Don’t Waste The Margin

Photo by Dvir Adler on Unsplash

When it comes to investing, most people want a good return. I’m not just talking about stocks, bonds, or 401Ks, though good returns are always nice. I’m also talking about anything we invest our time or money in. Maybe you paid a little more for a higher-quality TV than a bargain model. If so, you want to see a noticeable difference in the picture quality or other bells and whistles. You expect a good return on your investment.

This principle isn’t only true for material things. The same is true for our relationships. If you’ve ever found yourself in a one-way friendship where your efforts aren’t reciprocated, you know how tough it can feel to invest relational energy and not get a return. 

The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to apply the same mindset to our lives. I want a life full of richness. Not riches; richness. I want a rich life. I want to be surrounded by meaning, purpose, and joy. I want a rich faith. I want rich relationships. I want rich experiences. I want to spend my life well, expecting to encounter God and His grace daily.

Here’s the cool thing: this kind of life is possible.

It’s a big part of living out the Gospel and seeking God’s Kingdom. But it doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intentionality. And the older I get, the more I realize that intentional living is not something many people value.

Proverbs 10:4 is pretty similar to a lot of Solomon’s wisdom. There is a practical meaning and a spiritual one. Solomon writes:

“Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring riches.”

The primary meaning of this verse speaks to profitability in business or, at least, in a vocational sense. If you are idle and do not work hard and with intentionality, your business will feel the negative effects. But we can and should apply this same principle to our personal lives.

I don’t want to be idle in any aspect of my life. Not in my vocation. Not in my faith. Not in my relationships. If you wanted to be the opposite of idle, you’d be diligent, active, and intentional. To be idle in business opens you up to failure. But being idle in how we engage with our lives leads to poverty of a different kind.

In business, the word “margin” means the difference between the cost of producing and distributing a product and its sales price. It’s what’s left over after the work is done. In business, margin is profit. In our personal lives, “margin” is the space not occupied by work or other responsibilities. It’s what you can call “yours” after the world takes its due.

I value margin in my personal life. It’s the profit of my work. Margin is valuable. And so I don’t spend it frivolously. I am not idle in how I manage it.

Like profit in business, I aim to invest my margin for maximum return. So, my margin is filled with date nights with my wife. Or spending time with my kids, doing things they like to do, like throwing the football, hunting, or taking them shopping. My margin is filled with trail runs or workouts with friends. My margin is filled with early morning talks over coffee with my wife before the world wakes up. My margin is filled with time spent with our friends from our small group.

Spending my margin this way brings my family, friends, and myself joy. It’s an intentional approach to using the time that isn’t spoken for by my vocation. You won’t see me spending my margin watching a lot of TV or doing an overabundance of solo activities. It’s too valuable to me to waste it on things that don’t have a good return. I will never be accused of being idle.

I have come to value the richness of a life lived with intentionality. It doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by maximizing the time spent in your margin.

Margin is valuable. Margin is profit. Let’s not waste ours.

This article originally appeared in the Good For You Newsletter, Vol: 5.

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