Recently the time on the clocks did their customary “Spring Forward” routine that puts us into daylight savings time, giving us extra time to enjoy sunlight after our day of school or work.  I know that for many, this change in time can be a big adjustment to their body clocks.  According to timeanddate.com, “A Swedish study found that the risk of having a heart attack increases in the first three weekdays after switching to daylight savings time in the spring.  Tiredness induced by the clock change is thought to be the main cause for the increase in traffic accidents on the Monday following the start of daylight savings time. There are also more workplace injuries and the injuries were of greater severity compared to other Mondays.”  So it appears that there truly may be physical ramifications in adjusting to change, as well as the psychological effects that we may feel.  

Often in school conferences, we end up discussing changes or transitions with parents.  Students may have difficulty transitioning into a new grade, especially when moving from elementary school to middle school or from middle school to high school.  They may have difficulty transitioning from one setting to another, or from one set of expectations to another.  This year the transition to remote learning for many was an extremely difficult process.  We often become creatures of habit, and accepting the change may be even harder than what is actually required to make it happen.  But change is inevitable, and teaching our children not only to accept change but to embrace it is a valuable life lesson. Some of us as adults are still trying to learn it ourselves.

Ecclesiastes 3 begins with this beautiful reflection on the seasons of our lives:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven”
A time to be born and a time to die, A time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal, A time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh, A time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 
A time to embrace and a time to refrain, A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away, A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak, A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.”

The footnotes in my Bible say this: “Humans have little or no control over times and changes.  The eternal God sovereignly determines all of life’s activities.”  Are we ready to release that to His sovereign will?
 

Minds:
What are the most difficult adjustments that you face?  If you are a parent, identify those difficult adjustments for your children.  Where do they struggle to adapt?

Hearts:
Once you have identified the adjustments with which you or your children struggle, take time to pray for hearts and minds that willingly accept the changes that come our way as part of the perfect plan of our sovereign God, and for the ability to not only adapt, but to learn from the process as well.