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The Disease

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There is a growing epidemic that concerns me.  Perhaps it is not actually growing, perhaps I am just growing in my awareness of what a widespread problem it has become.  It decreases quality of life, and preoccupation with the disease itself often keeps folks from enjoying the quality moments they have.  Though assumed to be highly contagious, there is growing evidence that most of us are born with a predisposition to this disease and sooner or later it will manifest itself.

The disease is called FOMO.  Fear Of Missing Out. My kids have it.  If the neighbors are going to the park but we are going to piano lessons, instead of enjoying 20 minutes of a chance to learn music (which they love), they spend the entire 20 minutes thinking about the slides they could be sliding on.  I have it too. Not only does it affect my mood at times, it affects almost every decision I make, what I buy, what I invest, where I go, what I do. 

The thing I most fear missing out on however, is not things or events.  It is people, people I love. Every year my dad generously takes our family on a winter vacation to Florida.  In addition to this trip, he has arranged a cruise for our family this summer in honor of what would be my parents 50th wedding anniversary.  This activates my FOMO in a big way. Not only do I not want to miss out, I do not want any of us too. 

Life is uncertain.  Recently my dad was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, which makes brings the reality of uncertainty closer to home.  My dad tells his grandchildren not to worry, the cruise will happen even if he is unable to go. My 10 year old is not satisfied with this answer.  She says “It is not fair. Grandpa is the most kind, patient, loving person I know. Why should it even be a possibility for him to miss the cruise?”  I do not know, and I hope he does not miss it. There are already too many other things I fear him missing out on in the years to come. Things any of us could fear missing out on, we are not promised tomorrow.  

As I wrestle with my fears, God’s Spirit is showing me that I fear missing out on the wrong things.  While it is true we do not want to miss out on a family vacation, what we really do not want to miss out on is Heaven, where the beauty will outweigh the best sunset over a beach, and the best of times will never end.  What we really do not want to miss out on is the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), especially in moments which are hard to understand. If you think between the beach vacation and the cruise that my dad is generous, you should come to know the Heavenly Father.  The Heavenly Father is not going to let my dad miss out on anything that would diminish the good and eternal glory God is bringing himself through the life of my dad. (Romans 8:28) I do not need to fear missing out and I do not need to fear my dad missing out on anything. I pray for us to have much time left with my dad this side of Heaven.  Still, there could well be parts of life I wanted to experience with my dad that I may end up experiencing without him. I hope I can remember that while the day may come when I miss him, on that day he ill not be feeling as if he is missing out on anything.   

 For those who are born again in Christ, the things we really do not want to miss out on, we will nott.  It is a promise. Sealed. If it is true in light of greater things, it is true in light of lesser things too.  Career breaks, health breaks, pain relief, freedom for the oppressed, the patching together of the brokenness of life that touches us.  We look at “the good life” and we do not want to miss out. We must remember that Christ came to give us “the good life”, if we know Him as Lord and Saviour, the good life (though not yet fully realized) is already ours.  FOMO may be the DNA of an earthly child, but GGAT (Graciously Given All Things) is the DNA of all who are born again in Christ (Romans 8:32).  

 

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.  And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is the love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. I John 4:13-18 (ESV)

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There is a cure for FOMO.  Vertical reorientation can stop the disease in its tracks.  How is this possible? Because perfect love casts out fear, even the fear of missing out.

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