Creating and Maintaining Margin

If you are like me and most people you are every once in a while tempted by hearing about a hot stock opportunity or other immediate reward environments.

I think the Proverb above is warning us against such hastiness and reminding us that it leads to poverty, not wealth and that the avenue towards truly great decision-making isn’t short term but long term and that requires a margin between instinct and behavior.

Margin in life rarely manifests itself without intentional effort. This Proverb suggests that it takes diligent planning to ensure a successful outcome. This leads us to a natural question of how to execute at this level of planning to yield an abundance. After examining some of the most effective ways to create and maintain margin here are some practical steps that can be incorporated immediately to see significant results.

The first would be to set boundaries that align with God’s will for your life. Setting boundaries may sound restricting however they actually produce the exact opposite reality. Boundaries provide security and a set of guidelines that are predetermined to aid in proper decision-making in the moment. Boundaries take the pressure away from feeling like we must please everyone and when a boundary is known it becomes easier to follow. Even when we step out of line, when a boundary is in place it helps us see where the corrective action lies that needs to be taken.

The second item to consider would be to conduct a calendar audit to see where priorities and tasks align. If we choose to take a priority-driven approach to managing our time then we should be able to see how those are aligning with the activities planned. It can be easy to slip into task management mode and find ourselves checking boxes from day to day and never truly doing what God is calling us to do.

When the attention shifts to a priority-driven approach, the tasks that make their way to our schedules should clearly align with what we value most. For instance, if growing as a disciple of Christ is a major priority how does that manifest in the plans you have for today? An easy trap is to say one thing and do another, the self-audit, when done with a focus on truth, can reveal immediate areas of impact and help find the margin and stay aligned with God along the way.

The final item to consider would be learning how to utilize the power of no. Dr. Woodrow Kroll is credited with saying “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy”. While that may get a lot of amen’s on Sunday morning how often will it drive us to truly take action? No, in itself, is a complete statement that we should learn to use wisely. In an effort to please those around us we regularly find ourselves committing to items that we should let pass us by. Fear of missing out (FOMO) and you only live once (YOLO) make great hashtags and terrible guides for decision making.

Learning how to say no to the things that are not in alignment with God’s will is a sign of growth as a disciple and in itself creates a margin to say yes to the items that matter. Remember this and exercising the muscle of no is a great way to purposely and intentionally construct margin and when we are striving to obey God incredible things begin happening.

At the end of the day, margin is necessary if we desire to grow as disciples of Christ. While the demands of this world are pushing harder and harder each day, remaining grounded in God’s Truth is a great way to create the margin needed to be the leaders He intends us to be.

Questions to Consider

1. Why are boundaries crucial for aligning our actions with God's will?
2. Why is learning to say 'no' an essential skill for creating and maintaining margin in our lives?

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Thank You

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