There might be some research needed on my part to find out if it is acceptable for me to have one of my first thoughts of the morning being of Justin Bieber singing ‘Baby’. Not sure where that came from and I’m still having trouble erasing the image and audio.

More importantly, I also got to thinking about waste. It started out with my recollection of throwing out some old salad yesterday from our fridge. Then I thought about waste from those salad bars in grocery stores. Which expanded to the waste that goes on in groceries stores in general. A lot of waste comes from making sure that you and I have only the finest, freshest produce and groceries. Really, where does all that unbought egg nog go? Those peeps from Easter?

From grocery store waste then I thought about the waste from manufacturing processes. Not just the physical waste that is a byproduct of the endless manufacturing a given product, but also the less measurable waste of time, or motion. The Japanese call it “muda” but that brings up a whole ‘nother discussion for some other day.

Where I ended up was thinking about my spiritual waste. If I could assess all of yesterday, how much energy and effort and time did I use that is of no benefit to the building up of His kingdom? Can I measure that? Would I want to measure that? Would I want to know?

My answer is “no”. What I think of wasted energy and effort and time probably has some merit and validity. Yet I must not underestimate His omnipotence and omniscience. Yesterday I know I spent time in what may have been idle chatter with clients, potential clients, and friends. Maybe God desired that idle chatter to build or strengthen a bond. The time I spent waiting for my dog to decide if he wanted to go out, or if he was ready to come in? Maybe that was a reinforcement of my own patience. Time in the car? The time in front of the TV?

One of the challenges before you and I is to let go of trying to justify not only our actions but also our “wasted” time before God. I’m sure God weeps at many of the things I do that I think are useful to Him, just as much as He is disappointed when I interrupt some of His other, long range efforts that appear to me only as small, irrelevant moments of time, energy and effort. That appear to me to be waste. To be idle moments. The best I can hope for is the ability to discern when and where He wants me. And I can’t do that without daily asking for GRACE and assistance from His spirit, and seeking His Word and the fellowship of saints.

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
— Reinhold Niebuhr (American theologian, 1892-1971)

But Bieber at 5:00am? Still wondering.