The Plunge and the Reward

Around 8:00pm nightly, my mommy-ometer plunges.  I've discovered that I'm not only one who finds myself in this nightly predicament.  This family can have a productive day or a fun day, it doesn't seem to matter.  Any little progress or good in the day is lost in a stomping, huffing fit of carnality.  As the clock strikes 8:00pm, Mommy starts to melt down.  Clutter attacks me as I walk through the dining room.  Crumbs trail me and purposely crunch under my feet to annoy, distract and torture me.  The whining decibel increases from manageable to over the top, once the time no longer reads 7:59pm.  The mommy who formerly was trying to do her best before the Lord, now sinks without struggle into the pit of despair. 

Ya'll know what I'm talking about, right? 
In this particular instance of my plunging mommy-ometer, I was venting as I was again cleaning up more messes.  It went something like this "I clean up the same stuff all day and what do I get in return?  NOTHING, just more crumbs." 

In the midst of my tirade, I heard the quiet, but distinct, voice of the Holy Spirit whispering,

"That's not true. 

There's always the eternal reward."

I literally took several slow deep breaths and tried to rein in my out of control self, exhibiting the very selfishness that causes my children to do the thoughtless things I was ranting about.  It wasn't an instantaneous end, but the Spirit held my attention.  The promise of the eternal reward has been an encouragement to me since that evening.  Heaven is my Home and I know that laboring as a mother here on Earth is amassing rewards in Heaven. 

Oh Lord, let me never lose sight of eternity.

Dominique