Life is busy. We all have things to do, people to meet, places to see, and lessons to learn. Some days feel like complete whirlwinds that fly by, while others seem to last ages. Regardless, the pace you set for your day matters. How you spend your time matters.
If you’re anything like me, finding enough time in your day can often feel daunting. But if we’re not careful with how we use our time, we can slowly lose sight of the truly important things in our lives! We can stop relying on God to show up and move in our midst—and I, for one, do not want to miss out on what God has planned for my life.
I once heard a friend refer to this sacred concept of finding time as margin. It quickly became one of my favorite vocabulary words! Margin. For most, the first thought when you hear the word margin is the concept of profitability. The difference in the selling price of a product and the cost of production.
While that definition is great for solving tangible business problems, I am referring to margin as the invaluable presence of time—the breathing room you have in your day to allow for God to move.
Without margin, our days are packed to the brim, our minds are distracted by endless scrolling, and our souls are not being filled with truth.
With margin, we have space to listen to God, to take a walk outside, to read our Bibles, to call a friend just because. In this space of margin, I think we find a lot of fruit. For us and for others!
Rather than always being “too busy” to help a coworker, call a loved one, or read that book--margin allows you to be able to do more of what God has called you to.
Sure, some days are going to have more margin than others! It’s not a rigid system and you shouldn’t just use margin as an excuse to be lazy.
If you are caught in the rush of life moving a little too fast, with a little too much on your plate, take a moment and find ways to add some margin to your schedule.
Possible areas to create margin:
- Less social media (Say goodbye to "doom-scrolling"!)
- Less online shopping (Odds are you probably don't need to shop online as often as you might think)
- Limit your notifications (The constant distraction of beeps, rings, and pop-ups take more time from you than you may notice)
- Stop overthinking (It's human nature to dissect all of our decisions and conversations, but rather than being consumed in your thoughts, spend time in prayer and give it God)
- Reduce your time commitments (It’s okay to say "no" to social outings or to let your friend lead the small group this week!)
- Keep a consistent sleep routine (How you start and end your day matters. Establish a proper rest routine to maximize your days.)
As you find more margin in your day, keep track of how you spend it so you don’t fall back into the trap of simply wasting time. Hold yourself accountable and truly ask the Lord what He has for you in that extra space. Time spent with God is always time well spent.
My hope is that after reading this short blog (from one busy bee to another), that you will be able to slow down and truly listen for what God has for your life. His plans are always far greater than those of our own.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."