Fear of Missing Out
/May 7, 2018
Scripture
““The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.””
(Matthew 13:22-23 MSG)
Fear of Missing Out
I made my annual pilgrimage to Saint Facebook around my birthday to express gratitude for the assorted sardonic and celebratory greetings generated there. The postings I made then obligated me to see what the responses were – it was internally driven by a new psychological ailment called FOMO.(Fear of missing out)
I chuckle about this, but it is becoming a serious battleground for our attention. The hundreds of neuroscientists employed by these social media giants design the media to keep us distracted – and then addicted to it all.
The past 30 plus years I have been on journey with you exploring ways to create space for disconnection from distraction (external and internal) and finding focus in the life of Jesus. Both social media and meditation on Jesus’ life will produce behaviour modification.
But do we want our behaviour modified by a loving, self-sacrificing God or a powerful force created to turn us into profit-generating tools? Jesus invites us to “Come to me and learn from me”. Much easier to ignore than the accumulation of “likes”.
A Prayer for Today
God, there are so many attractive distractions to keep me happily entertained as I go about my life. You know I need some of them but I need awareness of your presence in all of life even more. Love, truth, justice and mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation should be higher on my consciousness. Help me …..For Jesus’ sake
