It’s not too late for the best investment of your year! SHOP NOW!

A moment, a day, a life transformed by prayer.

Asking Questions

Substack
Life

Margin // The Lie about Progress

4.3.2014 • 1 Comment

Today we are digging deeper into margin. It’s a lifestyle I REALLY want to stick in my head and heart. One of the questions I was thinking through for the last margin post was “what things bring me back to ‘normal’?” (AKA a busy, cluttered, chaotic life).

myquestformarginOne word. Progress. I am the queen of wanting to make progress. Not only work days, but weekends are filled with checking off our home to-do’s. Margin and progress are in a tug of war. Margin tells me to take a few moments to relax and refresh when I’m busy. Progress tells me to check something off.

Progress in itself is not a bad idea. We should be moving forward and growing. But I know I can’t be the only one who let’s it consume my world. If I’m not crossing something off my list, I feel like I just wasted time. This, my friends, is why we find ourselves burnt out and exhausted. Our free time isn’t truly free. We jam pack it full of things that aren’t needed. And the last line of my new little margin mantra is that less is more. Why do I insist on piling in more then?

For some reason, we think that we have a finite list of things to do and once we are completely done, we will rest. If you’ve ever said one of these, you might be guilty of this like I am:

1. If I just get this one thing done, I won’t be behind.
2. If I just make it through this busy season, things will slow down.
3. Doing this now, will mean I can have margin later. 
4. I’ll sleep when I’m dead. 

We might as well say we are going to start our diet on Monday. I do this EVERY week by the way. Tomorrow never comes. Today is what we have.  And the more I believe these lies, the harder a time I have to find rest.

e5cbadd8a31c11e3bf7b12b87995c26b_8
margin

My lie is that progress is necessary, every minute of the day. And that I will rest when it’s all gone. I think the steps for me to combat that are simple:

1. Journal in moments I enjoy margin, and journal in moments I miss it completely.
2. See what I did to make either happen.
3. Make more things happen in those moments I experienced margin.

Journaling is powerful. It reminds us of how we FELT when we can’t remember. And it helps it stick more in my head. I mentioned last post I have been journaling through this journey about margin and I’ve already gone to reread old entries a few times because I want it to change me for good.

There are a ton of lies we can tell ourself that pull us away from finding margin. What lies are you believing? And what kind of steps or game plan can we put in place to combat those lies?  

I’d love to hear your thoughts! I’m sure we all wrestle with a few different lies and can benefit from hearing everyones thoughts on it! 

Shop Our Products

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments (1)

I think the main lie that so many of us believe is that if we take time for ourselves we are being selfish. I am not a wife or a mother but I do know that so many women put themselves last on their list and it hurts them.

Sometime I find helpful [besides writing things down in a journal] is having someone who intentionally ASKS me if I have made time for myself, time to rest.

Just a thought! =) Love this.