Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. A recent article by science writer Elizabeth Zvoboda at the Wall Street Journal argued that an occasional 24-hour break is good for both mind and body. Here's what she wrote, quote, these micro-retreats have proved so energizing, I now take a few each year. And science suggests such hiatuses, despite their brief duration, can renew enthusiasm and relieve mental exhaustion in potent ways.
They're a welcome temporary escape from a chaotic and overclocked world, end quote.
Now, this is not about getting away from reality, she explained. It's about getting into a better headspace. Because modern work involves so much jumping from one task to another without having time to properly focus, a regular break is a simple, constructive way to improve your life.
Now, Christians and Jews might hear all this and think, congrats, you invented the Sabbath. Because thousands of years ago, of course, before anyone had ever done studies on rest or brain activity, Moses told God's people to take a day off. every seven. But in fact, secular takes on life practices and rituals very often reflect the truths that the Bible has always proclaimed.
Now Sfoboda learned to prize rest and time away as a mom with small kids. But everyone needs rest. This is especially difficult for Americans who can have trouble even taking vacation, at least compared to our European counterparts. And we might blame our bosses for that, but even when we're given the chance, Americans simply aren't very good at rest. As Jay Dixit described in an article written a few years ago entitled We're Doing Downtime Wrong, the habit of scrolling and streaming to so-called relax still requires the brain to focus, even if it's on irrelevant things.
By contrast, Ixit noted, studies suggest that the imagination network of the brain is just as essential as the task-positive network is. And that's why Archimedes' Eureka moment came to him when he was sitting in the bath and why Newton formulated the law of gravity when he saw an apple fall in an orchard. The epiphanies that seem to bubble up from nowhere when your mind is wandering are actually products of the imagination network. End quote. And though the average working American still works the same rough 40-hour work week, there is now far less shutoff time.
Our phones function more like our computers, which keep us tethered to work of some kind at all hours. In other words, the rhythm of constant activity that's in our culture, even while lying on a couch or sitting on a beach, Is not the kind of rest that you read about in scripture. In his book, 24-6, A Prescription for a Happier, Healthier Life, physician Matthew Sleeth noted. that only one of the Ten Commandments begins with the word remember. It's the one about the Sabbath.
As Salith put it, it's almost as if God knew we would forget. When we do remember, we often think of the Sabbath as a burden, not as a gift. But Jesus said that man was not made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was made for us. And that, of course, is because God is for us, not against us. To remember the Sabbath is not to follow a rule, it's to receive one of God's greatest gifts to His creation.
In doing so, we not only remember our own frailty, but we can be refreshed by hearing his voice and better following his calling in our lives. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored with Dr. Timothy Paget. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download podcasts.
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