I was recalling the other day about how I used to often fall asleep in the evenings while watching TV and later awake hearing the static and then head to bed—when did TV stations (and radio stations) change to broadcasting 24 hours a day? I didn’t find any definite answer while searching the internet. But I was thinking about how things like the TV going to static, going off the air for the night, used to serve as a symbol that it was time to end the day, to go to bed and rest.

Nowadays we have stores open 24 hours a day (although some ended that and didn’t resume after the pandemic). Stores closing for the night was another cue that it was time to end the day, maybe spend time with the family, to unwind and prepare for a night of sleep. And there are other types of businesses that operate 24-hours a day; although necessary for healthcare, not necessarily necessary for some other types of businesses.

Many employers offer much less (if any) paid time off than what they used to, with fewer practical opportunities for employees to rejuvenate themselves or to have more time with their families. Many people now work from home, finding it challenging having a healthy work/home balance.

In our modern age we are a 24-hour-a-day society—24 hours a day of available programming on TV or radio, 24 hours a day to access information or socialize online, 24 hours a day feeling connected to others, 24 hours a day to perhaps shop—and I believe that it’s led to our brains being too “wired,” whereby we are finding it more difficult to unwind, to calm our brains even for the night, to find peace and serenity that only comes from the quiet moments in our lives. That lack of peace and serenity can lead to constant tension in our brains and in our bodies. Have you noticed people seem more stressed out than they used to?

Jesus recognized the importance of spending time away, of taking time for quiet, still moments—time away from everyone and everything to connect with the Father. Not only our bodies, but also our souls need time spent away for peaceful, quiet rest. It is in those peaceful, still moments–when we un-wire–that we find peace for our souls, are refreshed and renewed, and better able to handle the stresses of our modern day age.

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