Daylight Saving Time. It came back around pretty quickly if you ask me. I had not even gotten around to changing the clock in my vehicle from the time change this past fall. But I suppose my complacency in clock adherence served me well in this instance. When I got in my car the time was already right. And I had only had to suffer through six months of reprogramming my brain to understand that the time on the dash was an hour off!
I definitely have a problem with losing an hour of sleep though! I have this beautiful affection for slumber and could spend an extraordinary amount of time doing it, you know, nothing, just sleeping. It’s my favorite pastime and I’m pretty good at it too. If it was an Olympic sport I’d definitely take the gold. Well, on second thought, probably the silver. The gold medal would go to my spouse.
So despite being groggy-headed after losing an entire, precious hour (yes I felt like Gollum), and the fact that it was very dark outside when I left for work; I was optimistic about the whole thing.
I knew that now the days would be longer! Well, not really. As far as I knew they were still 24 hours long, but the amount of daylight would be longer. This filled me with giddiness. Yes I get excited easy. Don’t be a kill-joy.
I have a love/hate relationship with Daylight Saving Time. I love the extra hour of sleep in the fall, but I hate the less hours of daylight. I hate losing the hour of sleep in the spring, but I love the thought of longer days. Somehow the realization that longer days have arrived seems to overshadow the lost sleep for me.
When spring and summer arrive they fill me with energy, determination, and strangely enough, more time to do the things I love. In the fall, when the sun sets early, I feel mildly depressed and rushed to accomplish things before it’s the children’s bedtime. It’s weird, but it’s not just me. They even have a term “seasonal depression” to describe the decline in mood that people feel in the winter months. And apparently suicide rates soar in places like Alaska where the darkness rages on.
In the summer we play more and worry less. We’re more carefree and quick to laugh. In the winter I say things to my kids like, “Let’s hurry home before it gets dark.”
As I’ve said before, it’s not that the days are any longer. I’m not getting more accomplished because there’s suddenly 30 hours in a day. I’m simply more motivated and less stressed. Something about all that light just energizes the soul!
It seemed to make a lot more sense to me when I thought of it in a light/dark sense. When it’s light I’m encouraged. In the dark, not so much. The light illuminates the best in me, motivating and giving purpose. The darkness makes me feel rushed, like I have too much to do in too little time, and I’ll never accomplish it. I guess you could say it makes me feel defeated.
I realized how true this relationship of light and dark is in all facets of our life. There are numerous verses in the Bible that describe light and darkness, and most signify light to be of God and darkness of Satan. While God created night and day with purpose for creation and life, the symbolism of light and darkness is still there and is referenced throughout the Bible.
Light always signifies truth and what is right. It signifies holiness and all that is good. It signifies Him. It is Him. His light illuminates everything it touches permeating it with truth. Imagine if you allowed His light to illuminate all aspects of your life. I thought of a few areas right off the bat that would improve with a little light shown on them.
1. How I see others. Relationships are hard. I try to get everyone to think exactly like I do (insert sarcasm), but so far that hasn’t worked out for me. People are so different, even the ones that reside under my roof. I’m married to a man who has many differing opinions, preferences, or priorities when compared to my own. We have a lot in common, but a lot of differences as well.
With marriage, with family, with friends, with co-workers, heck, even with strangers you will find clashes of personality. You know the best way to co-exist in love (not always agreement, but at least compromise) with someone with opposing views? It’s by shining a little light on the situation.
By the light of God’s love, illuminated through His eyes, you see someone as beloved by Him. You see them as a child of God. That light of truth, that view from His perspective, somehow makes the darkness of discord, disagreement, and differing views much less. It doesn’t disappear, but the light illuminates the good and accentuates that.
2. How I see myself. I have a hard time with this. I suppose most people do. I see the worst in myself. I even imagine things that aren’t there half the time, things that other people never see in me. Perhaps the darkness (AKA Satan) pollutes my thoughts. And once you see yourself in that blackened view it’s hard to see anything else. You’re mired down by it, by self-loathing and disgust at imagined deficiencies.
Spring forward. Shine some light on your self-perception. Open the curtains to your winterized brain and let the sun (Son) shine in. You’re a child of the King. God don’t make junk. Right?
Just like falling back, the darkness tries to take control of your day, shortening the amount of light you let in. That’s why I work on this a lot. It’s not something you can tell yourself once. It’s a battle, life-long, between darkness and light. You have to daily illuminate yourself to God’s view of you.
3. How I see the world/future. Well dang. This is another tough one. This world is going to hell in a hand basket. Right? Not really. Yes there’s bad. But there’s also good. There’s darkness, but there’s also light. And you know what? Darkness cannot harm you if you walk in the light. Not really.
John 1:5 ESV
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There’s hope in the future. There’s hope in the light. We can’t walk around mourning, despondent, or in defeat. He who is in me is greater than He who is in the world. I have hope. I have a future. I have His light in me. By letting depression over a sinful world snuff out your light you allow it too much power. Instead decide to shine brightly and be an overcomer. Believe. Intercede. Be a catalyst for change in this dark place. Let His light work in you and spill out for all to see the truth.
So from now on don’t just look at it as an hour of sleep lost. Look at it as light gained. Let it be a reminder to you every year to invite His light to illuminate your life.
I’ll bet you never thought about Daylight Saving Time like this before, but now you will. Shine on my friends.