Morning, Noon, and Night
Week two - Life on the Margin
Genesis 11:1-9 and Psalm 23
When it comes to writing a paper, most people try to increase the margins to write less.
When it comes to living our lives, most of us have decreased the margins so many times to cram more in that the margins no longer exist.
The problem: Contentment is found in the margin. Joy thrives in the margin. Rest happens in the margin. Relationships deepen in the margin. Healing comes in the margin.
When there’s no margin, we can’t be
We all know what this looks like, and what this feels like, but how do we stop? How do we reset? How do we move in the opposite direction - away from burnout and into endurance?
The Tower of Babel
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” —Genesis 11:1-4
- They’re going to build it themselves. (no help)
- It’s going to go all the way to the heavens. (no margin)
- And they’re going to get all the credit.
*all of this because of their
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. —Genesis 11:5-9
They wanted to close the gap between themselves and God - if we can get there on our own, if we can fill the space, we can stay in
We’re not built to take in all of the world, but we are meant to (and commanded to as Jesus followers) love our neighbors.
What if God’s scattering was a gift?
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. —Psalm 23:1-6
*This isn’t hiding - false dichotomy of being overscheduled and overwhelmed, and doing nothing so you can just self-care and not worry about the world or anyone else
This is life on the margin
We need to replace FOMO (the fear of missing out) with
The answer isn’t saying no to everything.
It’s saying enough no’s and the right no’s so you can say the best yes’s.
And the best yes’s are ones that lead to genuine connection.
Margin isn’t optional, and it isn’t accidental, but it is