Updated 4/24/12
The margins in my life are always something I try to pay attention to. Some years I’m better about this than others.
A few years ago our family moved into a new house, in a different part of town… in August. Yes, right as the new academic year was beginning.
Between this big adjustment at home, and the crazy pace of life that seems to define most school years, my margins had become quite thin… and when this happens, one of the things that often gets bumped from my daily routine is exercise. And I hate that.
Well, one morning (not long after moving in to this new part of town) I was able to get out for a run. It wasn’t the first time since we had been into this new house, but it was the first time I took this particular route. I’d driven this direction numerous times — it’s one of the two ways in or out of our neighborhood — so it’s a route I’m very familiar with… or so I thought.
It’s amazing what you notice when you slow down.
On my run that day I noticed houses that sit back off the road just enough that I’d never actually seen them before. I noticed, for the first time, a creek that cuts back and forth under main street in several different spots. I noticed the hills… Ohhhh, how I noticed this hills — so beautiful to look at, but something totally different when you encounter them on an early morning run.
And all of this got me to thinking about our routines on campus…
If you’re anything like me, your days are probably pretty full of meetings — with students, colleagues, administrators, etc. — and those times in between meetings can often easily be consumed with checking email, returning email, checking in on Faecbook or Twitter, planning and prepping for what is next on the calendar… even the walks between meetings can be filled with checking in on our ‘smartphones’… and there’s something that doesn’t seem quite right about it all.
I wonder how different our days might be if we created more space in our schedules?
If we chose to intentionally slow down, making ourselves more mentally, emotionally and physically available.
I wonder how different our walks through campus might be if we chose to leave our phones in our pockets and attempted to greet students as we passed them (I recognize that about 99% of them will be on their phones, but… that’s a whole other post as well).
We need to challenge ourselves to slow down. To take in all that makes up the unique place that God has called us to… if we don’t, how will we ever see God at work, or know how to come alongside what God’s already doing in that place?
What do you think?
How thin are the margins in your life?
Do you fear slowing down?
What are some of the things you might see differently in your ministry context if you chose to intentionally slow down?
Do you know what God is up to on your campus?
I’d love to hear about your experiences!
Grace and peace to you.
