Riddle: What is Often (Always?) Wasteful but Never Wasted?

Assuming you've looked at the title of this post, let me give you a few clues that might help you figure out the answer, which is expressed in various "wasteful" ways like…

… letting one of your children get a new pancake and add different toppings before the first - and maybe second - pancake with its toppings has been totally finished (note: this was the inspiration for today's thoughts and riddle)

… buying gifts for your spouse "out of the blue" or beyond your gift budget just because you know what your spouse really wants and you know it will bring a smile to her face (confession: I was terrible at this, which I shouldn't have been, because Christy was amazing at it and deserved a spouse who did this just as well)

… spending some time on Facebook just taking the time to find out how friends are doing and to let them know you care, despite the distance between you, by "liking" or commenting on their pictures, posts, and experiences

… staying up late just to catch up with friends for a bit longer (to the several friends who have recently had groggy mornings following an evening with me, thank you)

… calling or taking calls from people just to see how they're doing

… not only donating to a local ministry that helps homeless neighbors efficiently and effectively, but giving a beggar the dollar he's asking for now and then even knowing that he may use your gift poorly

… putting some of your resources toward going on a short-term missions trip rather than putting it all toward a large missions organization that could likely use the money more efficiently and effectively by supporting long-term missionaries' efforts on the mission field

Here's the riddle one more time: What is often (always?) wasteful and never wasted? 

Answer: Love

Love is not primarily about efficiency, effectiveness, or any other productivity metrics. Love is about people, about valuing them, and about helping them. So love includes aiming for effectiveness and productivity, because love wants to do the best it can for people in general. But often, helping the individuals God puts into our lives means slowing down and becoming a little less "productive" and more "wasteful" in terms of time, effort, and resources. Love like this is never wasted, because its expression communicates to those who receive it that they are valuable, worthwhile, and cherished - that they mean something and have intrinsic dignity and value. And even when people who receive love abuse it (like perhaps a beggar who uses a gift to feed his addiction), it is not wasted because the person who gave the love won the fight to keep his own heart more focused on communicating value and hope to others than on avoiding the risk of abuse.

My list of examples of wasteful, unwasted love doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of good examples, though. So if you have experienced or witnessed more love like this, please feel free to comment and encourage all of us to worry less about productivity/efficiency and to keep our hearts devoted to loving others as Jesus loved us.