This is why margin matters

“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears

for a little time and then vanishes."

James 4:14  

Margin Matters

I’ve been reflecting on my 40th high school reunion coming up later this week. Forty years ago, I walked the stage hearing Pomp and Circumstance in a Stone High School graduation gown. It doesn’t seem that long ago, yet it is. And it’s a reminder—life moves fast, and we have less time than we think.

A Sobering Observation

Author Ginny Yurich makes a sobering observation: 75% of the time we’ll spend with our kids happens by age 12. The rest is scattered—high school, holidays, and occasional visits. That window closes quickly.

That’s why margin matters.

Intentional Space

As we’ve talked about in MD5, relationships happen in the margin of our lives. Our Top 5%—our walk with Christ, our family, and the people we're called to disciple—requires intentional space. It won’t happen by accident.

The problem is the tyranny of the urgent. We drift into the 95%—all the things that feel pressing but aren’t most important. If we’re not intentional, we’ll spend our best years in the thick of thin things and miss what matters most.

We cannot give God the leftovers of our time and expect to foster a deep relationship with Him. We cannot disciple our kids in passing. We cannot invest in our wives and disciple others with a packed calendar. Those things require time—and margin.

Don't Drift

So we’ve got to decide. We don’t drift into what matters—we choose it. We create margin. We guard it. And we invest it where it counts.

Because as the vapor fades, what will remain is not how busy we were—but how faithful we were.

Discipline weighs an ounce. Regret weighs a ton.

Let’s be disciplined to be intentional about creating time for the things that matter most, because margin matters!

Steve Crawley

MD5 Facilitator