Create space. Find margin. Manage discretionary time. Make room for life.
All of these phrases and statements are stellar in theory and desirable, but they seem to be very allusive when it comes to the reality in our lives as leaders.
The last few weeks I’ve had quite a few conversations about finding and keeping margin in the midst of tasks, responsibilities, expectations, and ministry pressure. We’ve talked about creating margin to make space for discipleship to occur. We’ve talked about creating margin so that we can lead others from a better place. We’ve talked about finding margin so that you don’t burnout and suffer ministry fatigue. All of these are valid and worth discussing and being mindful of. But what if the lack of margin in our lives is creating something within us that goes far deeper than what happens in our local contexts of ministry? What if our life minus margin creates something so catastrophic yet so subtle that it slowly and destructively affects our personal lives and the future potential of our own legacy and Kingdom impact?
You see, I’m fairly confident that Kingdom work will get done with individuals who have zero margin in their lives. I’m fairly sure that services will be orchestrated with few hiccups in Sunday morning services throughout the country. I’m certain that policies will be enforced, structures upheld, and meetings will continue to occur without leaders who have healthy margin in their lives. And that’s part of the problem. Ministry will continue to happen, applause can still rain on our leadership, and Kingdom moments will continue to be seen, as the margin in our lives vanishes like a shooting star. And the norm of our leadership is a norm that is without margin and space. So what’s the big deal? Our tasks are getting done and our people aren’t complaining. So what are we losing? I believe quite a bit actually. And what we lose within us is transferrable to what the faith communities we lead are not experiencing thru us.
When we lead and live with little to no margin for the spontaneous, the trivial, and the things that give us enjoyment and energy—I believe two major losses occur:
We’ll lose our joy in leadership. When we learn to lead without margin in our lives something slowly, but surely happens—our joy begins to diminish. The ministry moments that used to bring us to enthusiasm, courageous prayers, and that kept us up all night have led us to angst, frustration, and dutiful serving. The rich joy that should be in all of our lives has moved to a state of happiness, swinging to extremes as our settings and situations move for the better or worse. The ultimate destination for those of us called to vocational ministry is that we begin to see our work as a job and not a ministry.
What happens when we lead without joy? How do we know when our joy is beginning to falter? How do we regain our joy when it’s disappeared?
We’ll lose our dreams for the Kingdom. What is interesting about this major loss is that many of us have gotten so used to colorless dreams, small visions, and Sunday to Sunday task management that we forgot what it felt like to carry dreams that God has given us. We’ve forgotten about the “what if” conversations. We’ve forgot what it feels like to talk about dreams that leave us vulnerable and surface more questions than we have answers. I strongly believe that when our margin is limited that are Kingdom dreams will mirror that margin. Dreams are birthed in prayer and fellowship with Christ. And when that fellowship is forced and thrown on your calendar as a thirty minute appointment we’ll probably be hard pressed to hear His dream’s for our lives. Do you think the dreams God gave us at 20 where given because of our age? I don’t think so; we haven’t created enough space to hear all the hopes and dreams He continues to have for our lives. His dreams should stay within us and out in front us until we breathe our last breath. God, help us to dream again.
When was the last time you dreamt something God-sized? What would happen in our local context of ministry if we began to dream again?
How do we maintain margin? Can healthy margin be attained with the common pressures, expectations, and responsibilities that modern day Christian leaders carry? And do you have any other major inner losses that we suffer when margin is neglected?
All of these phrases and statements are stellar in theory and desirable, but they seem to be very allusive when it comes to the reality in our lives as leaders.
The last few weeks I’ve had quite a few conversations about finding and keeping margin in the midst of tasks, responsibilities, expectations, and ministry pressure. We’ve talked about creating margin to make space for discipleship to occur. We’ve talked about creating margin so that we can lead others from a better place. We’ve talked about finding margin so that you don’t burnout and suffer ministry fatigue. All of these are valid and worth discussing and being mindful of. But what if the lack of margin in our lives is creating something within us that goes far deeper than what happens in our local contexts of ministry? What if our life minus margin creates something so catastrophic yet so subtle that it slowly and destructively affects our personal lives and the future potential of our own legacy and Kingdom impact?
You see, I’m fairly confident that Kingdom work will get done with individuals who have zero margin in their lives. I’m fairly sure that services will be orchestrated with few hiccups in Sunday morning services throughout the country. I’m certain that policies will be enforced, structures upheld, and meetings will continue to occur without leaders who have healthy margin in their lives. And that’s part of the problem. Ministry will continue to happen, applause can still rain on our leadership, and Kingdom moments will continue to be seen, as the margin in our lives vanishes like a shooting star. And the norm of our leadership is a norm that is without margin and space. So what’s the big deal? Our tasks are getting done and our people aren’t complaining. So what are we losing? I believe quite a bit actually. And what we lose within us is transferrable to what the faith communities we lead are not experiencing thru us.
When we lead and live with little to no margin for the spontaneous, the trivial, and the things that give us enjoyment and energy—I believe two major losses occur:
We’ll lose our joy in leadership. When we learn to lead without margin in our lives something slowly, but surely happens—our joy begins to diminish. The ministry moments that used to bring us to enthusiasm, courageous prayers, and that kept us up all night have led us to angst, frustration, and dutiful serving. The rich joy that should be in all of our lives has moved to a state of happiness, swinging to extremes as our settings and situations move for the better or worse. The ultimate destination for those of us called to vocational ministry is that we begin to see our work as a job and not a ministry.
What happens when we lead without joy? How do we know when our joy is beginning to falter? How do we regain our joy when it’s disappeared?
We’ll lose our dreams for the Kingdom. What is interesting about this major loss is that many of us have gotten so used to colorless dreams, small visions, and Sunday to Sunday task management that we forgot what it felt like to carry dreams that God has given us. We’ve forgotten about the “what if” conversations. We’ve forgot what it feels like to talk about dreams that leave us vulnerable and surface more questions than we have answers. I strongly believe that when our margin is limited that are Kingdom dreams will mirror that margin. Dreams are birthed in prayer and fellowship with Christ. And when that fellowship is forced and thrown on your calendar as a thirty minute appointment we’ll probably be hard pressed to hear His dream’s for our lives. Do you think the dreams God gave us at 20 where given because of our age? I don’t think so; we haven’t created enough space to hear all the hopes and dreams He continues to have for our lives. His dreams should stay within us and out in front us until we breathe our last breath. God, help us to dream again.
When was the last time you dreamt something God-sized? What would happen in our local context of ministry if we began to dream again?
How do we maintain margin? Can healthy margin be attained with the common pressures, expectations, and responsibilities that modern day Christian leaders carry? And do you have any other major inner losses that we suffer when margin is neglected?
Chime in...let's discuss this ongoing wrestling match...Jeff
1 comment:
Jeff,
This is a really good post.
Can you define "Kingdom Dreams."
I remember Ezekiel having one of those...his was more of a flyover.
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