High Achiever Problems

High Achiever Problems Written by Sarah J Callen I tend to be a pretty high achiever. I love tackling challenging problems and crossing items off of my seemingly endless to-do list. I can also fall into the trap of believing that I am what I do, which suggests that if I’m not doing anything, then I am nothing. If I could label this last season, I would call it “emptying.” God even led me to stop doing things for him, like writing my blog. This clearing of my schedule left me feeling a little purposeless and unsure of myself. But the truth is, even when I’m not doing things for God, he still loves and accepts me. What a radical concept! We see this play out in Luke 19:1-10, where we meet a well-known Bible character named Zacchaeus. He’s a wee little man who climbed up in a tree, making his own box seats to see Jesus. Though at this point, Zacchaeus has done nothing for God (in fact, he has swindled money from God’s people), Jesus still invites himself over for a meal. Zacchaeus had done nothing to deserve God’s love. He didn’t try to earn it, he simply received. Out of this intimate encounter with the love of God, Zacchaeus was led to do something for God—it wasn’t the other way around. We don’t have to work or strive to achieve a relationship with God. We simply receive his grace and forgiveness. Then, from that place of deep love and relationship, we can do things with and for God.