying over the ground. A trail of dust rises behind each participant, hanging in the sun-filled air. Arms pumping. Concentration etched into every face. Each pair of squinting eyes focused on the same point: the line painted across the track and the tape stretched across the width of it. Each heart overflows with the same goal: Break the tape! Get across the line first!

First. First means so much to so many. First across the finish line means glory and honor. It means success and validation.

First loves are often among the most influential relationships of our lives.

First in birth order for centuries has meant inheritance and prominence in family position. First.

What does first mean to you, my friend? Are there times that you have delighted to be first? Maybe you were called on first to give a presentation. That is not the first we want, is it? That first means anxiety and pressure and fear of failure or humiliation. First.

Scripture declares that Jesus is first in everything. So, what does that look like in your life and mine? Is Jesus first in your everything? How might keeping Jesus first in all things make a difference in your life? First.

Who Are Your Influencers: What Doc Never Knew

March 19, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

Who has made a big impact on your life? If you had asked me that question a week ago, Doctor Robert Isgro of Geneseo, New York would probably not have been one of the first people I thought of. But when I learned earlier this week that Doctor Isgro had died, I knew that I had to make the trip to Geneseo for the funeral to honor him and his impact on my life.

Doctor Isgro, “Doc” as he was affectionately called by the many decades of Geneseo Chamber Singers, was the sun that gave the Chamber Singers life. He wasn’t the first director, but his long tenure as conductor shaped the Geneseo Chamber Singers into a high-quality college choir. Yet he did so much more than lead college students in making beautiful music. Doc shaped men and women. Doc helped us become who we were meant to be.

That’s a bold statement, I know. But when you spend an hour and a half together four days a week for several years, you become a family.

Who Commands This Chaos?

March 12, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

'He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. ' Colossians 1:17

I worked for a year as a lunchroom monitor in a middle school. Yes, I accept your pity! My shift was 3.75 hours every Monday to Friday. I left exhausted…every…single…day. The sheer amount of noise was enough to drain my energy but add to that the constant conflicts between students and each other or students with rational and reasonable rules and there was never-ending chaos. Ketchup packets are not ammunition!

I started that position in November. By February I was praying that God would open a position at the elementary school where my youngest was attending. By March, the principal of the elementary school had offered me a place, but it would mean leaving the middle school short-handed and I just didn’t feel it was the right thing to do. Oh, how I wanted to go then, but I waited until the following year. The year after that I began nine years as a full-time library aide back at the middle school. In the eleven years I worked for the school district I was NEVER as never exhausted as when I worked in the middle school lunchroom.

Chaos drains us. Have you ever noticed that? Chaos takes concentration to simply function. Chaos overwhelms our senses and makes our brains work harder. Chaos can completely consume us if we allow it to. Chaos causes us to try to regain order mentally or practically. But most of the time it is out of our control to do that. And so, exhaustion and anxiety often take over.

We live in a season of chaos, don’t we? Any sense of order has seemed to go out the window in recent years. From a pandemic to natural disasters around the world to constant conflict between nations, it seems like everything is out of control. But is it really? Can we find a way to preserve our peace?

How can you and I maintain peace when chaos seems to be in control? We must remember Who is in command of the chaos.

Why I Can Trust Him

March 5, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

'…for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. ' Colossians 1:16 NLT

Spring is coming! We are just on the verge of it right now. Winter is still most definitely in control, but the calendar is pointing in Spring’s direction. There is a sense of excitement and expectation that Spring will soon arrive. Bring on the crocuses! I am definitely ready for Spring! How about you?

But how do I really know that Spring will come? I can’t see any signs of it right now. Sure, the temperatures get warmer, but then just as quickly they plummet again. Will Spring really arrive on schedule? Or, like Narnia, will we be plunged into an endless winter?

Sounds ridiculous, I know. But you and I trust that Spring will come. We don’t doubt it even though we can’t see it. We trust that Spring will win over Winter even though we can’t see that victory right now. We trust that it will come. Right?

There are things going on in your life right now that seem like a Narnian winter. They drag on with no indication that they will ever change. World events steal hope. We watch and wonder and find it hard to trust that it will turn out alright. How will that nation’s crisis affect us? What will our future look like? How do I know that I really can trust Christ with the horrific upheaval that is unfolding?

Our trust in Christ can be rooted and grounded in this: Through Christ everything was created in the visible world and in the invisible world. EVERYTHING was also created FOR Him. The invisible world as well as the visible. Do I understand it all? No. But I know that Jesus is trustworthy. I have experienced it over and over, but the Scriptures give us some clear reasons why we can trust Him.

Why is Jesus trustworthy? He understands how things work because He created them. All things…ALL THINGS…

Making The Invisible Visible

February 26, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

'The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15

For a few seconds I found myself in total darkness. There I was at the sink washing the dinner dishes when the power flickered off. Not long, but long enough that the darkness was palpable. My shocked spirit started to head toward fearful, but didn’t have time before the power was, just as suddenly, back on. In those brief moments I could see absolutely nothing.

What is your first thought when the power flickers? Well, my first thought was to make sure that all the flashlights in the house had good batteries! I didn’t want to get stuck in blackness with no light source. I didn’t want to find myself taking tentative steps toward obstacles I couldn’t see. Even the smallest beam would make the invisible visible.

There are times in our lives, or even in world events, when it seems like we are suddenly plunged into blackness. Whatever light of hope there is seems to flicker and the way ahead becomes total darkness. Every path that leads out of the black seems obscured, invisible.

We struggle when we can’t see the way ahead, don’t we? Like those few seconds of panic standing at the sink, when darkness suddenly seems to take over all we want is light. We just want the invisible way ahead to become visible. What light is there to make the invisible visible in those times? We can’t run around checking batteries, can we? Or can we?

How To Manage Moments of Darkness

February 19, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:13-14 NLT

I hate the dark. When I was a kid dark meant that my imagination saw all kinds of unwanted visitors crouching in the corners of my room. The TV shows that I shouldn’t have been watching replayed in my mind and started my heart racing. Could what I saw on the screen happen to me? It was hard to rest my brain and go to sleep.

I settled on a system that settled my soul in those moments. When I made my first communion as a second grader my grandmother had given me some rosary beads. I didn’t really know what to do with them, but these rosary beads hung off the corner of my headboard and — the best part — they glowed in the dark! When I felt scared those glowing beads added light and comfort and, sometimes, I would just hold onto the cross that dangled at the end of the chain. The glowing beads didn’t give enough light to see by, but they gave me something to look at in the dark instead of letting my imagination create crouching creepy crawlies. Holding onto the cross made me feel like I wasn’t alone.

I still don’t like the dark, but there is a deeper darkness that you and I struggle to manage every day. Each one of us experiences more than physical darkness. Darkness seems to be crouching in a corner every day, just ready to pounce with every phone call, text message or email. Add world news into the mix and it might seem like darkness is ready to overtake every bit of light in the world.

Where is your darkness right now? Things may be going well. You may not feel depressed or upset. But still, you sense darkness lurking somewhere in the depths of your soul. An unresolved relationship. An unfulfilled dream. A memory of mistreatment. Darkness shows up in a myriad of forms. It’s part of living in a broken world.

How do you deal with your darkness? What do you look to when darkness takes over? What do you hold onto for comfort?

How to Thrive in the Darkness

February 12, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

“We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.” Colossians 1:11-12 NLT

It was one of the most difficult years of my life, but when I look back on the year 2004, I am filled with thanks. A loved one had entered a period of darkness and depression and there was nothing I could do to change the situation. Nothing I could do to help. It was an awful feeling.

I remember kneeling by my bed praying my heart out to God, asking Him to break through and change the situation, to bring my loved one out of darkness. I used every prayer technique I had ever learned about speaking victory and taking authority over the enemy.

And then the oddest, most unexpected thing happened. I felt God’s Spirit speaking to my heart.

“Stop.”

I was caught off guard.

“What?!”

I listened for the voice of the Spirit within me. He told me that my prayers weren’t really for my loved one, but for me. If that situation was resolved it would make my life easier. Ouch! He told me not to pray for this loved one anymore because I couldn’t pray with pure motivation. I was to pray for my own attitudes and actions, and for grace to love this person to the best of my ability during this time of shadow.

So, began a journey that lasted for the next eighteen months. The forest was dark. I couldn’t always see the path, but step by difficult step, somehow, I kept moving forward, not knowing if that track would ever end.

Perhaps you are in such a time right now, my Friend. It may seem dark. It may seem like it will always be dark. You wonder how you can ever get through this. You feel like quitting. Like this faith is just not working. Nothing makes sense.

So, what can you do? How do you survive? How do you do more than survive? How do you thrive?

Does My Life Please God?

February 5, 2022 Cathleen Zahradnik

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”Colossians 1:9-10 NLT

On January 10, 2022 Tom and I celebrated 35 years of marriage. It’s a milestone that we have reached through a score of storms, still waters and sunny skies, and yet, it seems to have arrived at lightening speed. If you are never married or within at least the first five years of marriage, I’ll bet that 35 years sounds like an eternity! In those 35 years we have labored through getting to know each other really well. Tom can anticipate how I am going to respond in certain situations and will take action to help me. He knows I can get overwhelmed in loud, busy environments, like airport security checkpoints, and has learned to be patient and lead me through when necessary. I have learned that words are not always the best way to help him and am still learning what to say, when to say it and when to just keep my mouth shut. Tom and I still have a boatload to learn about each other so that we can respond in ways that help us grow together. As long as it sounds, 35 years is just not enough time to learn everything about a person.

It’s kind of like that with God. The longer we know Him, the better we understand Him, but there is always more to learn. Tom knows many ways to please me, but he doesn’t know every way to please me, just as I still have plenty to learn about him. With people, and with God, there is always more to discover. Knowing Tom better teaches me how to behave with him. Knowing God better teaches me how to behave with Him.

A lot of people feel unsure about their relationship with God. They feel like they are walking on eggshells, wondering if they are really pleasing Him. They question if they are good enough for God. They feel like they have to check off a list of appropriate actions or acceptable behaviors. It’s all about doing or not doing the right thing so that God will be happy. They imagine God’s angry face if they slip up and are sure that whatever trial they are facing is the direct result of their failure. “God is punishing me. I missed His will and now everything is falling apart.” Ever feel that way?

You don’t have to work hard to be good enough for God. No checklists. No star charts. There is one surefire way to live a life that pleases God: Get to know Him better. As you work to get to know Him better, you will grow in knowing what makes Him happy, what pleases Him. Okay, so what exactly does it mean to know God better?

Knowing God better is about understanding who He is and what He wants. We grow in knowing who He is and what He wants through spending time in His Word. The entire Bible describes God’s character and how He responds to people in every kind of situation. Every page indicates God’s heart to love stubborn, self-centered sinners who turn their hearts elsewhere. Want to get a clearer picture of what God is like? Study Jesus. Jesus is the exact representation of who God is. (Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:15) He said clearly, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14:9) As I study Jesus in His Word and learn how he responds to people and situations, I get to know His character. I get to know more about Him. If I know more of His character, who He is and what He wants, then I understand better how to respond and can make decisions that please Him.

Knowing God better teaches me how to behave with Him. We grow in knowing and understanding Him through our time in the Word because He has made clear what He wants. When I know what He wants, I know what to do, right? When I know what Tom wants, I know exactly what to do to please him. It sure helps when he tells me! I can pick up on a lot of cues, but even after 35 years I don’t always interpret them properly.

God doesn’t just drop hints about how to please Him. He has clearly stated what He wants and that teaches us how to behave. He has clearly stated commandments, but he has also filled His word with examples of people who responded well. Just take some time in Hebrews 11, the passage that has come to be known as “The Hall of Faith.” It’s a list of imperfect people who somehow did what pleased God through their faith in Him. They knew what He wanted and did it, even when the outcomes were unclear.

Knowing Him better leads to choices that please Him, but Hebrews 11 emphasizes that it wasn’t just the choices that pleased God. It was the motivation behind the actions.

Knowing His character is just the beginning of getting to know Him. If we aren’t careful we can fall into the checklist trap. That’s knowing about God, not knowing Him. That’s external behavior, not internal intimacy. What God wants from you and me is much deeper and it will take a lifetime to develop it.

Knowing God better is a lifelong journey. Just like my 35 years of marriage is not enough to fully know Tom, a lifetime will never be enough to fully know God. There will always be more to know, so take the pressure off yourself! He is full of grace. He knows our frame and understands that we are dust (Psalm 103:13-14) He doesn’t reject us for our imperfect attempts to please Him. He looks at our hearts. (1 Samuel 16:7) I am so glad that is what He looks at because my attempts to do good and be good are like a baby trying to bake a cake, messy and entirely unsuccessful!

My Friend, here’s what I want you to know: If your heart is pointed toward pleasing Him, then you are pleasing Him. It’s your heart that matters. There is no scorecard for your heart. No checklist. Just the desire to please Him and the choice to do your best. He reveals Himself to us as we seek to know and understand Him. Spiritual wisdom and understanding come from the Holy Spirit. Simply receive by being open to Him and His guidance.

Dear Friend, knowing God is ultimately about having an intimate relationship with Him. He is a person after all. He has likes and dislikes. He has feelings and emotions. Intimacy grows through knowledge and understanding. Intimacy is about closeness and familiarity.

35 years of experience with Tom gives me knowledge about his likes and dislikes. It gives me understanding about his feelings and emotions. I can respond to him better now than I did when we were first married. Knowing Tom better helps me to grow closer to him, so I want to keep learning about him, what makes him tick, what delights his heart, what troubles him. I want to do the same with God, because knowing God better helps me grow closer to Him.

What God wants most from you is your heart, not your good behavior. A life that is growing in intimacy with God is a life that is growing in pleasing God. Knowing God better is about having a heart fully surrendered to Him. You can do that, Dear Friend. And as you surrender your heart, you will find yourself living a life that pleases His heart.

Key Thought: Knowing God leads to a life that pleases God.

A Scripture to Consider: “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.” Colossians 1:9-10 NLT

A YES Challenge: Take some time to process these questions with God: Do I rely on my behavior to feel confident that I am pleasing God? What steps can I take to grow in knowing God better?

Prayer: Father, I have spent so much time and effort trying to be “good” so that You will be pleased with me. But I have been continually aware that I just can’t be good enough because You are so perfect and holy. Help me to remember that what You want most from me is my heart, not my hustle. You don’t want me working harder for You. You want me growing in knowing You, in love for You. Let my love for You guide my efforts to please You. Lead my heart in the right direction, so that my heart can lead me to choices that please and honor You. I want to live for Your glory. Amen.