I’ve been thinking a lot about MARGIN and its importance in doing what God wants us to do. And in the spirit of “give a small boy a hammer and everything looks like a nail” I’m seeing margin in this familiar story:

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their journey, they came to a village where a woman welcomed Jesus into her home. Her name was Martha and she had a sister named Mary. Mary sat down attentively before the Master, absorbing every revelation he shared. But Martha became exasperated by finishing the numerous household chores in preparation for her guests, so she interrupted Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister left me to do all the work by myself? You should tell her to get up and help me.” The Lord answered her, “Martha, my beloved Martha.Why are you upset and troubled, pulled away by all these many distractions? Are they really that important? Mary has discovered the one thing most important by choosing to sit at my feet. She is undistracted, and I won’t take this privilege from her.” (Luke 10.38 – 42, Passion Translation)

I have often used this as an application of priorities: Mary had hers right, and Martha didn’t. But it could also be viewed through the lens of margin. Martha was living with no margin. “We have a lot to do, and it has to be done NOW!” Jesus and Mary are living with margin. “All that stuff will get done eventually, but we need to talk right now.” Both Mary and Martha are in the same situation, but Mary chooses to believe she has margin (time) to talk with Jesus.

I shared this observation with my friend, Montgomery, Alabama-based lobbyist and licensed local pastor Pat McWhorter, the other day, and Pat told me a story that went something like this:

I was accompanying an Alabama judge on a trip. We were in the Phoenix airport, I think, changing planes, and we were walking quickly through the concourse. Suddenly, the judge took a hard left, nearly knocking me over since I was on his left. Turns out there was a young mother bending over her baby in a stroller, and the mother and baby were in some kind of distress. The judge went over to see if he could help. The judge could have been like me, intent on catching our flight, thinking about his upcoming meetings with CEOs and other high-level officials, but he saw someone in need and stopped.

Pat attributed the judge’s action to his compassion and the fact that his antenna was up for what was going on around him. I would also add margin. Like Mary and Martha, Pat and the judge were in the same situation: in the airport with a plane to catch. Pat, like Martha, assumed no margin. The judge lived as if he had margin to help people. 

Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. (John 9.1, MSG)

Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him. (Matthew 9.9, MSG)