The Time of Our Lives
It was Bob Dylan who sang, back in 1964, "The Times They Are A-Changin." And since this weekend brings us the second Sunday of March, that also means it's almost time to change our clocks again.
That's right, this Sunday, March 8, marks the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, the day of the year when the "time fairy" sneaks into our homes during the cover of night and steals an hour of life from us. I know we got a free day this past week with "Leap Day," but now it feels like they are going to try to take it back from us, one hour at a time.
Most people I talk to think the time change and the whole Daylight Savings Time is a pretty dumb idea anyway. It reminds me of an old Indian saying I remember hearing that only a fool would believe that cutting a foot off the top of a blanket and sewing it on the bottom of a blanket would make a longer blanket.
For various reasons, a few states actually refuse to participate, keeping their clocks the same year round. That sounds pretty reasonable to me. The spring time change sure does affect our moods and our sleep patterns, among other things. And did you know that Daylight Savings Time may be hazardous to your health?
Studies have shown a marked increase in accidents the week immediately following the spring time change, when we lose the hour of sleep. In a two-year study of Canadian traffic accidents, psychologist Stanley Coren of the University of British Columbia found that accidents jumped about 8 percent the Monday after the spring shift, perhaps because of the drivers' loss of an hour of shut-eye.
Coincidence? Perhaps not. Coren also noted a New England Journal of Medicine study that accidents dropped about 8 percent from normal the Monday after the shift back to standard time in the fall (and the gain of an extra hour of sleep). No one knows the correlation between those who had accidents and those who didn't go to church....but let me just say, you don't want to be one of those statistics!
So don't forget to set your clocks forward an hour on Saturday night, and get to bed early so you can "beat the clock" and come well rested and ready for worship on Sunday. Don't sleep in, and put it off until Monday; that will only make your Monday worse, in more ways than one!
You might also want to be extra careful on the road this coming Monday. For that matter, maybe all of us should pay a little more attention to how we use the precious allotment of time we have been given each and every day. It is, after all, the time of our lives!
"Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16)
I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
