Digging Deeper – Creating Margin Allows Me to Consider Others
12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:12-14 (NLT)
CREATING MARGIN ALLOWS ME TO CONSIDER OTHERS
We’ve all got friends and enemies (or at least people you are less fond of). But there’s a third category: frenemies. A frenemy is someone or something that is of great benefit to you but can also serve as the bane of your existence simultaneously.
My frenemy? WAZE.
[Quick side note – WAZE’s humble roots were first formed in 2006 by an Israeli programmer whose goal was to create a real time interactive map of Israel using community users to crowd-source the digital data that was compiled in the Hebrew language. The initial project was known as FreeMap Israel and was re-named WAZE in 2008 when the founder wanted to commercialize it.]
OK, back to my frenemy.
You should first understand that I abhor traffic. In fact, abhor might not be a strong enough verb to express my disdain for overly congested roadways. When WAZE was first introduced to me, I felt like it was God’s gift to humanity! Now I could circumvent the backups and arrive at each destination in a timelier manner – and with far less frustration! I’ve become so accustomed to popping my destination in on the app that it’s rare that I don’t use it. This dependence on WAZE, and my obsession with timeliness, has led to other issues, however.
After entering my destination, I select my preferred route, and wait for the calculation: my estimated time of arrival (ETA). Now, here’s the problem: I look at this forecast as the LATEST time I should arrive – not an ESTIMATE. I begin to race against the clock! If WAZE spits out that I’m supposed to be at the Buc-ees in Leeds, Alabama at 1:33pm, by golly I will be there at least by that time! But, when I’m stuck at a red light, or if there is congestion on I-20, the clock ticks up a minute or two. Channeling my best Buford T. Justice, I say to myself, “No sir! – “WAZE said 1:33, so 1:36 will not work for me!”
You see where this is going. Instead of appreciating how WAZE helps me to avoid the worst traffic, I now unnecessarily inflate my blood pressure because of my desire to avoid traffic altogether. Honestly, I’m now using WAZE less often because my mind stays calmer without it. When Amy and I are driving somewhere together, and there’s a chance we will get caught in heavier traffic, she will drive (Actually, she insists on driving).
This all stems from a lack of patience. Why is recognizing this so important? Because when I become impatient behind the wheel, my mind becomes so focused on myself that I lose sight of others – some are passengers in the car with me, and some are the drivers in front of, behind, and beside me. They have places to be and loved ones to see as well.
I can’t show others the love and kindness of Christ when I am frantic, hurried, and stressed. Instead, I can give myself more margin in my schedule to account for delays and focus on arriving SAFELY instead of hurriedly.
Otherwise, it’s back to printing MapQuest directions.
C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy, and their German Shepherd, Abby.
