Are You Living an Edgy Life?

“I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.”
~ Job 3:26 (ESV)

Do you live an “edge to edge” life; rushing from one thing to another?

Do you know that your edge to edge life can have an effect on others as well? It can be used by Satan as a weapon to throw both yourself and others off your feet. This morning, I learned this lesson and saw it first hand how this could be so, as I waited to see my chiropractor.

Since I am on my sabbatical, I had made a decision to take a slow stroll to my chiropractor’s this morning, after I saw my wife to her training. God is good that, on this day, things fell into place nicely so I can easily accompany my wife to her training and then had just ample time to make my way to my chiropractor’s nearby. And the 20 mins walk helped slowed me down as I “savored” the sights of this part of the city, which I had taken for granted.

As I reached my chiropractor’s and settled in, I saw a lady being all agitated and was complaining to the staff. And I could understand why as well; the backlog at the clinic had resulted in her waiting longer than usual and she could possibly be delayed for her next appointment. And with each passing minute, I could tell she was getting more and more worked up until she “exploded” at the staff. It was not easy for the staff as well, I guess, being told off first thing in the morning at the beginning of the work week.

As I sat there, I felt reminded by God how margins help us. Being busy and having things constantly coming in and out our of lives (like in the verse in Job above) could have the effect of causing us to be edgy and we could snap at people and be less patient with them. It was so for me just months back when I was going through my burnout. I’m still edgy at times now but am slowing down and learning.

And here, I’m further reminded that the devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. If God is about relationships and love, then Satan is the antithesis of it and he will work to destroy relationships.

Think of the above scenario again, where living on the edge causes one to be edgy and snapped at the staff. There is already a breakdown in relationship here. The staff could, if she does not manage it well internally, in turn be affected by it and snap at others, causing further damages to relationships. It has such a domino effect. It showed me how my being edgy could affect others and how it could be used by Satan to steal, kill and destroy relationships. I definitely do not want to be his “accomplice”.

It then reminds me what I have learned about margins as I go through my own sabbatical. When I fail to give margins in my life, I’m filled to the brim. I learned that I need to intentionally build margins e.g. taking time to intentionally slow down just like I did with my walk to my chiropractor’s this morning. Sure I had a lot to do but a slightly longer walk won’t kill as it helps me burn off some fats while also saving money.

Jesus Himself often built margins into His rhythm of life as he withdrew to pray and hear from God before doing anything (See Mark 1:35, Mark 6:31‭-‬32, Luke 5:15‭-‬16, Matthew 14:23, Luke 6:12, Matthew 26:36)

I like the analogy of writing on paper I read on the internet. It reminded us how when we were studying, we used to write on these paper with lines and margins on either side of the paper. We were always told not to write anything in the margins so our teachers can give us instructions and correction notes to help us learn and grow. In the same way, when we fail to leave margins in our lives, we do not leave space for God to speak to us to help us grow.

Is your life like an edge to edge domino?

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James Lim

James is the Lead Thrive-Synergist & Founder of Emmaus Strategies; a social enterprise that “fuels good”. It does this through Mental Well-Being programmes for individuals and organizations, as well as Strategic Volunteer Partnerships consultancy and training for non-profits.