A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light.

“Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world’s light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light!” John 11:9

I certainly don’t want to extrapolate more from Jesus’s words than he himself meant. On the other hands, the words of Jesus are full of wisdom and can be read on multiple levels.

One of the meanings this passage has for me is that one can live in a more godly, virtuous way if one rises with the sun (or before, like Jesus, “very early in the morning, while it was yet dark.”). And sleeps early too.

When do most marital fights occur? At night, when people are tired and irrational. When are children most likely to melt-down? Around bedtime.

When are we most likely to waste time, internet surfing, browsing, just hanging around doing nothing much? Late evenings.  What do we eat at night? Carbs!

In general, crime occurs at night. We are shocked if we hear of crime “in broad daylight.” Just installing street lighting cuts down on the occurrence of crime.

I am wondering if time would be used in a more satisfying and virtuous way if we rose early and slept early.

As I’ve blogged elsewhere, this has been a struggle for me all my life, and now, in mid-life, I am getting the hang of waking up early. And love it.

Which shows that it is never to late to change, even in mid-life or later.