Margin - {Week 1}

Our church has promoted circle groups for as long as I can remember, but we never really felt comfortable getting involved in one. The purpose of a circle group is that circles are better than rows - meaning that you will likely get more out of a sermon when you are able to have a discussion about the topic at hand, with the other members in your group. The idea is to put God's word into an action plan for our lives.

Graham and I went to our first circle group meeting last night, which happened to be hosted by Reg & Staci at their house. There were 5 couples total and although I felt a little awkward at first; I think it was exactly what we've been needing.

Our topic for the next few weeks will be "Margin". 

- Margin is the amount available beyond what is necessary.

I am infamous for going all in or not doing it at all in so many aspects in my life. I don't leave a lot of room for variables to come into play, which often leads to me being stressed out when it happens... which happens all the time!

When margin decreases - stress increases.

In my struggles with weight loss I tend to go all in for a few months at a time with huge changes, that are often unrealistic when it comes to my long term goals of keeping the lbs off. I leave no room for the things I love in my diet, which leads me to binge eat later. It's so important that I learn to leave a margin of error; to allow for those things every once in a while. It's all about balance.

I also tend to set the expectation that I will work out 6 days a week and when that doesn't happen I often give up because I've failed. I don't leave room for the possibility of things coming up.

When margin decreases - your relational intimacy decreases

While we were saving to buy our house I made it a point to put every dime that wasn't allocated to bills and food to our savings account. I mean that literally. We didn't have a lot of money to do anything extra. Yes, it made it possible for us to close on our house and have money left over to buy new furniture and pay off my car, but it also left us feeling extremely stressed out. As a couple, we needed to have a few date nights and we didn't make that happen near enough.

A lack of margin is also a reflection of idolatry.

Sad to say, but my i-phone has become quite the obsession for me. Between pinterest, facebook, instagram, msn, youtube, and so many other apps I often don't spend the amount of time that I should on my husband and work. I'll be the first to say that I'm addicted.

Next Steps

{Take time to rest this week with Christ. This time could
consist of praying, reading the Bible, or just enjoying
some quiet time alone. Be creative. Remove the
distractions for just a little while and allow Him an
opportunity to renew your soul and your mind.

Begin the process of reducing some of the stress in
your life this week. Identify one or more things that are
creating too much stress and create a plan to reduce
that stress. Not only write down your plan of action, but
have someone hold you accountable as you carry out
your plan.}

Although I have a couple of areas in my life that needs attention, I'm going to focus on limiting my time on social media this week. I'm going to focus on praying more and spending more (quality) time with my husband. I'm going to focus on living in the moment!

Until next time!