Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
One of the hardest things for me to let go of has been the need to achieve. My priority has been to get things done for work and business, which has often kept me more focused on doing than on being.
The Source of Our Worth.
The need to achieve keeps us more focused on tasks than on relationships. More focused on accomplishment than growth and development. Achievement is good and being productive is helpful for life, but too much of an emphasis in this area means we can easily slip into thinking that our value is found in how much we get done. We think we are what we do.
For a long time, I equated my accomplishments with my worth. The more I got done, or the closer I got to accomplishing big goals, the more I felt people would be proud of me or value me. If I stopped moving forward, I felt I would disappoint everyone, including God. Having grown up in a home where we were always working (building houses) or active in ministry, I felt the need to keep up and the need to achieve in order to be loved, accepted, and valued.
When I finally started realizing I could rest and sink into God’s goodness without accomplishing anything whatsoever, that is when I really started feeling loved and accepted apart from what I do. When I realized I didn’t have to CRUSH IT in my career or accomplish every bit of the life I thought God had planned out for me, I started resting in His presence and letting His love direct my steps and choices. Not out of a need to achieve, but out of the understanding that I am ALREADY LOVED and already filled with HIM.
Holes in the heart.
We all have holes in our hearts that we too often try to fill with everything but our relationship with God. We think we can work to satisfy our need to be wanted, loved, needed, or desired. Rather than achieving from a place of fullness, I often strive to achieve in order to create a sense of fullness in my life.
- What is behind your need to achieve? Approval of others? Approval of yourself? Approval from God? Something else?
- Are you rooted enough in your understanding of who you are and who God is that you could let go of your need to do big things to feel valued?
- Are you content with your life and what you have if you don’t achieve your lofty goals?
- Are you committing your plans to the Lord and trusting in Him for the results rather than trusting in your own strength?
- Are you trying to fill holes in your life or heart?
Only God can fully heal us and fill us with His love. He fills the places in our hearts that we often try to fill with outward accomplishments and achievement. He fills us with acceptance, approval, peace, and the understanding that we are always fully loved and wanted by Him. From a place of fullness in Him, we are able to achieve without the need to be approved or loved because of what we do.
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18
When we truly feel loved by God, we will not be afraid of not measuring up. We will not fear not being good enough. We will not fear being punished because we didn’t accomplish everything we thought we were supposed to do. We are loved by the Lord even if we do nothing. We can rest in His love in full assurance that we are held by Him, no matter what. His love frees us to run and move forward in life.
Challenge/Takeaway Action: Spend time this week basking in God’s love for you. Rest in His presence. Meditate on His promises to you in Scripture. Ask Him to show you some of the areas where you’ve been trying to fill your life with accomplishments rather than trusting in Him and receiving His love. Ask Him to draw near to you and fill you in those areas where you are hurting or confused or feel pressured. Ask Him to help you receive His love and to live out of it in everything you do.
