Margins

This year, the Lenten study seris at my church is on margins. There are two parts to it, a substitute for a traditional sermon on Sunday mornings, and then a Tuesday night program, part of a tradition of Lenten suppers followed by some sort of program.

The margins study is based on a book by Dr Richard A. Swenson entiteld Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Resources to Overloaded Lives. The book is divided into three sections: 1) The problem (Pain) 2) The Prescription (Margin) 3)The Prognosis(Health). The study at my church delves into some other things, like happiness, and contentment, and joy, and friendship.

And so what is a margin? I wasn't too clear on this going into the study, but I have a better idea now--the metaphor is of the blank areas on a page around the writing, which are actually called margins. The idea is having a reserve of emotions, energy, finances,and time to draw on when times get diffiuclt. I guess in our metaphor that would be the idea of augmenting what is in the written part of the page "filling in the margins". The thought is that in today's hectic lives, particularly in an urban area, that these margins are either too slim or nonexistant. Some of it is the idea of setting boundaries, of saying enough is enough before the boundaries are eroded away.

The book seems to me to be your standard self help book. The guy contradicts himself sometimes, like when he says he does not believe in having an emergency fund. What could be more emblematic of a financial margin than to have an emergency fund?? It tends to be the one margin out of all others that most of us at least aspire to have (although circumstances often make it difficult). He speaks in some spiritual terms but much of what he is saying is not what the Christian message is all about. At least not thus far, I haven't finished the book yet.

The Lenten study has been far more helpful to me. In considering things like contentment and simplicity, which are larger concepts, I have started evaluating whether particular things are margins or not. What I seem to be finding is that getting into something is usually not a margin, its another stressor, but that once I'm there and fully engaged it does restore me, and provide me with some reserves to draw on. As an example: working out. I spend (waste) an awful lot of time worrying about not getting to the gym, and when I don't get there, because I'm too tired, or too overbooked, I feel guilty. But when I force myself to go and "get over the hump" it very much becomes a margin. I can relax and let myself go. In fact, I get so much in the flow of it that when I'm done I don't want to have to leave! Even when I'm preparing to do things I want to do, things that will help me reach my goals, I will procrastinate. This study has provided an interesting insight into this behavior and gets me thinking in a more productive direction. It has caused me to adjust my habits and the direction of my thinking towards "what is the value of this?" and "how will I be restored by it?" rather than "how long can I put off something I don't really want to do?" If it isn't going to restore me, then is it something I need to just accept and so might as well get it out of the way?

While I am learning that margins are neccessary, I'm not quite understanding how they help us to live the gospel. It seems like the gospels are full of stories of Jesus NOT maintaining margins, of wanting to go off by himself to rest, and being moved by compassion to eliminate that boundary and tend to his sheep. Maybe love compels us to make our margins a little smaller, and maybe that's ok. Maybe when we do something out of love we don't need to have as much margin--if you ask someone with small children about margins they will probably laugh at you. Along these lines I have to wonder if this discussion of margins will lead my fellow parishoners to think that when they are called on and demands are placed on them that they only need to refer to their need for a margin and then they are off the hook. Where does "cross to bear" fit into this?

I think my margins are pretty good right now, in fact, some of the printing on the metaphorical page can be a bit scant. But it is helpful to have a concept of them, and when things are less stable I can attempt to keep them in a way that is healthy, if not contented. Happiness is more fleeting. Sometimes that which creates happiness may cause the thinest margin.
Coming out of Lent this year I will be prepared to keep some margins in place.