5 Reasons Gen Z Is Looking Back

In a culture dominated by speed and overstimulation, it’s no surprise that Gen Z is also stepping away from screens and into simplicity. While many are still glued to their phones, others are forgoing them altogether. Handwritten journals and planners offer a creative outlet without overstimulation. Tactile hobbies like knitting, sewing, pottery, and painting take this one step further, revealing a great spiritual need: Rest. 

Our society lives at a rapid-fire pace. Rest is a dirty word, and hustle is praised. We always have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Yet when we look at God’s original plan for us, tracing back to the 10 commandments, we see that rest is a gift.

Exodus 20:8-11 says it this way: "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" (NIV).

The Sabbath was never meant to box us in, but to birth within us a deep sense of rest that only comes from pausing, trusting, and sitting with the Lord (Exodus 20:8-11, Mark 2:27-28). Sabbath forces us to stop ceasing and place our confidence in Him.  

God designed us to pause and be still. Gen Z’s craving for slower rhythms is not accidental—it echoes the spiritual rest only God can give. Their analog practices—mindfulness, listening to music, letter-writing—aren’t just calming. They’re a doorway to recognizing our need for Someone greater.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/SimonSkafar