I am very tired today, but then I have been unusually, exceptionally tired every day this week, even though my daily schedule hasn’t changed at all. As I fight this fatigue, I find myself wondering when it will end and what is causing it. Then I remember that it was just a few days ago that I had to adjust all my clocks to “spring forward” one hour. Where did that hour go? I think I need that hour back in order to restore my energy and overall wellbeing.

They call this move of the clocks DST, or daylight savings time. However, it doesn’t seem to be about “saving” time, if you ask me (and no one did) I think I’ve lost that hour, not saved it. And I want it back. I guess in theory I can get it back six months from now when we all “fall back” by setting our clocks back an hour. But I’m not convinced. I want to know where my hour went. I need my hour back now!

Still, if there are only twenty-four hours in a day, then I can’t really “make” more time, or “keep” time from moving forward or even “save” time up for a rainy day, (or a busy day) can I? This past week I have been “spending time” trying to figure out where my lost hour went. I haven’t found it yet. But this I do know. Last week I was driving to work in the light. This week I am driving to work in the dark once again. This does not seem like progress to me.

In fact, this manipulation of time seems to create problems, which is the opposite of progress. My state hasn’t always participated in this madness, in this futile attempt to change time by adding (or subtracting) an hour from our clocks. We used to let time alone, while all the states around us changed their clocks. But I guess peer pressure finally won out and now we do what all the other states do. (except Arizona and Hawaii)

Resetting clocks causes all kinds of chaos twice a year. There are clocks in every classroom of my high school and after we “spring forward” or “fall back” none of them are on the new current, correct time. Very confusing. Those that are unaware of the change in time, show up for work, events, meetings etc. an hour early or an hour late. More confusion. Add to that the fact that they change the time of year that they change the time! We used to “spring forward” the first week of April. This year we did so the second week of March. Our state legislature has spent much time debating time, daylight savings time, that is, for years. They have gone back and forth on this issue, which explains why for much of my life we did not participate in daylight savings time.

As I write this, I realize perhaps I have been “wasting” time in my attempt to find this missing time which daylight savings time has stolen from me. Trying to regain lost time is proving to be a futile effort on my part. I should have known this would be true. After all, Jesus said to His disciples,

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27)

I’m really not in charge of my hours or my days. In fact, King David wrote –

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)

Time is a gift from God. He causes the sun to rise and to set each day. He causes the earth to spin as it revolves around the sun. God is the creator of time and the keeper of time. Just because we reset our clocks and call it “daylight savings time”, doesn’t mean we have actually saved any time, nor have we added any daylight hours to our lives. The sun will continue to rise and to set on her own God given schedule. We aren’t able to persuade her to linger longer in our sky, though we might wish to do so. God has already determined the hours that make up our days and the seasons that make up our lives.

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him.” (Daniel 2:20-22)

“From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:26-28)

I guess I will stop searching for my “lost hour” since it has never been lost, just arbitrarily renamed by resetting human clocks. There are still twenty-four hours in my day. I can’t create time nor can I control time, but I can strive to make the most of the time that God gives to me. I will make the psalmist’s prayer my prayer –

“Teach me to number my days aright that I may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

I will “redeem the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) Another translation says, “make the most of every opportunity.”

That’s what I will do – grateful for each new day I will let God be in charge of my time and my timetable. Like the old hymn says –

“Take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise” –

sincerely, Grace Day