Your Best Life

The tennis world was stunned last week when two unseeded young women stormed through the draw and dispatched an array of top players only to face each other in the US Open finals—Leylah Fernandez of Canada (age 19) and Emma Raducanu of Great Britain (age 18).  Prior to the tournament, Fernandez was ranked 73 in the world, and before Wimbledon a couple months earlier Raducanu was ranked 345 (and she only made it into the US Open as a “qualifier”—meaning she had to defeat three other contenders the week before the Open to gain admission to the 128-player draw).

A tight and tense contest ended when Raducanu fired an ace at match point and then fell to the court in jubilant disbelief.  After three weeks and ten victories without losing a set, Raducanu rockets up the world rankings to number 23.  As sports stories go, this one had all the drama and wonder you could ask for.

I was fascinated when I saw a US Open post on Facebook with a picture of the exuberant champion with the caption, “Yes Emma Raducanu is living her BEST life.”

Now, in a sense, of course, this is true:  what talented young athlete doesn’t dream of winning the big one, being the best?  She’d achieved what every tennis player strives for (and got paid $2.5M in the process).  Success!

But it’s always wise to read the value judgments of our culture with a wary eye.  Yes, she won, it was amazing, good for her (and all the best to Raducanu & Fernandez—also, I doubt that was the last time they’ll square off in the finals of a major tournament).  But what is meant by saying this is her “best” life?

When we step back and view ourselves in the grand scheme of things, when we consider who made us and why we exist (see Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14), when we ponder what it means to live the good life—the best life of all (John 10:10)—sports victories and sudden fame and big trophies lose their luster.  Jesus asked, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).  Answer:  nothing.

Now, not to oppose excelling in sports—or in finance or the arts or academics or medicine or you name it:  why not do your best?  But in the quest to succeed, don’t let fleeting rewards hold your heart; don’t confuse momentary thrills during this brief “three score and ten” years (Psalm 90:10) with the deep, enduring, ultimate satisfaction of everlasting joy in the presence of Christ!

It’s about priorities:  first things first.  Trusting Christ for the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life is what you were made for, and belonging to the Lord is worth more than anything.  Don’t settle for mere worldwide fame and lavish wealth and record-breaking success:  think big! Jesus Christ is the treasure we seek, the “pearl of great price” (Matthew 13:44-46), and having Jesus is more valuable than anything else (see Philippians 3:8).  So fix your eyes, and your heart, and your hope, on Jesus.  And rest assured that the best is yet to come!