One challenge facing most of us is creating margin in our lives. Think of margin like this: every piece of notebook paper we used in school had margins on the sides which were blank space not to be filled. They kept us from running off the edge and made our pages more balanced and easier to read. Margin in the life of a Christian is similar. As one person put it, margin is “the space between our load and our limit.” Without margin, we can run ourselves ragged and have absolutely no room for life’s interruptions – which can often be where God is waiting for us!

For all of us, creating this margin requires great discipline. We have to say “No” to many things so we can give ourselves space to say “Yes” to the things that really matter. Consider the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10. Martha was “worried and upset by many things” trying to get her home perfect for Jesus, while Mary “chose the one thing” and understood the invitation in front of her – to spend time with Jesus, despite the many things which could pull her away.

How much margin do you currently have in your life? Admittedly, different seasons of life require more of us and there are some seasons where not much margin can be found. But even those with more time to burn don’t always spend it in the most productive ways. Let this be a challenge to order your time well, no matter how much you may think you have. Are there commitments or habits that need to go away so that you might focus on what is most important? If you could change one thing about your weekly routine, what would it be? And what concrete steps can you make to change it?