Margin

5-10-2010
Margin

Margin can be defined any number of ways, but the simplest definition I’ve found says, “Margin is the blank space.” How much margin do we allow in our lives? For me, I need to allow a lot more margin as my days are packed full. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep I am slammed with something to do. While it’s important to maximize the time God gives us, it’s also important to allow time for the most important aspects of our lives. It’s easy to get in the habit of busyness that we miss some of the greatest moments in our lives.

Philippians 4:6-8 says the following:
“6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

As I think about these directions, I can’t help but realize the importance of margin. Regardless of what we do in life, we need to make time to simply think and meditate. Moreover, we need time to live in the moment. As I reflect on my life, there are many times I wish I could take back and simply enjoy doing whatever it was I was involved with at the time. I’ve spent so much of my adult life going from one thing to the next; I failed to really live in the moment. When we live in the moment we invite the glorious into the monotonous. Multi-tasking can be a great thing, but an overloaded schedule leads to a stressful and hectic lifestyle filled with mediocrity. We will never live a life of excellence if we don’t allow margin in our lives. Margin gives us the time to tell those close to us how much we love them. Margin frees us up to love and serve those in need. Margin might be the one thing keeping you from living the fulfilling life God plans for you live!

Application:
1.Do you have margin?
2.Study Philippians 4