“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” — Matthew 6:19-21
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It was my senior year of high school, and the dream of qualifying for the state tennis tournament was right in front of me.
I entered the divisional tournament as the No. 6 seed, and opposing coaches were calling me the “dark horse” contender. But because it was the postseason, the stakes were absolute: A first-round loss meant my high school tennis career was over.
In the third and deciding set of that opening round, I had clawed my way to a commanding 4-1 lead. State was just two matches away. I could practically taste the victory.
But in tennis, as in life, momentum is incredibly fragile.
A missed shot, a double fault, a wave of tension — and just like that, the lead evaporated. I lost the match, and my career was over in an instant. The heartbreak was devastating, but what made it worse was sitting in the bleachers afterward, watching the tournament move on without me while the opponent who beat me was eliminated in the very next round. It felt like it was all for nothing.
It took me a long time to process that afternoon, but the lesson of that blown 4-1 lead has become one of the most valuable truths of my faith.
We often live life striving for earthly “wins” — financial security, physical health, career success and recognition. We get comfortable, look at our circumstances, and think, “I’ve got this. I’m up 4-1.”
But earthly security is an illusion.
In a single moment, a doctor’s phone call can shatter our health. A sudden layoff can erase a job. A tragedy can break a family. The things we think we have locked down can vanish in the blink of an eye, leaving us on the sidelines wondering how a career, a plan or a life could end so quickly.
If our identity is anchored in the temporary things of this world, we will constantly live in fear of the next momentum shift.
In Matthew 6, Jesus warns us not to anchor our hearts to things that can be ruined or stolen in a split second. When we invest our lives in loving God, serving others and sharing the Gospel, we store up Heavenly treasures that no sudden trial or loss can touch. Our identity is no longer based on the scoreboard of life; it is eternally secured in the victory Christ already won on the cross.
Don’t build your foundation on a lead that can slip away. Anchor your soul in the only One who remains the same yesterday, today and forever.
— Eric Aceves
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