Monday, March 11, 2013

What happens at 2AM?



Have you ever wondered where that lost hour goes when we turn our clocks ahead, like we did Sunday morning at 2AM? And who picked the time of 2AM as the time to spring forward? I don’t know anyone who waits up just to adjust the alarm clock.

This whole thing of turning the clocks ahead started out as a kind of humorous idea. Lexie Rigden says it was the brainchild of Ben Franklin who, with tongue in cheek, wrote to the editor of the Journal of Paris with the idea. Like many concepts, it went into hibernation until 1916 when Germany was the first to “spring forward” during WWI to help cut the cost of fuel. Other countries eventually followed suit. The USA picked up on the notion in 1918, only to repeal the law the next year. It’s been an on again, off again affair ever since.

While the logic of trying to save more daylight seems rational to me, I did wonder about whose hair-brained idea it was to instigate all of this at 2AM. Evidently, it was found to be the least disruptive time for most Americans. By 2AM, everyone was back home for the night. Trains rarely ran at that hour and restaurants and taverns were closed. Sort of makes sense to me now. And to tell you the truth, I can’t remember the last time I was awake at 2AM, except when I had indigestion.   

Well, like it or not, it is Daylight Saving Time. It’s always a good opportunity to take a peek at how we spend our time each day. Here’s a quick inventory:
  1. Do you spend too much time on one part of your life at the expense of others?
  2. Are you taking time to deepen your relationship with God, invest in family, and care for yourself?
  3. Do you find time to serve others who are less fortunate?
  4. Do you feel like your schedule is well-balanced or out of whack?  

The Psalmist says, “Teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom.” In other words, it does us all a world of good to pause and reflect on how we spend our time.

It wouldn’t matter if there were 23 or 45 hours in a day, what matters is how we use the hours we are given. Is there one thing you would like to do differently with your time?

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