Nothing is Wasted

God whispered something to me earlier this year. At first, I had a hard time letting it sink in. I like check-off lists, seeing fruition of actions, successfully moving from one thing to another with closure and answers, and for relationships to last the long haul.

One cold winter morning, I was praying on my knees with my forehead on the ground and tears welling up… yeah, that kind of praying. In God’s perfect way, He brought these words to my mind in the midst of my angst. I remember I looked up and it was like He had painted it right on my living room wall.

“Mandy, nothing is wasted.”

Do you ever feel like you’ve wasted your time? Time is so important to us as a human race. We have timelines, deadlines, we start, stop, and take breaks. I won’t claim to know what you are going through but maybe some of these resonant with you:

• Wondering if you should have turned left when you turned right.
• Not feeling appreciated at your job or in your home.
• Unmet fruition of a dream you feel was placed by God.
• Putting time into a new relationship and it ending abruptly.
• Being stuck in a thought process you moved past a long time ago.
• Investing time into something / someone that won’t change.
• Not wanting to be in the same draining situations over and over again.

Truth is, we won’t always see the result of our investment with someone, our ministry, or our commitments. We may never be acknowledged or thanked out loud. We might have to pay for a wrong choice we made in the past. We may have to let go of our pride and make the first step to reconciliation or closure. We might have to keep pushing along with our dreams close to our heart and our head up looking for the next step.

No matter where you are coming from or how this sits with you, know that God can work all things for good. Not for our happily ever after, mind you, but for His great plan and purpose for our lives.

He has a plan for you and He has a plan for me. And the cool thing is that our lives connect on purpose in so many interesting and unique ways. It can be easy to want to give up investing, live in isolation, or just not respond back anymore. It’s easier more now than ever to look invested but have checked out a long, long time ago when things don’t go the way we wanted them to.

But we really do need each other.

So when God gives you a friendship or new opportunity remember it’s a blessing. It might only last for a month, maybe 2 years, or maybe a lifetime… but the lifelong echo for God’s glory is the same. I want to always be mindful of what I learned from each opportunity I am given or person I meet, and maybe, they learned something from me as well. Humbling, right?

No investment in another person is wasted. No commitment to furthering the kingdom is wasted. No investment of leadership in the kingdom in wasted. No mistake is wasted when we learn better. No good deed unnoticed by human eyes is wasted.

He sees it all and will work it all into His plan and purpose for you. All we have to do is to keep connecting with each other with healthy boundaries, keep forgiving each other and ourselves, keep using our gifts, and continue moving forward each day in our calling on this earth.

“My friend, nothing is wasted.”

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”” Isaiah 30:21