It’s that time of year again, the change of the clocks back to Standard Time. But instead of bemoaning how much it will disrupt our lives, maybe we should take a deeper appreciation of the blessings God provides within the seasonal changes of nature.

I think we’ve all wished there were more hours in a day, or that the week was longer than seven days. In a way, humans have been trying to squeeze more life out of a day ever since we could control fire. Firelight allowed us to continue working and being able to see after sunset. With all the technology now, technically we could make a room bright enough to seem like it’s daylight 24 hours a day. However, we would pay a price for being awake for that length of time. Our bodies need sleep, just like they need the nutrition from the food we eat. Having more hours in a day may not enable us to get more done, as a portion of that time would need to be balanced with rest. It can be a struggle to unplug from technology at the end of the day; whether it’s television or apps on a mobile device, hours seem to pass by in minutes at the cost of sleep one needs to be fully functional. 

Here in Virginia, the longest day of the year provides almost 15 hours of sunlight, where the shortest provides about 9-½ hours. No matter how we adjust our clocks, in the winter we cannot make the sun shine more and a good portion of our day will be spent working in darkness. Yet the change in the amount of sunlight doesn’t just affect us, it also affects the earth as well. Less sunlight means plants go dormant. I recall learning about fallow fields in grade school, a method of allowing the soil to recover from a crop, so that the proper nutrient balance could be restored. It’s not just humans that need a rest, it’s also the earth! In God’s merciful wisdom, there are limits placed on day and night, as well as the seasons, and all creation is interlinked within these blessed parameters.

Looking around the natural world, it’s not just light and darkness that have limitations, but all creatures. In the diversity of the created world, something that is an advantage to one may be lacking in another. Birds of prey have particularly keen eyesight, however bats are notorious for being blind, yet their hearing makes up for what they cannot see. Two flying creatures who hunt in flight, but have drastically different food sources and ways of obtaining it. Another example is in procreation: an opossum can have a gestational period of 12 days, whereas an elephant can be about 22 months! With all our technology, we cannot either lengthen or reduce this natural process. We may try to control it by reducing or encouraging with artificial insemination the birthcount an animal will have, but the time of gestation will be the constant. 

When I see the various boundaries there are in the natural world, I start to wonder about the society and culture of today and how much humans continue to try to control all aspects of life, even down to the simplest things. We try to adjust clocks to make daylight more convenient for our needs. We want to work in the daylight, and usually longer than the required 8-hour day, yet we also want to have time for ourselves that is also in daylight. We no longer work within the natural boundaries but look to expand them in artificial ways. While I don’t think it’s possible within the culture and society to only work in daylight, perhaps we should take a cue from nature to rest up during the winter months, to slow down and refresh ourselves. 

God hasn’t imposed these limits to chain us, but rather so that we can live within a healthy range of adjustment. The changes in daylight don’t happen all at once, but occur over many days a minute or two at a time, so that the change is gradual. While God can work in extremes, creation reflects a God who is gentle with change and eases us through the days and seasons, both from a physical perspective as well as a spiritual one. Jesus didn’t come to earth immediately after Adam sinned, but rather in “the fullness of time.” (Gal. 4:4) Jesus also lived a full life, coming as a child, being born of the Virgin Mary after the typical nine months of growing in her womb. God walks with us at our speed, maybe even a bit slower, so that we can slow down and take notice, appreciating all the blessings He showers upon us.