I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. Ecclesiastes 3:10-12 (NIV)
Did the person who invented daylight savings time know what havoc it would play in peoples’ lives? Not that I don’t enjoy those extra hours of daylight in the summer. It is nice to come home from work and play outside for a while in the evening. I like storing up those extra hours to use later in the day. I can weed flowerbeds, water the yard, or play with the horses. I don’t even mind having the winter mornings be lighter. It is nice not to have to worry about someone jumping out of the bushes when I get out of my car or turn on a flashlight to see the security panel in my office. It is easier to get everyone to work and school in the winter, too. I just hate switching from one time to another. Twice a year, when we go onto daylight savings time in the spring and then, when we return to standard time in the fall, my whole system goes wacky for a couple of weeks. I don’t know why one hour should make such a difference, but it does. In the spring, I cannot get out of bed in the mornings or go to sleep at a decent hour. In the fall, I am exhausted by 7:30 at night and spring out of bed at 4:30 in the morning. Even the animals are affected. The horses are in their stalls when I come home from work, banging their feed buckets wondering why I am so late with their dinner. It will take me a couple of weeks to get over my fall lethargy and back into a routine again. As long as I am living on this earth, I will be bound by time, just as surely as I am held down by gravity. God uses that time to reveal all the beauty He has placed here for me to enjoy. I see the seasons change even though it is subtle here in Florida. We have to watch carefully for signs but they are there, wildflowers bloom, grasses change color, birds return north and come south again. Even the texture of the sky changes if you look closely enough. While my body is governed by time, my heart holds eternity in it. I have a soul that longs for greater knowledge and understanding of God and Who He is. If I ignore it, I am emptier than my horses feed bucket at dinnertime. Grains of sands fall one by one in the hourglass. How am I using each moment and what is my attitude? I am here to enjoy life and glorify God and yes, both of those things are possible at once. But, God only gives me one breath at a time, so I must use each one wisely. What about you? How are you spending your time? Do your actions and words point others to God? No matter what your time zone, be a light that shines for Him.
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