What Do You Want? Productivity or Fruitfulness?

February 3, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” Ephesians 5:17 MSG

What do you really want to accomplish with your time and how will you know when you are accomplishing it? Are you managing your time so that you are fulfilling your purpose?

Here’s a revelation for evaluating your time management. Time management is not about getting more done. Wow! How’s that for a shocker? That contradicts so much of the internet’s time management advice. So, what does it mean to manage time well?

Using time well isn’t just about being productive, it’s about being fruitful. The Industrial Revolution changed the way people think about productivity. Instead of the fruitfulness associated with an abundant harvest, as our agricultural-based society of the past viewed it, it became about doing and making more.

Fruitfulness depends on factors outside human control. It depends on factors that only God controls. Productivity is all about self-reliance and man-made options. Productivity treats people like machines that exist to make more. Fruitfulness is about fulfilling a God-designed pattern to the fullest— seed, soil, sun, rain, growth, harvest. There are few things that humans can do to control those. We can only add to what depends on the God who controls nature. Fruitfulness has to do with growth and purpose.

Know Your Purpose. Plan Your Time.

January 27, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.’ Ephesians 5:17 NLT

How often are you distracted by something that is calling your attention away from what you really want to be doing? Perhaps you are in the middle of deep work on a passion project. All the gears are clicking. The ideas are flowing. The strategy to accomplish this long-held dream is pouring out onto the page or your hands are busy creating what you see in your imagination. Then the phone rings. You hesitate for a moment and then you answer it.

The telemarketer on the other end of the phone doesn’t care that he just interrupted a moment of Spirit-inspired genius. He doesn’t care that you were in the middle of coming into the light after years in a tunnel of doubt. He is just trying to do his job, which is to convince you to buy what he is selling. An item you don’t need or want — like a new satellite TV system or gutter guards on the house that you added those to three years ago. All he cares about is selling to you and he doesn’t take no for an answer.

Finally, you realize that the only way to end this conversation will be to hang up on him. You hate the idea of that rude action, but there doesn’t appear to be another way. Your stomach is in knots. You politely tell him that you need to go and then you hang up the phone.

When you turn back to your project the gears that were clicking are still and silent. Your mind is a blank and your stomach is still in knots. All forward motion has ended. You decide that it's time to check the laundry, or some other everyday task, and walk away from your desk feeling defeated and frustrated.

Answering that call interrupted what you really wanted to be doing, what you feel called to do, and you wonder why you even answered it!

My friend, there are legitimate interruptions that have the same effect on your progress. Those are the ones you have to accept, resolve, and then do your best to get back on track after. Those interruptions are immediate and important. Like a backed-up drain that needs a plumber’s attention. I found myself in that position this week after an “aha” about what was preventing me from moving forward on a passion project. Even though I was motivated to move forward I had to stop. There was nothing else I could do about that. I didn’t have a choice about that interruption. However, you and I have control over plenty of the things we allow to interrupt us, like phone calls and text messages to name the most frequent offenders.

When you and I interrupt the important for the immediate we often squander one of our most valuable resources: TIME. What if there is a better way? Would you take it?

Know Your Purpose. Make Purposeful Decisions.

January 20, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV

Time. It happens whether you plan for it or not! Do you have a plan for how you spend your time? Part of the value of knowing your purpose is that having a definite sense of what you were created for gives you the clarity you need to make purposeful decisions about how you spend your time. When you know why God put you on Planet Earth, you know what to say YES to and what to say no to. Know yourself. Learn your purpose. Know your purpose. Make purposeful decisions.

When I keep my purpose in mind, I feel empowered to set goals and arrange my schedule to move toward those prayerfully created goals. Having a clear sense of purpose and calling has enabled me to create time management systems for myself that keep me motivated and moving forward. Sometimes it seems like the forward motion is by mere inches, but all forward motion is to be celebrated, right? If the ball crosses the goal line by inches, it still counts as a touchdown!

What is so important about knowing your purpose? Knowing your purpose helps you know how to spend your time and how you spend your time helps you to fulfill your purpose.

Knowing your purpose becomes your time compass. When you have articulated your reason for being in a clear purpose statement you have a guide to direct your time. Your tasks will change throughout the seasons of your life, but your purpose won’t. Knowing what you were made for helps narrow your options and make better choices. You’ll know which direction is north because your compass is pointing toward your purpose.

I’ll be honest. There are times when I have felt like I started out heading north and then lost my way. Keyword: FELT. Even at the times when it seemed to me that I was wandering when I looked back, I realized that I had made progress. Every forward inch matters. Encourage yourself with that.

Know Yourself. Learn Your Purpose.

January 13, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

” Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.’ Ephesians 5:17 NLT

Do you know your purpose? You might have a sense of it, but could you describe it to someone else? Could you tell them (or yourself) in one sentence what God put you on earth for? When you discover your purpose and can clearly articulate it you will have a guide for how to spend your time. My personal purpose statement has helped me to hone in and schedule tasks. Sure, I get distracted at times and my focus gets a bit fuzzy. This has been one of those weeks. But, overall, having a clear sense of purpose has been a guide to help me keep making meaningful progress. If that’s something you struggle with, let’s talk!

So. Let’s start with finding your purpose. We can explore more about time in the future.

Discovering your purpose starts with knowing yourself. How well do you know yourself? I mean really. Do you truly understand your own personality, strengths, and weaknesses? How well can you articulate what you really want from life? From yourself? From others?

What if you made your goal for this year knowing yourself better? How might that give you clarity on the purpose you were created for?

Focus 2024 With Just One Word

January 6, 2024 Cathleen Zahradnik

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3: 12-14

When you look back at 2023 what do you see? For me and my family, it has been a year of BIG changes! Transitions aplenty! Everyone in my immediate family moved into a new home. Tom and I moved to a new part of our state and have entered into a new season of work. Not only did we experience the natural chaos that comes with a move, but we also spent five months in limbo as we waited for our new house to be renovated and ready to move into. It has been a season of settling on the inside even when everything was unsettled on the outside. We have grown tremendously. As 2023 closes, we are in the beginning stages of settling into our new life. But what does God have in store for 2024?

If you have followed me for a while, then you know that I like to end each year with reflection and start the new year with a one-word theme. Keep reading if you don’t know what I mean!

There are plenty of resources to help you reflect, and I like to make use of them, but here are some questions from me to get you started.

Discover Your More in 2024!

December 30, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 NLT

Dear Friend,

I have a challenge for you as we close out this year.

How much time do you take for reflection? It isn’t part of our culture at all, is it? Go, go, go! Do more and do it faster! Make more money! Have more impact! Be more efficient! What if the more you are looking for is really about becoming who you want to be, who you were designed to be?

Here is my challenge: In these last few days of the year take time to stop, ponder, and determine what you want for next year.

To help you meet that challenge, I’m giving you some questions to jumpstart your reflection. Let them stir grief if needed, inspire celebration, and ignite desire for the new year. If you journal, have your pen nearby to jot down some thoughts.

A Christmas Blessing

December 23, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Dear Friends,

A Christmas blessing for you! Enjoy this holiday season and keep Jesus at the center.

With love,

Cathleen

How to Find the Peace You Long For

December 16, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

” For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

Did your family celebrate Advent? Advent is a season of reflection in preparation for Christmas. Perhaps you didn’t grow up in a home that paid attention to spiritual preparation for December 25. Perhaps it was all about the food and the presents and the parties in your home. Sunday church was important to my family, but there wasn’t much reflection going on at home. Tom’s family had an Advent wreath in their home, and we carried that tradition into our family. Now that our kids are on their own, Tom and I still light the candles in our Advent wreath each Sunday of the season and spend time reflecting on the themes of Advent: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love contained in the first coming of Jesus to earth and pointing toward His expected return.

Advent is full of expectation. Waiting, longing, hoping for light in the darkness of winter. Looking back to Israel’s longing for the Messiah to come. Looking ahead to creation’s longing for its King to appear and set all things right.

My thoughts this week are on the theme of peace — Shalom – the restoration of all things. Every relationship. Every broken body. Every fractured peace in the world. All things. ALL THINGS set right. Life as it was meant to be from the very beginning. Life as God designed it to be.

Longing for restoration. Longing for peace. It doesn’t just exist during Advent, does it? That is where humans live. We live in a space of longing for life to be the way it was meant to be.

Where do you need peace in your life? What needs to be restored? Faith that God really does love you? Hope that relationships will be mended? Trust that everything you need will be provided? Vision of a future that you thought was lost?

Longing for something can be a dark and lonely thing, unless you are longing with the expectation that it will happen. That is the definition of hope. Longing with expectation.

Prepare for the New Year: What Got You Through That Will Carry You Forward?

December 9, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 NIV

Do you like to skip to the end of a book or a movie? Are you one of those people who just wants to see how it all turns out? Does knowing the end help you to enjoy the unfolding of the story better? You can see how everything fits together as it is happening. But it does take the element of wonder and surprise out of the picture, doesn’t it? When you don’t know the end, you find yourself trying to figure out how things fit. You think back to earlier parts of the story and try to envision where the creator is taking you. Life is more like that, right? As much as we want to skip to the end and see how it all turns out, we can’t. Each step along the journey of life is connected, but if we aren’t thinking back as well as looking forward, we don’t make the connection. Let’s apply that to right now, shall we?

The best way to prepare for the new year is to look back at the current year. We are a culture that skips over reflection to get to what is next. I know I do! Tom and I have been in a major transition for quite some time, and I have been so aware of how much I want to just skip to the end. But I have also been aware that I haven’t wanted to miss anything along the way. I know that every step is important. Every transition has endings and beginnings, but in between is the messy middle. That’s the place where you want to skip to the end! Now that our transition has more beginnings, I have been looking back and seeing the important steps along the way. The ones I wanted to skip.

How to Set a Goal That Really Matters

December 2, 2023 Cathleen Zahradnik

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3: 23-4

I don’t know about you, but I like to set goals early in the year. Setting goals gives me a direction for my time and energy. Over time I have learned how to set goals that motivate me and help me to move forward. I find that I meet the goals more often than I miss them. That is really encouraging!

An important part of goal setting and keeping is evaluation. Throughout the year I keep my goals in mind. I look at them frequently and I step back to see how I am doing in forward motion toward meeting that goal. But, later in the year, like November, is a good time for some serious evaluation. I look at the goals I set for the year and gauge what progress I’ve made, but I also begin to consider what my goals might be for the next year.

I have learned that setting a goal is an act of faith. I know that I can’t meet any goal without God’s help. So, I prayerfully set the goals with God. Setting goals for next year actually starts now for me. What about you? Do you set goals and stay on track with them? What if I could give you a way to set goals that will help you to make progress in what matters most? It might be a different approach and I hope it helps you end next year knowing that you have moved forward toward fulfilling the potential God put in you!

Several years ago, I began employing a different kind of goal that has guided my other goals. I pray about and choose a word as an overarching theme for the year. I have heard it said that the word really “chooses you” and I have found that to be true!

In the fall, I start listening for what my word might be for the next year. Many times, that word has been a surprise to me. I might be sitting in church or a conference and when the speaker uses a certain word it seems to be on loudspeaker! Or I might be reading – not necessarily the Bible, it could be anything – when a word seems to stand out as if it is. not only bold, but highlighted in fluorescent yellow or pink or green! I give it time and look for ways that word is confirmed before I take my next step.

Once I settle on the word, I begin to pray about an anchor scripture to go along with that word. One year my word was “Perseverance” and the companion scripture was Hebrews 10:36.

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” (NIV)

Another year my word was “Loved” and my scripture was Ephesians 3:19 (NLT)

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

The systems I’ve created to keep my word and verse in mind have helped me to memorize the verse but also reminded me to do what it said – to persevere in pursuing my goals or to trust that because I am loved by God I am full of life and power that comes from Him. You get the idea?

Finally, I set some goals for the year. I don’t usually finalize those goals until January, but I begin to think about them as I evaluate the past year. As I craft goal statements, I try to keep my word in mind and align the goal with that word. The theme word doesn’t define the goal itself. It defines how I want to approach the goal. Such as with “perseverance” or to “influence” or from a position of knowing that I am “loved.”

As the year comes to a close, I find myself encouraged at how God has helped me to do so much more than I could do on my own. This year my word was “launch” and I have found myself launched into so many new things. Even though I may not have accomplished all the tasks on my goal list, I have lived out my word. The word is more about what God has done in me than accomplishing tasks. That’s my hope for you. That you would live in a way that allows God to do His work so that you can fulfill all that He has for you.

So, what do you think? Does this process intrigue you? If so, reach out to me. I’d love to talk with you about it. No matter how you approach your goals, my hope is that you will commit yourself to being all that God has called you to be. That is a goal worth reaching for!

Key Question: What are you doing right now to prepare for progress in the next year?

A Scripture to Consider: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3: 23-4

A YES Challenge: Start praying about a word for 2024. Keep your eyes and ears open so that you can be attentive to what God might be speaking to you.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for the progress I have made this past year. At times, it seemed like I wasn’t moving forward at all, but You have been faithful. You have helped me keep my focus and accomplish more than I could without You. As I look back on this year and look forward to next year, help me to discern what You are saying so that I can set appropriate goals. My greatest desire is to honor You. Help me to keep pressing toward my full potential for Your glory. Amen.