Do we know a healthy rhythm of life or are we caught up in the chaos of the next thing?

Life moves fast and technology makes it move even faster. One of the issues that does not get much attention today is the deficit of margin to reset and reflect. And with the onslaught of AI this deficit is only going to grow. Most of us are well aware of this deficit and we talk about it a lot, but it seems like we are losing the battle to “the next thing.” The next event, meeting, post, media story, etc. Thankfully, many school districts are prohibiting phones in the classroom. And already there is much positive feedback from teachers and others.

God from the beginning had a rhythm that mankind was to synch up with and we see the importance of this rhythm all throughout biblical history. Two of the things we can see that were important to our Lord in His life were Wilderness Time and Table Time.

Wilderness Time:

intentional time with the Lord detached from the distractions and noise of the world

The scripture tells us that our heavenly Father “yearns jealously” over the spirit He made to dwell in us. (James 4:5) He desires to have fellowship and intimate relationship  with us. Scripture reveals that this is nurtured by regular alone time with the Lord, detached from the noise and distractions of the world. Here are a few questions that have helped me in my walk with the Lord:

What are your first thoughts and detachment habits in the morning?

What are your weekly sabbath rest habits?

Do you plan alone time on retreat with the Lord?

Do you “walk” with the Lord – without your phone?

Yet there is another important piece of a healthy rhythm to life which was very important to our Lord – Table Time.

Table Time:

intentional face to face time with family and others around a family table, fellowship table or communion table

The importance of the family table has been a foundational aspect of a healthy rhythm of life throughout the ages. It is only within modern times and specifically within western progressive culture that this has faded away to be replaced with the TV, phones and endless kids activities. Interesting that in cultures that still have regular family gatherings there is not the same level of mental health issues and extreme behaviors from children like school shootings.

Family table time was critical in the early church for the health of the church and its powerful impact on the Roman Empire. Listen to what Dr Michael Green says,

“One of the most important methods of spreading the gospel in antiquity was by the use of homes…the sheer informality and relaxed atmosphere of the home not to mention the hospitality which must often have gone with it, all helped to make this form of evangelism particularly successful…The very earliest Christian community met in the upper room of a particular house owned by the mother of John Mark in Jerusalem. It is hardly surprising that the church in the house became a crucial factor in the spread of the Christian faith…(Evangelism in Early Church, Green, 318)

The ancient Rabbis spoke of this in the Talmud: “a man’s table is like the altar.” What they meant by this was that something powerful happened when people gathered around a family table for fellowship. And of course, the family table is to be intimately connected to the fellowship table and the Lord’s Table.

Here are a few questions that have helped me with thinking and praying about Table Time in the rhythm of life:

How is your table time at home?

How is your table time with friends?

How is your table time with your church?

How is your table-communion time with the Lord?

We can see from the Old Testament and New Testament that God calls His people into His rest, which is ultimately eternal life, but is experienced in this life as we learn to get our spirit in rhythm with the Holy Spirit through regular Wilderness Time and Table Time.