Learning to Live: One Important Lesson from Life in Croatia
It was a foggy morning here in Zagreb, Croatia, and I was sitting across the table as my new friend and I enjoyed a couple cups of coffee. As the steam rose from our coffees and the background noise of surrounding conversations mixed with the American pop music streaming through the cafe speakers, we shared about our stories and our lives.
As our conversation progressed, we began talking about life in Croatia. And that’s when he shared this bit of wisdom with me:
“Americans know how to get things done quickly and efficiently. But Croatians know how to really live.”
What did he mean by that?
In our first few months here in Croatia, I have found that the pace and rhythms of life to be different - and slower - than the average American schedule.
We walk our kids to school.
Work hours are more flexible.
Neighborhoods are structured in family-friendly ways with lots of playgrounds, cafes, and parks.
Pedestrians have the right-of-way.
Four weeks of vacation is the annual required minimum.
Most businesses are closed on Sundays.
Another way of putting it is that our family is finding life here to have more MARGIN.
Margin for time with family, neighbors, friends, and with God. When life is slower and less jam-packed with meetings and appointments and commitments, you have the opportunity to see life grow and flourish in unexpected and beautiful ways.
If every hour of your day is scheduled, surprises become inconvenient annoyances rather than opportunities to learn, love, and grow. And some of our best friendships and best stories are unplanned, aren’t they?
Margin is where the unexpected lives. And we find that Jesus is often in the margins too.
Jesus is a God of the margins.
Jesus is everywhere - yes - but we see time and time again thoughout the Bible (and throughout human history) that Jesus spends the most time on the margins and with those who have been pushed to the margins.
So if we are seeking to spend more time with Jesus as Christians, I believe that we will frequently find ourselves spending more time on the margins too.
Living life as a Christian with more margin can look like:
Walking more places.
Choosing to live in a neighborhood where you can walk more places.
Inviting your neighbors over for dinner or a neighborhood barbecue.
Joining a small group at church.
Volunteering with a local cause that you are passionate about.
Scheduling more gaps in you calendar so you can walk/commute/drive slower and be open to when life and other interrupt your schedule.
And you can spend more time with our “Jesus of the margins” by:
Listening to the Bible while you go for a run, drive to work, or walk in your neighborhood. My favorite audio Bible (in English and Spanish) is: Streetlights Bible.
Finding small ways to add spiritual habits into your life. The book Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer is a great place to start. His ministry, also called Practicing the Way, is really helpful too. A great resource for families is Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley.
Grab a friend or two and volunteer together in your neighborhood. Our journey with Jesus is also done in community with other Christians.
“Learning to live. “
That is something that I am learning about here in Croatia. But you don’t have to move to this (amazing and beautiful) country to add margin into your life, slow down your schedule, and “learn to live”. We can each find a full and thriving life wherever God has placed us.
Begin by moving to the margins.
Because when we spend more time in the margins - we find Jesus and it is there that we “may have life and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)
