This Thanksgiving, take some time to pause and consider not only what you’re thankful for, but think about areas of your life where you need rest and reflection. While you’re filling yourself up with good food, allow the Spirit of God to fill you and make some room for the Lord to speak into your current place in life. To get you started, check out this excerpt from our latest study on being a steward with your life, Manage.
Because we live in a time-crunched society, any time spent without immediate results seems wasteful. And if we’re not careful, we’ll neglect the need for personal margin.
Often we become so preoccupied with what must get done and how much time we have left that we forget to care for ourselves. Our bodies are not equipped for continuous activity. We need rest and room for reflection. Additionally, we must leave breathing room for God-given opportunities the Lord brings our way.
Jesus left a great example of this in the Gospel of Mark. After feeding the 5,000, the apostles were eager to tell Jesus of all they had accomplished, but He refocused them:
“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to Him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.’ For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat” (Mark 6:30-31).
When have you been so focused on the task at hand that you’ve forgotten to care for yourself? What were the results?
It’s in the margin—the down time—that we allow ourselves to rest, reflect, refuel, and reaffirm how God wants us to spend our lives.
What changes can you make to create margin in your life?
There are blessings found in making the most of our time, for in doing so, we gain wisdom and joy. Life moves past us quickly, so use your time well.
Excerpted from “Manage: Caring for All God Entrused to Us,” a Bible study by Threads. Reprinted with permission. Visit threadsmedia.com for more information.