“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46).
On this day in history, 90 years ago, Babe Ruth launched his 700th career home run completely out of the stadium in Detroit. A 17-year-old boy named Lenny Beals retrieved the ball from under a car in the stadium parking lot. An usher escorted Lenny into the stadium, where he met the Babe after the game. Ruth offered the boy $20 for the ball. The lad agreed. That ball would now be worth about $1 million.
At least Lenny kept the $20 bill. His family still has that $20 bill, 90 years later.
But I’m pretty sure Lenny’s family would prefer that he had kept the ball. Lenny did what most of us do. The $20 looked good in the moment. After all, in today’s dollar, that would have been about $400. That was a lot of money. So Lenny went for the immediate pleasure of $20, rather than the long-term benefit of owning such a rare treasure.
That’s why so many people are mired in their addiction. They trade what they want most for what they want now.
Recovery Step: Trade up, from immediate pleasure to lasting peace.
