Leading with Margin: Sabbath and the Simple Creation of Margin by Reducing Load
“The mind that comes to rest is tended
In some ways that it cannot intend
Is born, preserved, and comprehended
By what it cannot comprehend.”
~ Wendell Berry, from 1979 in This Day
I appreciated very much reading through this volume of illuminaire on leadership. Hutchinson and her contributors have woven together a wonderful tapestry of thoughts on leadership. Each article resonated with me for particular reasons and I appreciated the approach of an integrated leader and their sense of connected self in mind, body and heart. This integration is important in sustainable leadership and something that I am keenly interested in both in my own studies (hence, a doctoral leadership program) my NPO on Sabbath keeping and its necessity in an “overloaded” society, and finally, as a dean and professor at a pastoral leadership seminary. I’m looking forward to hearing from Hutchinson next week.
For the purpose of this blog post, I’d like to focus in on Hutchinson’s reflection on Margin, and how the practice of keeping a weekly Sabbath can contribute to the reduction of load, which increases Margin. Hutchinson draws from Richard Swenson’s formula, “Margin=Power-Load.” While many of us are here in the program to increase our “power” to grow in our knowledge and wisdom in leadership, I would argue that the development of power is a slower and more laborious task than the reduction of load. While reduction of load is a challenge in our overloaded world, the practice of a weekly time to stop, rest and let go of the need for production and progress can be a significant support to the creation of margin in a leader’s life, which will lead to a healthy, sustainable leader.
Sabbath increases margin and works against the addiction and illusion of progress in three primary ways:
- Sabbath reminds us that we are finite human beings, and God loves us that way
- Sabbath reminds us that we are not in control of most of the things we try to control
- Sabbath reminds us that what matters most are relationships
Sabbath reminds us that we are finite, human beings, and God loves us that way
Ironically, as I’m writing this blog post, my three year old daughter is home sick and is watching Alice in Wonderland. The rabbit is running around frantically proclaiming that, “he’s late, he’s late, for a very important date.” Most of us frantically fly through our days trying to maximize as much productivity from the day, to be efficient and crash at the end of the day with no energy and a longer to do list for the following day. Sabbath, instead, invites us to stop and embrace the gift of limits. To remember that our worth is not in what we’ve done or accomplished that week, but in the reality that we are beloved children of God. As God’s people prepared to enter the promised land, Moses proclaimed the 10 commandments to them again. The 4th commandment, to keep the Sabbath, is given to remind them in Deut. 5:15, “that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” God desires to be with us—not our accomplishments or achievements, but us. The practice of Sabbath as a weekly discipline sets us free from the “bondage and baggage that breaks us.”When we stop from our work, we remember that we are not enslaved to our work, but have instead been set free by God to participate in our work and our rest with Him. God’s ultimate desire is to be with us: human, finite, limited us and He created the Sabbath as a gift to rest and remember that we are free to belong to Him.
Sabbath reminds us that we are not in control of the things we try to control
Perhaps one of the hardest, and most important reasons, to practice Sabbath is because it reminds us that we are not in control. We spend most of our week slowly developing the illusion that we are the ones that are ultimately responsible for our families, our jobs, our bank accounts, our faith and this feedback loop of production and performance can give us the sense that we are ultimately in control of the things that we are not in control of. This anxiety of control is brought to the surface when we stop and let go of the things we’ve tried to manage all week long and entrust them into the hands of the others, and ultimately in the hands of God.
Sabbath reminds us what matters most is relationships
However, if we can find our way into a regular rhythm of Sabbath and letting go of the need to push beyond our God-given limits and need to control the things and people in our lives a beautiful space can open up before us where we are reminded that life really is about relationships. Relationships, in their proper place, bring life through giving and receiving. Sabbath reminds us that we are limited and we are human, but we are loved and accepted as well. When we stop and rest, it creates margin for connection and relationship with God and others. Enjoying the richness of silence or contemplation in God’s creation or laughs and lingering conversation at a table with friends are gifts that the Sabbath longs to give to us if we will slow down and embrace it.
In conclusion, Sabbath would be a primary spiritual discipline and gift of time for reducing our load as leaders, increasing our power and thus creating more margin in our lives, which will make us not only better leaders, but better human beings.
I want to leave you with a wonderful prayer to welcome the Sabbath in your own life from The Book of Common Prayer for Ordinary Radicals:
Lord of Creation,
create in us a new rhythm of life
composed of hours that sustain rather than stress,
of days that deliver rather than destroy,
of time that trickles rather than tackles.
Lord of Liberation
By the rhythm of your truth, set us free
from the bondage and baggage that break us,
from the Pharaohs and fellows who fail us,
from the plans and pursuits that prey upon us.
Lord of Resurrection,
May we be raised into the rhythm of your new life,
dead to deceitful calendars,
dead to fleeting friend requests,
dead to the empty peace of our accomplishments.
To our packed-full planners, we bid, “Peace!”
To our over-caffeinated consciences, we say, “Cease!”
To our suffocating selves, Lord grant release.
Drowning in a sea of deadlines and death chimes,
we rest in you our lifeline
By your ever-restful grace,
allow us to enter your Sabbath rest
as your Sabbath rest enters into us.
In the name of our Creator, our Liberator our Resurrection and life we pray. Amen
__________________________
From Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals
About the Author
Ryan Thorson
Follower of Jesus. Husband. Father. Pastor. Coach. I am passionate about helping people discover the gift of Sabbath and slow down spirituality in the context of our busy world.10 responses to “Leading with Margin: Sabbath and the Simple Creation of Margin by Reducing Load”
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Ryan, thank you for such a thoughtful exploration of Sabbath and its role in leadership and life. You highlighted how Sabbath reminds us of our finiteness, frees us from control, and refocuses us on relationships. In your experience, how do you guide emerging leaders to integrate these Sabbath principles into their daily leadership practices, especially in environments that seem to demand constant productivity and control?
Thanks Glyn. This is something I’m working in for my NPO and with the pastoral students I am currently teaching. We’re developing a “Sabbath worksheet” where they can identify the different types of work they do, what energizes and drains them, and where in their week they can create margin to start practicing Sabbath. Like any new endeavor, its important to have a plan, but also simply to practice and reflect. I’m hoping to provide feedback for them along the way so that a sustainable practice might emerge in their lives.
Hi Ryan, I appreciated reading your explanation of Sabbath, specifically how, ultimately, it invites and then makes the space for God to enter. The prayer you shared is a gift. Thank you for that. Do you find that teaching Sabbath within the context of your family that your children come to it more naturally, or do they miss the clutter that Sabbath seems to diminish? I guess what I am wondering is if starting with parents of young children establishes a pattern of living that is life giving that can stay with the children throughout their lives.
Hi Diane great question! Our family’s practice of Sabbath has been shifting recently, with some of our kids entering high school and their desire for weekend fun with friends. Put sports and other things on top of it and its been a challenge. However, what’s been interesting is that they’ll bring up when its been a week or two since we’ve had sabbath as a family and we’re working on creative ways to practice together, as well as on our own. I think starting them young has normalized sabbath so they notice when its missing.
Ryan,
I have been wanting to reestablish a better sabbath rhythm at home. Knowing that we are going to read “The Anxious Generation” soon I have been waiting for that to help give me another kick-start. Keeping the rhythm of sabbath is hard as life gets in the way. However, you do bring up some great insight regarding sabbath. How might a rhythmic sabbath routine connect to some of this week’s reading, specifically regarding the artist expressions we found?
Thanks Adam. I think rhythms and space can produce creativity from a place of rest. I know we both love the outdoors and I think being outdoors brings refreshement, as well as reminders, of the pace of growth in nature and how that relates to our lives. I would encourage you to incorporate outdoor practices into your sabbath rhythms and you might really like Wendell Berry and his Sabbath poems!
Ryan, you did a great job bridging Sabbath and margin. These are both areas I see many leaders struggle to implement. You used the word “tapestry” in your blog. That goes nicely with these two ideas– we need both and they enhance the other. The end results of having margin and maintaining a sabbath sound refreshing, but the process is challenging. What would be your advice as a good first step to take in one’s journey to find both margin and sabbath?
Hi Ryan, Great post! I would love to read a brief snippet of how you started prioritizing Sabbath in your life. Was it the influence of a leader, or was it a journey you made yourself? I appreciate the humility you demonstrate concerning your convictions surrounding the Sabbath. It’s very encouraging for me. Thanks again!
Thank you for your post.
How can leaders promote the practice of Sabbath within their organizations to foster a healthier, more balanced work environment?
Ryan, given your NPO research and the reading this week, I was excited to read your article. Given your research, how might embracing limits challenge conventional notions of leadership effectiveness, and how can organizations support this paradigm shift?