Take Your Time, But Give It Back, Too
The old saying, “Don’t lose sleep over it,” is sage advice for those who find themselves tossing and turning at night after experiencing an angst-ridden day. It’s best to let it go, if possible, and get a restful night’s sleep.
Sometimes, however, loss of sleep is unavoidable — like this weekend when we “spring forward” and set our clocks ahead by one hour, thus depriving us of 60 precious minutes of shuteye.
So, let this serve as a not-so-subtle reminder to reset your clocks before you go to bed on Saturday night. After all, we wouldn’t want you to miss our worship service on Sunday morning. Besides, you’ll recoup that hour next fall when we turn the clocks back an hour.
All of this made me wonder just how valuable one hour of our life — awake or asleep — really is. If it were possible to add an extra 60 minutes to your day, what would you do with that time? Would you read a book, grab a meal, take a nap, or attend to a project that you have been putting off for a while?
There is no limit to what we might do in terms of making use of that extra hour, but what if we were to consider how we could fill that time from a spiritual perspective? How about engaging in prayer, calling or texting someone who is homebound, visiting someone in the hospital or an assisted-living facility, or writing a quick note to someone who lives alone?
You might not accomplish all of this in a single hour, but it’s worth a try, even if you only complete one or two of these objectives. When you’re finished, you will take great comfort in the fact that you have answered the call of the Lord to love and serve your neighbor — and you will certainly sleep well that night.
Until we meet again, Be Blessed! – Pastor John