Did You Save Time When You Changed Your Clock?

I heard it in conversation, on radio call-ins, and from email reminders not to be late to church Sunday. “Don’t forget to change your clocks.” Daylight Saving time began Sunday at 2 am. We sprang forward, and in November, we will “fall back”.

Contrary to popular thinking, daylight saving time is not about farmers, but about conserving energy. We get one more hour of daylight in the evening. As spring and summer approach, people can be outside in more daylight. If you’re curious, you can check out other interesting facts about what daylight saving time does and doesn’t do.

We are all interested in saving time. With busy schedules, needs to meet, and things to do, many are left with unfinished tasks and not enough time at the end of a day or week.


In their song, “A Hazy Shade of Winter” Simon and Garfunkel sang about time slipping away. As a college student, I listened “time after time” and loved their music, but never absorbed the meaning they expressed about the reality of time passing. Why would I? I was twenty. I had lots of time ahead. As the singers described changing leaves and dreary winter days setting in, I didn’t lament. I looked at days closer to semester break. The only unfinished manuscripts (per their song) I had, was a term paper to finish. The lyrics are more poignant-and more real-now. I know with each changing season, I have less future.

I’d like to save my time, but that’s impossible. I can manage it, use it wisely, enjoy it, but I sure can’t save it. And on November 4, when we change the clocks back an hour, I don’t really gain time.

Still…time management experts offer classes and strategies to relieve our stress and prioritize our hours.     Health proponents tell us to include time for exercise and leisure to take care of our bodies.     We are reminded not to sleep our time away, and to guard wasting time on the internet.

Even if we followed each suggestion seriously, none can help us save time. We can’t package an hour or two today and use it tomorrow.Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us there are seasons and times for every life activity. There will be sorrow and celebration, times when we plant seeds and days when I enjoy fresh vegetables from my garden; times when I hold my baby and a time when she holds hers; times when I rake leaves or pick roses.

Time. It moves. Life happens. Regardless, we can embrace time for the gift that it is. Any day may hold the urgent, important, necessary, disappointing, exciting, or calm. See what Psalm 90:12  offers us for our time, all the time.

What’s your biggest time struggle? And is it time to embrace time as a gift?