Mom’s words so often spring from my mouth, before I’ve had the chance to stuff them back down. (Honestly, I don’t always fight them, as they ring true and are aptly put.)
Regularly, these refrains are echoed in cycles, as I find myself repeating the same phrase of hers to my children (and quietly in my own head) for weeks at a time before another phrase of hers takes over as the new chorus.
The current weeks-long mantra has been, “In all of eternity, what will it matter?”
We should be concerned, ultimately, with our spiritual purpose. After all, we are immortal soul. We can be such anxious creatures, at odds with ourselves for so many reasons, and why?
The persistent internal struggle: what’s the right thing to do in this situation?
The answer, often, can be found by answering Mom’s question in relation to the dilemma: In all of eternity, what will it matter? If we are looking to the eternity part, our eyes fixed on Heaven as what matters, we should be led to the right decisions. At least that’s what my mama says.
From everyday trials like laundry (and dust, and messes) which seem to reproduce at alarming rates while I’m not looking, to teenage angst and drama, or deep struggles with friendship, marriage, reproduction, parenting, finances, etc. I find myself repeating this question and trying to find the answer.
My reaction to each of these challenges will ultimately shape my journey to Heaven.
“God would never inspire me with desires which cannot be realized; so in spite of my littleness, I can hope to be a saint.” St Therese of Lisieux
