Do you remember being in school and hearing the teacher say, “Leave a margin on both sides of the paper!” That’s a concrete way to picture “margins.” Space. It makes writing assignments look neater, and there is room for the teacher to make notes when grading it.

What would a paper look like with no margins? Can you see it? A page full of words, side-to-side. A jumble.

What would your life look like with no margins? In this world, and especially during the holiday season, where “busy-ness” is often commended, we may have little to no room for anything extra.

Will you or I be available if God silently taps us on the shoulder to see a stranger and offer help? Or a neighbor wants to chat a few minutes when they see us going to our car to run errands?

What do life margins look like?

Maybe it looks like being able to walk slowly to and from your car in your driveway or a parking lot. Or not always talking on your phone when driving with kids in your backseat. What about taking time to help someone load groceries in their car and returning the cart for them.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Being available for whatever God might send you and me during the upcoming days can bring unexpected joy to us as we go about our daily schedules.

What kind of margins will you build into your day today?

I drive by a large, stately building now and then. It has always caught my eye because it is so striking and important-looking. I’ve thought it would be an interesting place to visit.

One day I was in the neighborhood and looked ahead to see the beautiful building. But there was something different about it. I realized that the sides of the building were metal. Like a warehouse. What I saw were plain outside walls that looked as if a strong wind might could blow them down!

So from the front I got one impression, and from the side a completely different one. I felt tricked!

Are we sometimes like that? We can easily portray one aspect of ourselves that people see. But could there be another side that may be unattractive and even unreliable?

After getting over my disappointment about the building, I decided that maybe the people who owned it couldn’t afford to make the whole thing beautiful and stately. Their money would only go so far, so they used it on the front, probably thinking that was the most important part.

But which part of the building would be important if a storm with a strong wind came along? To survive it, all the sides of it would have to be reinforced, and not just with metal.

As Christians, we need to be “reinforced” so we will represent Christ all the time! God wants us to be seen as all-around, genuine people who are striving to follow Christ all the time.

What do you “present” when people see you? What if someone saw you when you weren’t expecting them? What “side” of you might they encounter?

The amazing thing is that God, our loving Father, is always available to us and will help us if we ask Him. He promises that.

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us . . . ” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV)