In his book “A Minute of Margin,” Richard Swenson writes, “Margin is like oxygen- everybody needs some. If we have too little, we suffer from the shortage. If we have too much, the excess will not benefit us additionally. But having the right amount permits us to breathe freely.
Margin is a space, specifically the space between our load and our limits. We do not follow two inches behind the next car on the interstate- that would leave no margin for error. We do not allow only two minutes to change planes in Chicago- that would be foolish in the extreme. We do not load boats until they are nearly submerged- that would invite disaster. Why then do we insist on leaving no buffer, no space, no reserves in our day-to-day?”
Swenson makes a good point. God wants us to carry a full load- but not an overload. When properly applied, the principle of establishing margin in our schedules will allow us to produce more, not less, so we redeem the time.
Rick Grubbs is best known as the host of “Redeeming the Time,” a one-minute radio program featured on hundreds of radio outlets around the world. He has spoken thousands of times on Biblical time management in all 50 states and 26 other countries. He is the author of the book “Morning Momentum: God’s plan for launching an unstoppable day”. He and his wife Carrie live in Salisbury NC with several of their 12 children.
