Bible Students

Some Thoughts on “Margin” by Richard Swenson (chapters 6-10)

This week, Margin continued to discuss what a practical margin in one’s life should look like and what it should not look like. The margin of today should leave room for the individual to have friends, time for family, and general time for recreation. Individuals should not be so busy that they are not able to pencil anyone into the schedule. I find myself too busy to pencil anyone into the schedule very often, so this chapter has been beneficial to me. Thankfully, I am able to reflect on this chapter, especially in the second half, and benefit greatly from it. 

Margin overload is not often recognized. Margin overload comes when one’s endurance is too short for the load which is placed on it. Endurance is made up of experience, skills, tools, and rest. Load is measured by work and a lack of rest. The awareness of stress is a good measurement for the awareness of margin. There was a margin for the rest of previous history, up until the time of today. The past holds such charm for workers today because, at least, the people had more margin in the past. Missionaries can often become burnt out because of their own outlooks, not the outlooks of the countries they are in. 

Margin seems like a luxury, not something people actually have. Margin is in control of emotional, spiritual, and physical health. When one’s emotional energy is gone, they will go into survival mode and their energy will be drained to empty. One can forget what it means to smile. The margin reservoir will fill, but only if it is consciously filled. Emotional energy must be rationed when the margin is thin, and many people do not attempt to do this until it is too late. 

Individuals do themselves the most good when working for others. Regular volunteer work results in a longer life. The gift of volunteering is spreading the love of God. People should regularly set time aside on the weekend for rest. Weekends can be more busy than the weeks, but they should be times of rest. Rest restores, and laughter restores emotional and physical health. People must have meaning and something to be moving toward. Grace treats others not as they are deserving, but as the Lord has shown them. This frees both parties. The kingdom of God is at hand when it becomes harder and harder to avoid working for Him and addressing Him. Hope does not disappoint. Many people are lacking physical energy due to their lack of margin. Lifestyle choices have a serious impact on margin and stress. Overworking will kill margin and health and emotional energy. 

How to restore energy? Most adults feel best when they sleep for 7-8 hours. One should attempt to relax before going to sleep. Try to not drink caffeine and do not eat right before bed. Do not react too strongly toward sleeplessness, but calmly lie in bed in order to allow time to relax. 

Another factor in a lack of energy and margin is eating snack foods rather than real food, especially because snack food is cheap and delicious. Food by weight is always cheaper than snacks. One must consciously eat their food, not snacking, but eating good food purposefully. Physical exercise increases appetite. Good food helps with anxiety. Appropriate eexercises are helpful for good mental, brain, mood, physical health. 

The only thing Americans seem to not have is margin. They have all of the work and none of the rest. Americans are tempted to milk the present for every nanosecond. Is it possible to spend time on things which bring less suffering? Americans today spend much of their money chasing imaginary goals of material happiness, which are never satisfied. Could it be possible that the American would, ironically enough, be happier with less physical items? I would argue yes, absolutely. Over the past year or so I have made an effort to consolidate all of my personal belongings and take them to my college dorm. Through doing this I have thrown out many of the things I own. Though I still have many things I could live without, almost everything I own can fit in my small car. I can certainly say I am more thankful for what I have because I have less worthless belongings. Additionally, I have less clutter, which helps mental and emotional health as well. 

Advancement has given Americans more advancements for doing work, not for doing rest. Everyone needs private time, but no one seems to get it. Those who say they do not likely need it the most. Everyone needs family time. Everyone needs sharing time. Friends are pushed out of schedules. Everyone needs God time. Prayers are pushed out of the day to day life. Speed does not lead to devotion. This is a pandemic in America, and one I have personally felt. The appeal of the fast and productive life is that more things are done. What could be wrong with that? However, when a busy schedule pushes out friends, family, devotion, prayer, and rest, the advancement and quick pace simply are not worth it. Luckily, I believe the next section has some wisdom which is especially helpful for scheduling. 

Christians should walk a little slower and take notice of the Spirit in their life. Say no to the television. No other effort will bring you more time than turning off the TV. This is one of the most impactful parts of this section. Turning off the TV and attempting to limit unnecessary screen time has been one of the most helpful things in my scheduling. I have found much more time for friends and devotion, while not having to cut back on time. Of course, this may seem like squeezing the day for every nanosecond, but I have found when I am very conscious of the time I have and using it properly, I am able to have so much time throughout the day to rest and spend time with others. 

 If people had less things, they would have more time. Americans must not squander money on useless things. More technology and junk mean less time. It is good to have goals, directions and vision. Tell stories. Time should be spent with family. Wisdom is almost always slow. Take time to make wise decisions. Speak more slowly. Purposefully listen and say you are wrong. Take a lunch break out of the office. Be interruptible and usable. Christians today have no wiggle room. People spend money for fun and can think of little else. Wealth is not the primary objective of the spiritual life. Do not store up your own treasures. Borrowing is always unwise in the Bible. Without margin, life staggers and does not go well. When Christians give away money, they get rid of its power over them. They must break the power of culture’s pull on them. If they have savings, they will be protected from electronics going out or medical bills. Many families would be better off if credit cards were cut up. Destroying them would avoid debt. Items should not be lent if they could not be given away.

This week’s reading has been especially helpful and applicable to my life today. Taking less time on the screen, downsizing the amount of physical items, cutting back on videogames, and spending less time in my dorm have all had an incredible impact on my spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health. The more I am aware of the time I have, the more I am able to cut back on useless time wasting. Time wasting is not the same as resting. Resting is purposeful. Video gaming, watching TV, or mindlessly scrolling social media are not restful. There is a time for those things, especially after long nights of homework when the mind has been overworked, but severely limiting those things has done a lot of good for me. I appreciate the acknowledgement in this section of the book of this.