SYCAMORE SOLUTION

Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. Luke 19:2-4

REFERENCE

Luke 19:1-6

This short narration about Zacchaeus in today’s account proffers a simple, yet important and practical solution on handling the daily challenges we encounter in life. Like Zacchaeus, we all have desires and things we want to accomplish in life; however, we often do not accomplish them because of certain limitations we face.

Despite the challenges he faced in accomplishing his desire to see Jesus, Zacchaeus found a way out of his predicament. How did he do this? Let’s closely examine his actions.

Zacchaeus had a goal to see Jesus but he couldn’t because he was a short man, hence he couldn’t see through the bustling crowd who were there to also see Jesus. So, he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree from where he could clearly see Jesus. That was what distinguished him from the rest of the crowd. He knew his limitations (weaknesses) but he didn’t let them stop him; rather, he focused on his strengths – his ability to think ahead and to climb trees, which ultimately was the winning strategy he needed to accomplish his goal.

In a bid to accomplish your goals in life, it is important that you identify and understand your challenges. What stops you from becoming what you want to become or get to your desired destination? What are the personal limitations and weaknesses in your life? When you have ascertained them, don’t dwell on them; don’t let the enemy deceive you into thinking that you are a disadvantaged fellow, because in God’s eyes, no man is ever left at a disadvantage. Rather, think outside the box on how to thrive on your strengths; when you focus on building your strengths, your weaknesses will be eliminated.

Furthermore, God purposely placed the sycamore tree there for Zacchaeus to leverage as an opportunity to eliminate the weakness in his life. Likewise, God has placed ‘sycamore trees’ in your life as opportunities to help you overcome your weaknesses; can you identify them? It could be your skill or expertise in a particular field, good looks, business interests, street smartness, friends/people around you, a property you inherited, a laptop, etc. It is when you take full advantage and leverage these opportunities that your turnaround will come

PHOTO QUOTE

ADDITIONAL STUDY

Judges 6:11-16, II Corinthians 12:9, Philemon 1:6

PRAYER POINTS

+ Ask God to help you reject your weaknesses as limitations and impossibilities which may keep you stranded in life.

+ Pray for wisdom to identify your ‘sycamore tree,’ grace to adequately leverage it, and strength to seize opportunities it presents to you.