This weekend is Time Change. We will move our clocks ahead one hour – Spring Forward. This will begin Daylight Saving Time. Benjamin Franklin came up with the idea to give people the opportunity to enjoy sunny summer evenings later in the day. However, it was not until World War 1 (conserve coal during wartime) that it became part of western culture.
According to the rule, the clocks spring forward from 1:59 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. While I agree that it’s nice having an extra hour of sunlight in the evening to work in the garden or play ball, it comes with some headaches.
I have to change every clock in the house and cars. (The clock on our oven is extremely difficult to change and it has taken me about an hour to change it. So, I now just tape a piece of paper over the digital clock.) Invariably, I forget one of the clocks and it causes me to be late to an event.
Time Change Sunday in the Spring is difficult on church attendance. No matter how much you communicate, some people will forget (or use it as an excuse) and miss church all together. I know several churches who promote NOT to change the clocks until AFTER their Sunday service. This can be even more confusing when guests show up on time only to find that they are actually an hour early.
But the whole idea of moving the clock got me to thinking. What would it be like to REALLY move the clock ahead an hour or even a week or two. Have you ever wanted to know how an event was going to come out? – a surgery, relationship, or vacation. It would be nice to know so you can plan better.
Or what would it be like to turn back the clock a few days or years? I’ve often wished life had a rewind button so I could live it different. Boy, would I do some things different. Now, that I’m a grandfather, I know I would be a dad better. Sometimes you make a decision or do something that alters the rest of your life. It would be nice to have a ‘Do Over’ every now and then.
But life is not like that. We get one chance. Life only goes in one direction – forward. I have all the freedom to make my own choices, but I do not have the freedom to choose the consequences of those choices. Life has consequences.
So I must choose my path wisely. And there are a lot of things, had I known of them before, I would have never gone down that path. But now that it’s over – I’m very happy about the outcome.
So one of the beautiful things about God is that, though He doesn’t allow ‘do overs’, He does completely forgive. And then He will take the mess of my life and make something beautiful with it. I hope as you move your clocks this weekend, you will remember that the clock of life cannot be changed.
My grandmother used to have a plaque in her house. I want to finish with the words of that plaque.
The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop, At late or early hour.
To lose one’s wealth is sad indeed, to lose one’s health is more,
To lose one’s soul is such a loss, that no man can restore.
The present only is our own, so live, love, toil wit a will –
Place no faith in Tomorrow – For the clock may then be still.