It’s that time of year again — time to turn the clocks (if you still own clocks) and spring forward.
I never knew whether we were losing an hour or gaining an hour until I learned the expression, “spring forward; fall back.”
I get excited about gaining an hour in November. When I was younger, it was to hang out with my friends for an extra hour before my curfew hit, or play video games for a bit longer. Now, I get excited to sleep an extra hour…
Falling back is easy for me, but springing forward is tough. In a world where we are mostly overcommitted and have very little margin in time, many of us struggle with springing forward. What do you mean we lose an hour of our lives?!? But alas, that time is upon us yet again. On Sunday, we’ll turn our clocks forward and lose an hour of sleep, productivity, or fun.
I wonder if I’m the only one who struggles with losing an hour. Time is so precious. At first, I thought it was because I’m in a busy season of life with my wife and I both working full-time and raising two young children, however, when I talk to other people, I realize that time is equally precious for people in all stages of life. This is perhaps why God tells his people to make the best use of the time, or to “redeem the time” (Eph. 5:16).
In the context of his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul is calling people to stop wasting time harming one another, being selfish, deceiving other people, and taking advantage of others. We don’t have time for that (we’re losing an hour!) Instead, “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2).
Engage in activities that build one another up. Serve people; help them thrive in life — even when it comes at a cost because that’s the example Jesus left for us.
Time is precious. There’s no time to waste. Use it wisely as you spring forward.
