The folly of Daylight Savings Time

I like Daylight Savings Time, though I’m not sure it needs to start in March.  I love long summer evenings and the lingering light of dusk.  I’m looking forward to after dinner walks with Becky around Langhorne as the weather warms.  Since I don’t have to get up to milk the cows, I think, all in all, that Daylight Savings Time is a good idea.

You can read all about Daylight Saving Time here, and if you do you’ll notice that it’s been around in its current form for about 90 years.  Most of the rest of the world calls it Summer Time.  That’s the only thing I’d change about the practice if it were up to me to change it.  I’d call it Summer Time.

There’s something a little presumptuous, maybe foolish, about thinking that we can save time.  Time is a gift from God.  It needs to be made the most of and we need to remember that there is a time for every purpose under heaven. We must not assume that time is ours to control. Time is God’s to rule. 

We Westerners have a tendency to look at time as a commodity to be spent, used and even saved.  But saving time is about as likely as saving a jar full of noontime light to use in the darkest hour of the night.  It won’t work.  Our attempts to save time may be as foolish as the Israelites’ attempt to save manna.  In fact, having tried to save time to be used later, we may find it beginning to stink and full of maggots.

Some of us are old enough to remember the Harry Chapin song, The Cats in the Cradle.  

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin home, dad, I dont know when,
But we'll get together then, Son,
You know we'll have a good time then.

The song is a haunting reminder, especially for fathers, of the folly of trying to save some time to use later.  Can’t be done.  Then never comes. 

God has given us the gift of time, time to be made the most of, time to be welcomed in its season and for its purpose, time under the sovereign command of a his love. 

Maybe if it were up to me I’d call Daylight Saving Time “Gift of God Time.”

However we put it, starting Sunday there will be more daylight left after work and after dinner and after school.  What are you going to do with the gift God has given you?

What do you think?  Feel free to add your comments!