There are a lot of things we just take for granted and never think about. One of those is something celebrated on this day and has been with us precisely since noon, 1883. It’s time zones.
Traveling a distance often took weeks or months. Historians tell us that prior to this day, time was relative to the town you were in. It was called local time and was based on the sun with “high noon” being the reference point. Upon arriving, it was a good idea to ask a local for the time so that you could set your watch accordingly.
As railroads expanded, traveling a distance was reduced from months and weeks to days and hours. Train stations faced the daunting task of listing arrival and departure times for the trains. “Railroad timetables in major cities listed dozens of different arrival and departure times for the same train, each linked to a different local time zone.
“Efficient rail transportation demanded a more uniform time-keeping system. Rather than turning to the federal governments of the United States and Canada to create a North American system of time zones, the powerful railroad companies took it upon themselves to create a new time code system. The companies agreed to divide the continent into four time zones; the dividing lines adopted were very close to the ones we still use today.
“Most Americans and Canadians quickly embraced their new time zones, since railroads were often their lifeblood and main link with the rest of the world. However, it was not until 1918 that Congress officially adopted the railroad time zones and put them under the supervision of the Interstate Commerce Commission.”1
Timing is everything!
We are well familiar with God’s time zones. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (2) A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; (3) A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (4) A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (5) A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (6) A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (7) A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (8) A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.” The thought concludes in verse 11 by stating, “He hath made everything beautiful in His time.”
As I travel across time zones, I cannot arbitrarily decide that I’m not abiding by them. They are locked in place and there is no getting around them. I can complain about them all I want but it’s not going to change anything. If I gain three hours travelling to the west coast and lose them when travelling back east, that’s just the way it is.
God’s time doesn’t change for us, either. We need to conclude that His timing is perfect, and it is better to submit than to protest. Just like time zones, I never understood how it all came about or why it was necessary. Here I am, 141 years later, and I get it! And it might take a while before we understand God’s timing but, eventually, we will.
Rest and relax your time into God’s hands and control. The Psalmist said in Psalms 31:15, “My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.”
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/railroads-create-the-first-time-zones
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