Wasted

We all have ways of wasting time by doing things that distract us from our purpose and derail us in pursuit of our goals. Some are deliberate while others are only recognized after the time is gone. It can be confusing sometimes as we may mistakenly mis-evaluate things as interruptions and distractions when they are actually pushing us in the right direction. These are things we do where we might feel we are being wasteful when they are actually beneficial to us. 

It's never a waste of our time when we:

• Have seemingly directionless conversations with our children. This is time that can not be recovered once it is gone and we should value even the silly moments while we have them. 
• Have quiet moments with our spouses. There doesn't always have to be a conversation for time together to be renewing. 
• Invest in someone else. We should have someone that we are pouring energy into through prayer, conversation, and accountability. Immediate results may not be seen, but we need to be faithful to the intention of developing others. 
• Rest. When this is used as justification for laziness we have missed the real meaning of taking a (brief) break. Rest is essential if we are going to operate at full strength and use our gifts & talents wisely. 
• Practice silence. I have learned the hard way that you don't always have to speak to be heard. You can gain more insight and often offer more wisdom by observing & choosing the best time to interject. 
• Praying. This seems fairly obvious, but when we pray without seeing the results we are asking for it can be frustrating. Know that even if you don't receive the response you think you should, the discipline of prayer is building you up spiritually. 

Tomorrow's blog will examine the ways that we actually waste our time and how we can limit those negative practices.