Margin

Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

by Richard A. Swenson, M.D.

This review by Edwin M. Willmington

On a recent (and very infrequent!) reading binge, I read two books back to back that couldn't have been more opposite. The Margin book is not one that will cause much chuckling but rather plenty of serious thought about the important things in life. Written by a medical doctor, it carries plenty of observations from the medical side of life, though it is not overly cumbersome to read at all.

The book is separated into three sections:

(1) The Problem: Pain

(2) The Prescription: Margin

(3) The Prognosis: Health

The opening section points out the problem of pain — pain in the sense of the stress of life. The author points out how the "progress" of modern life, modern day problems, the proliferation of stress, and overload issues create pain in the lives of people who are not able to control these items. Can anyone relate yet?

In part two, Swenson discusses the need for margin — his main point of the book. He describes the fact the people who live in "pain" live their lives off the "edge of the page." Can anyone relate yet? He points out the need for margin in four areas of life: emotional, physical, time, and finances. If you live a life in ministry as I do, I think you probably understand the need for attention in each of those areas.

In the concluding section of the book, he describes his remedy for pain and lack of margin. He prescribes the need for contentment, simplicity, balance, and rest. I found myself thinking, "I can't do this!" I think the one thing that really hit home to me was the need for balance. I want to be a successful person in my career, but there are other things to be considered if I want to be successful in more than just my career. Balance is the answer.

Certainly the book hit me with a certain amount of guilt. It did face me with some things to keep in front of me all the time. Balance, Ed, balance!

EMW

Back to Book Reviews page

Back to Music Ministry Resources page

Back to Shepherd's Staff Worship Music Home Page

Shepherd's Staff Worship Music® --- WillmingTune Productions™

This page was last updated on 05/09/2007. Contact Webmaster.