Spending time with eternity in mind

I just finished my to do list for tomorrow. I knew it was going to be long and so I asked my husband if we could put off a family responsibility until Friday when the day will be less hectic than tomorrow (Thursday). He said that was fine. Even then the list was still far too long. Then I started thinking and so I couldn't go to sleep.

What is most important on that to do list? I started thinking about how much time I have wasted in my life that will not count for anything in eternity. How many times have I allowed busyness to shut out time doing the things that matter most? Countless times. Then I realized that there are things I need to put on my to do list because they are priorities and prioritize them higher than things that would normally be on a to do list. I went back and added time to play with my children. I added time to make sure I spend with my husband.

See this is a unique season in my life that I will never get back. My children are young only one time and the years go by so quickly. There will come a time when the time I spend building relationships with them now will determine who they go to for advice and what choices they make in their future. My years of influence in their lives is only for a short time. I want to make that time count. So if something goes undone or the laundry piles up a little that is okay. It will always be there.

Then I started to think about our time here on this earth compared with our time in eternity. Scripture says to store up treasures in heaven. That means what we do with our time here on earth matters for eternity. Our time on earth is small compared to our time in eternity. So I want to make sure I am spending my time on what is the most important-- storing up treasures in heaven. So I want to invest in the right things. It might mean not having things that others find important. It might mean not having riches here on earth. It might mean not accumulating stuff. It might mean I don't spend my time keeping up with popular culture. That is all fine with me. In the end all that matters is that I hear "Well done good and faithful servant" when I enter eternity. So tomorrow I think I will tend to the most important parts of my to do list first by investing in my relationship with the Lord and the relationships with those in my life.