What happens when you take a deadline, mix it with a few emails, add a dash of day-timer, stir in some unanticipated delay, and garnish with family commitments? Quite possibly a recipe for overload.
But that is life. There is always stuff. Coming at us from different places. How do we cope?
Margins. We need to build margins into our lives. If will fill our pages to the edge with the obligations, responsibilities and interests, we have no capacity for the unexpected and the unplanned.
Jesus maintained margins in his life by seeking solitude, by praying to his Father (see Lk 5:16). He did this before he became overloaded.
Margins represent the reserve capacity we build into our lives…before the unexpected, the crisis and the delay. Doesn’t work if we try to do it afterwards.
Hi David, and Hi all.
I’m trying this blog thing for the first time. I hope it works. I’m very interested in the comment that says we need to “build margins into our lives.” I must admit that building margins into my life has not been a past practice. I’ve always felt that I could remember everything and get it done because, hey, I’ve got the time. But by experience I’ve found out that my time gets filled with life and “stuff” and now I’m on the verge of chaos. The problem is that I’m only tuned to react when it’s crunch time, rather than act earlier when the pasture is greener and the stream is calm. I have appreciated the need to pray beforehand, and retreat when needed. My confession is that I don’t always have the discipline to pray beforehand and retreat when necessary. But hey, I’m learning, so now along with Sunday school, Bible study, good prayer habits, practicing spiritual disciplines, raising a family, being a husband and father and being a good neighbor etc., I’m going to build some margins into my life.