Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is rampant in our society. It is a motivator for what we do and decisions we make. But is it new?

In the garden of Eden, Satan tempted Eve – If you don’t taste that fruit, you will miss out from knowing good and evil. The devil caused Eve to question why a good God would withhold something she perceived as desirable. What the evil one neglected to mention was all she would forfeit if she ate the fruit. Was this pursuit worth losing the intimacy of God’s presence and being cast out from the Garden of Eden? Our pursuits become dangerous if we ignore something God has told us or if they deter us from seeking Him.

FOMO occurs when we observe someone engaging in an activity that seems significant or meaningful and pursue this goal believing it will bring fulfillment. This satisfaction is elusive because no sooner than we attain one thing, we catch sight of the next thing we are missing.  Only in Jesus is found our present and future fulfillment. We have an eternal inheritance waiting for us. Because of the glories of heaven, we won’t miss out. Every unfulfilled longing from God will be fulfilled and the other yearnings will cease to matter.

A close relative of FOMO is comparing. Jesus warned Peter after his resurrection about this tendency to look at another’s path instead of our own.  When Peter asked what would happen to John, Jesus replied, “What is that to you? Follow me!” We must take care not to look at the lives of others and fear missing out. Instead, we entrust our lives to God and fix our eyes on Jesus so that we may be strengthened to run the unique race He has set before each one us.

Whoever believe in Him will not be disappointed.  Romans 10:11