Life in general can be overwhelming at times. Just the everyday maintenance of
relationships, a home, and keeping a job are enough, at times, to tax us to our very
limits. What happens when we find ourselves in a place of emptiness? That place that
cries out for rest, healing and peace?
How do we get here?
I don't believe it is our intention to create this kind of lifestyle. I have found myself
in this position when I have failed to be realistic about the requirements of a
commitment. Or perhaps I was not thorough in researching and counting the cost.
I believe many people would slow down, if they could. But many find themselves
being pushed along by the commitments they have made. Most have made these
commitments in good faith and are people of integrity. But perhaps they are caught in
the grips of a commitment that has gone far beyond their expectations.
Are we trying to keep up with a schedule that burdens us beyond our comfortable level
of what isrequired? The danger of this is that we may reach a state of burnout where
we are unable to fulfill the responsibilities that we have with the passion and purpose
that we had hoped and intended.
This can create a sense of despair, hopelessness and failure. Not at all what God
intends for us to experience. In these places, God will help us but I firmly believe that
instead of helping us through these circumstances, that He would rather us avoid them
and walk in wisdom and peace.
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I would like to share with you the name of a book that I read...too late. I found this
book after Jeff and I had made a commitment to something that would overload us for
15 years and take us down a path less than desirable. At some point, I will share this
story with you. My hope is, that in sharing this book, others will be able to step back
and reflect on their lives and become more aware of healthy boundaries. And through this
awareness, will flow a life of peace-filled purpose.
The name of the book is Margin and was written by Richard Swenson.
Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives
Life in modern day America is essentially devoid of time and space. Not the
Star Trek kind. The sanity kind. Chronic overloading is the culprit: margin is
the cure.
This newly revised 2004 update of the original best-seller explains what
margin is, why it is important, how it disappeared, and steps to get it back. Margin is
the space between our load and our limits and is related to our reserves and resilience.
It is a buffer, a leeway, a gap; the place we go to heal, to relate, to reflect, to recharge
our batteries, to focus on the things that matter most.
Margin offers seventy-five practical prescriptions for restoring margin in the
essential areas of emotional energy, physical energy, time, and finances.
Margin restores what culture has taken away: time to listen, strength to
care, space to love.
Dr. Swenson has also written a devotional called A Minute of Margin....Restoring
Balance to Busy Lives
You can find both of these books and more written by Dr. Swenson at Amazon Books.
Wishing for you a place of wisdom, rest and peace.
