Are You Crossing the Rickety Bridge?

April 29, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

It was a terrifying moment. I remember exactly where I was. I can clearly see the room around me in my memory. I was about to do something that could potentially rock my world, but I knew that it had to be done. The consequences of not following through outweighed the risk of taking the plunge, so I did it. I prayed Psalm 139:23-24 and meant it! “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.”

I had begun to ask God to show me who I really was. It was like setting out to cross a rickety bridge. It didn’t look safe, but it was the only way to get to the other side. Reaching my goal required absolute honesty. The destination was more important than safety. I knew that to become the person that God wanted me to be I had to be willing to give up the comfort of staying the same. I had to risk Him showing me faults and patterns that I didn’t want to see so that I could move forward. I took the risk of praying the prayer. Then, I prepared myself for the awful things that I was sure God would reveal to me. I steeled myself against the pain of self-revelation. I imagined the worst.

But it never happened the way that I imagined it.

He's Got It Covered!

April 22, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

There’s a whole bunch happening in my life right now. What about you?
Isn’t it good to know that God isn’t surprised by any of it? He’s got it all covered because He made you and me and laid out every day from the beginning. Be encouraged, Dear Friend!

Psalm 139
(New Living Translation)

O Lord , you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do…

Every Goal Needs A Tune-Up

April 15, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ' Philippians 3:13-14

You’re on the road and realize that the road signs and landmarks don’t line up with where you thought you were going. You don’t want to waste time and gas by heading in the wrong direction. What do you do? You pull over, figure out where in the world you are, and check your navigation to make sure you are on the right track! Then you fine-tune your directions and get back on the road.

So, where are you on your journey toward fulfilling your divine destiny? Where are you in fulfilling the goals you have set? One of the most important things you can do to keep making progress is to stop and re-evaluate your goals. Every goal needs a tune-up!

Here are some reasons why.

Silent Saturday: Counting the Cost

April 8, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

It is Saturday of Holy Week. Good Friday has passed. Easter Sunday is yet to come. We wait in anticipation of that joyous celebration. But what did the disciples do on that Saturday after the crucifixion? They did not know that joy awaited them. They observed the Sabbath in obedience, but that day of rest from work was most likely anything but a day of rest in the mind. How could they do anything but continue to relive Friday’s horror and wonder how they would ever face, not only Sunday, but every day after?

It is in human nature to avoid the painful, but what if you and I took this Saturday to relive some of Good Friday’s pain? Might it increase our joy of the resurrection?

Celebration is Motivation!

April 1, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. ' Philippians 3:13-14

You’ve taken the time to craft a compelling goal. You’ve created a system to remember your goals. You’ve thought about what you want to achieve. You’ve asked yourself some hard questions. Good work!

Now begins the task of working toward achieving that goal. Where are you at? It’s time to evaluate. Do you know what that means? More hard questions!

To evaluate where you are, take a good hard look at the reality that is right now. Why not start with an encouragement boost? Consider your goal, and ask yourself some questions.

What is working well? Start here.

Review Regularly. Remember. Achieve.

March 25, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Remember that goal you set in January? You took the time to think it through. You crafted a compelling goal. You thought through your why. You took the time. You made the effort. Take a moment now and repeat back to yourself what you planned to accomplish. What’s that? You kind of remember? Is “kind of” remembering really remembering?

You and I have full lives. There are so many things happening every day, right? The kids have to go there. This bill needs to be paid. That customer needs this right away! The refrigerator is empty. And on and on and on. There are so many things that we absolutely need to do. It’s very easy for what we really want to do to get lost at the bottom of the pile. Unless….unless we make a plan to keep that goal at the top of the pile.

Here’s the bottom line, my friend: You will not do what you do not remember. The only way to set yourself up to actually achieve your goal is to regularly review it.

How does regularly reviewing your goals help you achieve your purpose? When you prayerfully and thoughtfully craft specific goals, these goals line up with your life purpose. You have made goals to help you achieve the purpose you were created for. When you set yourself up to accomplish those goals by regularly reviewing them, you set yourself up to achieve your purpose.

So, here are some tips to help you do just that.

Be intentional. It doesn’t matter how good your memory is, if you don’t decide to create a system to regularly remind yourself of your goals they will get lost in the list of to-dos.

How to Craft a Compelling Goal

March 18, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Compelling: evoking interest, attention, or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way:

Is your most cherished goal a compelling one? A compelling goal is one that keeps you moving forward. It is clear, concise, and connected to a strong why, a why that is rooted in your reason to be. A non-specific goal that isn’t connected to your reason to be is not going to motivate your forward motion. The most important aspect of crafting a goal is knowing why you want to complete it. A goal that isn’t connected with your why is not a goal that will be accomplished. Craft goals that connect with your why!

What motivates you most? When you set goals do you think of what you want to accomplish or why you want to accomplish it? Both aspects are important if you really want to achieve something. If you set your goal, what you want to do, without considering why you want to do it, you won’t get far.

The secret to setting a truly compelling goal is knowing why you want to reach it in the first place. Your why keeps you reaching when you get weary or feel lost. How do you craft a compelling goal?

Clear Goals, Clearer Purpose

March 11, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Movies. They entertain and inspire, right? Tom and I enjoy watching movies to relax. We like Hallmark movies because they are predictable. I am not ashamed! You always know there will be a happy ending and that there will be no jarring surprises in the process of getting there. We enjoy classic adventures like Star Wars, but we also enjoy inspiring true-life stories. One of our favorites is Chariots of Fire.

Chariots of Fire is set against the backdrop of the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. It follows the development of Great Britain’s running team and focuses the story on two young men in particular, Harold Abrams, a Cambridge student who became a journalist, and Eric Lidell, a Scottish preacher who became a missionary to China. They are both runners and contenders for the gold medal in their event. Spoiler Alert: They both achieve gold medals, but their motivations for getting there and their responses to their challenges along the way differ. However, there is a similarity I want to emphasize for your benefit: They kept their goal in focus. They both had a clear vision of what they wanted to accomplish and devoted tremendous efforts to reaching that end.

Harold Abrams and Eric Liddell kept their goal in focus. That enabled them to go further, achieve more, and developed their character. What about you? How clear are your goals? Do they help you go further, achieve more and develop your character?

A clear goal helps you to focus your energy.

What is Your Goal?

March 4, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Are your New Year’s resolutions already forgotten? Tell those failure thoughts to be quiet! It’s not too late to regroup and reset. But a resolution won’t help you get where you want to go. What you need is an actual goal. Do you have a goal?

What’s the difference between a resolution and a goal? A resolution is a decision, a desired outcome, but it isn’t a real target. A goal is a specific target to aim at. I’ve heard it said that a goal without a target date is a dream. It won’t happen. So, setting goals is different than making a resolution. A resolution declares, “This is what I want.” A goal says, “This is what I am going to do and this is when I am going to do it.” It requires prayerful consideration and intentionality.

What are some things you want to accomplish before this year is over? Why not set some goals? Think about what completing those goals will do for you —for your character, for your growth as a person.

So, my friend, what kind of goals do you want to set? Here are some things you need to know about goals to get you started.

Obstacle or Opportunity?

February 25, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

Are you a Sound of Music fan? While our kids were growing up, we had a double-video-cassette version of it and they loved it. When they were toddlers, they asked to watch “Doh-doh” (because of the song that goes “Doh, a dear…🎵”) It was very cute! If you aren’t familiar with the story, young nun-to-be, Maria, struggles to fit in with life at the abbey and Mother Abbess decides she needs a change of pace to determine if being a nun is truly Maria’s calling. So, she sends Maria to serve as governess to a widowed captain’s seven children. The rest, as they say, is history as Maria and Captain Von Trapp fall in love and she discovers that God’s will for her is to be a wife and mother, not a nun.

Maria faces many obstacles along her journey of discovery, but her primary goal is “to find out what is the will of God and do it whole-heartedly.” That’s a worthy goal for anyone!

One famous song from the musical is Climb Every Mountain. I remember singing it with my high school choir in my freshman year back in 19… never mind! In the context of the story Mother Abbess sings it to Maria to encourage her to persevere through the challenges she was facing with the Von Trapps and “find your dream.” This inspires Maria to continue on her discovery journey and not long after she finds herself married to Captain Von Trapp.

So, what does all this have to do with you? Like Maria, you are facing obstacles and challenges that seem to hold you back from finding your dream and fulfilling your destiny. There are struggles that may indicate where you are right now is not where you were meant to be. Do you know what they are? Are you ready to face them and “climb every mountain” till you find your dream, the dream that God has for your life?

Obstacles are opportunities to discover God’s will for your life. If you face them with the determination to discover His will and do it wholeheartedly, what you now see as a challenge will turn out to be a gift.

What obstacles are you facing? How can you embrace your obstacle as an opportunity? Here are some perspective-shifting tips.