I read recently of an eighteen year old Taiwanese man who collapsed after forty hours of non-stop internet gaming. He apparently died from a blood clot after sitting too long without a break. Christians have a word for this simple act of break-taking. It's called "Sabbath". But it's gone out of style.

We're just too busy.

There's too much to do, too many texts.

There's the newsfeed on your Facebook page you've got to keep up with.

I'm not suggesting some return to a bygone legalism where people were forced to practice the Sabbath each Sunday. But I am suggesting that we take seriously the natural rhythms that are part of nature when its not paved over by modern technology, when our lives aren't so harassed and harried by an endless web of wireless connectivity. I want us to take these natural rhythms seriously because I visit with so many people who feel out of balance, strangers to themselves and others--people who feel over-crowded, over-stressed, and under-nourished by the simple things in life that create beauty, meaning, and pleasure.

"Remember the sabbath day," says God, "and keep it holy" (Exodus 20.8). The commandment wasn't a suggestion. It's a commandment because human beings need a break.

Intention: Today, I'll take a break.  I'll step away from my computer and talk to a coworker.  I'll turn off the music while driving (silence my cell phone too), and just be where I am...driving.  I'll avoid watching TV or surfing the web just before bed, and walk outside and look at the stars.

AuthorChris Neufeld-Erdman