Margin is the blank spaces on a document that defines its borders and makes it readable and functional. We need margin in our lives. It is the spaces, the blanks, that make everything else work. REST, health, well-being, effectiveness and many other things are elusive if we don’t mind the blank spaces. In this episode of the Calibrate Life Podcast we talk about putting the margin back in.
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I’ve made a re-commitment to learn to REST on new levels in 2020. In last week’s podcast we talked about 2020 being the year of REST, and the acrostic we gave was:
R for REFRESH renew emotional
E for ENERGIZE renew the physical
S for SABBATH (as a verb) renew the spiritual
T for THINK renew the intellectual
Today we are going to hit the topic of MARGIN. and for our Africa House leaders this is a self-leadership and a personal health capacity.
We’ve declared our 2020 to be the year of learning to REST again. The “gold” of our lives comes from the ability to rest in the Presence of God, learning to zone down, learning to listen. In this episode we talk about our renewed commitment to really learn to rest, to have abiding peace in the midst of chaos.
At the beginning of every year I take the time to think about the passing year and reflect on what I need and hope the new year to be. Last year, in 2019, my word was “FOCUS.” We had a very large missions budget to raise and we knew we needed to stay focused on the priority of getting that looming task complete so we could move into the next phase of our mission and ministry. For 2020 the word is “REST.”
How do you know when you aren’t sacrificing enough? In last week’s episode we discussed how to know when we are sacrificing too much out of the wrong motivation, and this week we look at the other side of the coin.
Life is simply full of sacrifices. As a matter of normal course, we often give up something we care about or love to gain something we care about or love more. Sacrifice embraces change and transition as we let go of important things to gain more important things.
My friend sends a daily devotional to his friends. It always starts with a quote, and I regularly “steal” the quote. I had no intention of doing a podcast on sacrifice this morning, I had 12 other topics I was working with, but this quote caused me to start writing in my journal, and realizing that instead of taking the time to write something else, we just need to go with this topic. It is in our hearts, so this is what we will discuss. Here’s the quote:
“If God would grant us the vision, the word sacrifice would disappear from our lips and thoughts; we would hate the things that seem now so dear to us; our lives would suddenly be too short, we would despise time-robbing distractions and charge the enemy with all our energies in the name of Christ.”
Nate Saint
We all have made many sacrifices throughout our lives, letting go of important things to gain or accomplish things of greater value. As it regards our journey to Africa, we know it is and will be a sacrifice, but here’s the amazing thing about it: It does not feel like a sacrifice, it feels like a joyful privilege — because it is.
As you consider the sacrifices you are called upon to make, here are a few questions we’ve considered throughout our life, and this journey in weighing out the costs and the joys.
How do you know when the sacrifice is TOO great?
We mustn’t be motivated by asceticism. Asceticism is severe self-discipline, cutting ourselves off from enjoying anything in religious devotion. Asceticism is “earning” God’s favor by punishing ourselves. God is not punishing us when he gives us an invitation to participate in something wonderful and fulfilling.
I admit that as I continue to understand “taking up our cross,” “denying self,” etc., I may Lose perspective and take on a tinge of asceticism, but when I see that happening I know I am missing the point. We GIVE our lives that we may truly GAIN our lives. We take up the “cross” of Christ that we may experience the true joys that are only available through the abundant life that Christ gives to us.
We have much to say about this as it continues to unfold in our own lives, but we TRUST God that the difficulties, trials, and challenges we face on this journey are working a far greater good in our lives and in the world… and that it is worth it—above and beyond!
How do you know when the sacrifice is too great? Here are some thoughts:
The sacrifice will usually be commensurate with the vision or the hope.
The sacrifice (not as a rule, but as an evaluator) will usually be commensurate with the vision or the hope. I would give my life for my children to keep theirs. I would not give my life for the family dog (some people would, me, no.). I assign value in a certain way and the way I assign value determines what I am willing to sacrifice. Some would not make a sacrifice for the mission of God because they do not believe it right to share Christ in other cultural contexts.
The Sacrifice is too great if the desired outcome is not valuable enough to warrant the cost.
The sacrifice is too great if the desired outcome is not valuable enough to warrant the cost. If our sacrifice takes us out of the game forever, then it is to be very carefully considered. In baseball, a sacrifice is when a player bunts the ball assuring their own “out” in order to put another player into scoring position. In this case “out” is temporary, it costs the team one of their “outs” for the inning, but it increases the likelihood of the true goal, scoring. The goal in a baseball game is putting runners across home plate and putting numbers on the scoreboard. So, how do you know when the sacrifice is too great, hard to say, but in a baseball game it would be clear to me that getting tagged out in order to position your team to score: worth it. Sustaining a life changing injury that will end your career in order to position your team to win: NOT worth it.
Think about it.
The extent of the sacrifice must be a personal decision/choice.
Sacrifice is a personal choice. I chose to never sacrifice the health or well-being of my family for the church or ministry, or to placate a dysfunctional member. We did choose many times to choose obediently following what we felt to be the will and pleasure of God over financial gain, financial security, and many of the material things we would have liked. It has been a lifelong lifestyle choice. And here’s the thing… we trust God to know the better way for us, better than the way we would make for our selves through our own choices. My observation: I’ve never been disappointed. Totally worth it.
No one can decide for you what you should or shouldn’t sacrifice. You have to decide, because it will be you who pays the price. By the way, I’ve been in toxic environments where church leaders wanted to decide for you what you were going to sacrifice. I’ve seen the damage that comes from such toxic leadership.
For us, transitioning our lives and our family to go to Africa is a sacrifice, but it is a joyful sacrifice. Funny thing about joyful sacrifices, they feel more like a joyful privilege than they do a sacrifice. Wow, we GET to do this and we are so honored… See, that’s the heart that should accompany the sacrifices, and sometimes we have to grow into a place where we open our hearts and our hands a little wider, we see more clearly the vision and the heart of God, and we offer to God that which does joyfully cost us much.
Finally… (For Part One)…
For our commitments and our sacrifices to produce the desired results while producing joy in our lives, we have to grow toward those sacrifices. It’s not something pushed, cajoled, or guilted out of us. Our sacrifices are an investment toward a vision, a desired outcome, a mission. As we walk in the grace of God, only out of that relationship can you come to answer the question of what you are to give, to sacrifice, and evaluate the costs you are willing to pay for the things important to you. Sacrifice always begins with the sacrifice of self. Letting go of our agenda and embracing the agenda of God. He prepares us step by step. At the beginning of my journey I was not where I am now. I am capable of embracing things I could not have just a few years ago… and, I have the hope that in the future we will be prepared for new things and new adventures, we will be ready to take on greater challenges, because we’ve been prepared.
Your actions, habits, and practices accomplish the things in your heart. Spiritually minded people are good at experiencing God, but often, not so good at obeying God. Obedience always translates into actions, and if you have a dream or an intention that just never gets translated into reality, what you need to work on is taking action.
You have a lot of great intentions. You love talking about your vision, dreams, and the things you hope to accomplish. Those dreams motivate you and keep you moving forward.
Those same dreams turn to discouragement when you see no forward motion. When year, after year, after year pass with little to no progress. You consider your three options:
Today’s topic is a little controversial, even to me, but we think it is on target. It’s foolish to do something negotiable without counting the cost. It is foolish to NOT do something non-negotiable whether you have counted the cost or not. This is recklessness. I have decided, I need to live life with more recklessness.
At the end of the podcast we give a little more than usual update for CalibrateMission Africa for those who are a part of this community.
I was a mild-mannered, shy kid. When we played Batman and Robin, I wanted to be Robin, less responsibility and decision making. I’ve always been more of a Scotty than a Captain Kirk. I like to please people, I value too much the applause of people. Those are the devils in my closet, that is the wiring I must overcome, and I know it.
David and Donna Delp are the founders of Calibrate360 and host the weekly Calibrate Life Podcast. For more info about them visit our About Us page. To learn about their mission, visit our Mission Africa page.
