TIME

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8)

              Did you know that on November 18, 1883, time stood still? Well, it did in some places. In other places time sped up and in still other places time slowed down. It was a crazy day.

              You see, that was the day the United States went on “Standard Time” with the four standard time zones we know today. Up until then, time on clocks was set locally while most people simply counted time by where the sun stood in the sky. The problem was this made railroad scheduling a nightmare.

              So on November 18, 1883, Western Union sent out messages on telegraphs telling every station what time it was. And we have set our clocks by that time ever since.

              Time is such an arbitrary thing. Why is a day 24 hours? Why is an hour 60 minutes? Or a minute 60 seconds? For no other reason than we said so, and everyone agrees it is so. And we are so steeped in our time-keeping, it feels totally natural, and we never question time.

              But we also know that time passes quickly, no matter how you carve it up. Each sunrise and sunset tells us time is passing, as does my aging body. A minute, a day, an hour means very little. The past, the present, the future means everything.

              All of this is simply a way to remind ourselves that time is precious, and to use our time wisely. Cherish the past, live in the present, and hope for the future. Consider each new day a gift from God and let yourself be surprised by what is wrapped up inside. Every moment spent in anger and hate is a moment wasted, a moment you will never get back. Every act of love and compassion is time well spent.

              So have a day, my friends. Good day, great day, I won’t put that kind of pressure on you. Simply have a day that you can look back upon and think, at least in part, that was time well spent.