I once listened to a sermon series by Andy Stanley entitled, “Take It to the Limits.”

While he had many good things to say, the sentence that really struck me was when he said, “Relationships happen in the margin.” That one almost seemed to come through the speakers and grab me. I certainly could relate to what he was saying at that point in my life.

Now, if you don’t understand the concept of margin, let’s equate it to the white space you have, or don’t have on your calendar. If you find every day in your day-timer is full of entries from morning until night, day after day, there isn’t much white space left that doesn’t have something written on it. So, what do you do when the unexpected happens?

Margin allows you time to breathe and deal with events and issues that happen unexpectedly. It allows you time to act spontaneously without your life causing you a lot of stress or having it fall apart.

When I heard him say that, I remember feeling as though my life had become too busy to spend time with close friends. After dealing with my own personal thoughts concerning this, I decided to do something about it. Within a short period of time, I contacted a couple of my closest friends and told them it was time to reconnect and rekindle our times together. They agreed.

Friendships are precious

Since we’ve reconnected, we enjoy a special time together two to three times a month for three to four hours at a time. We share with each other in the privacy of my friend’s back deck where it’s quiet and restful.

We bring our lunches, sip coffee, enjoy dessert and share intimate thoughts and situations with each other that are occurring in our lives. And before we leave each other, our next rendezvous is scheduled. This is the way we’ve each decided to show the other they are important in our life.

While I’ve always known friends are vital and have had many, I had allowed “good” things and routine occurrences to keep me from “priceless” moments. Thankfully, I discovered this and have been able to change my life for the better.

Friends…Who or what comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, “Relationships happen in the margin?”

If you feel or sense you need to change some things in your life in order to spend time with friends, then do it! Make it happen!

Friends are priceless relationships, and time shared venting frustrations, expressing joys and ministering to each other’s needs is time never wasted.

And by the way, it’s certainly cheaper than therapy!