Eternal Significance

It will probably be on my tombstone. The question I ask over and over again to family and friends and most importantly to myself. I'm pretty sure that people get tired of hearing me say it.

"Does it have eternal significance?"

So many times I find myself getting all up in a tizzy over something going on in life. It could be something small like traffic that slows me down. Maybe it's something that seems even a bit more important such as a large bill arriving in the mail or an unexpected job change or loss.

We know that Jesus cares about every tiny detail in our lives. Nothing is too minor for Him. In fact, he wants us to talk to Him about all of these things. He is our best friend after all...isn't that what best friends do?

Here is one of my favorite reminders from Scripture:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

Did you notice it says "in every situation"? It doesn't say "when you get desperate" or "when the situation is important enough". No! It says "EVERY". That means that Jesus wants to hear about it all. The laundry. The dog. The burnt dinner. The exciting surprise. The test results. The birthday party. Everything.

Isn't it so wonderful to know that we don't have to figure out which life events or situations are big enough or important enough to talk to God about? They all are!

I do want to share everything with Jesus, but God has also given me a little litmus test to keep my own emotions in check moment by moment too. It's that original question up there. Does it have eternal significance?

When I feel my blood pressure rising or hear a report of bad news, I try to remember to ask myself, "Does it have eternal significance"? Often, the answer is no. I've only lived 39 years (I am clearly very young), but I've learned that most things that we get upset about are not eternally important. That doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't important at all. For example, choosing a school for your children is certainly an important decision that may affect their lives here on earth. But will it matter in eternity???

It helps me to keep things in perspective. What really matters on this earth is our relationship with Jesus and how we share His love and the message of salvation with others. And that's about it.

When I arrive in heaven, it won't matter one bit how much that broken washing machine cost. What's going to matter is my personal relationship with Jesus and the way He used me through relationships with other people.

So I'll keep praying and telling Jesus all about the seemingly big things AND the small ones, and I know He will keep reminding me what is eternally significant along the way.