When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on HIs right, ‘Come you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:31-34 HCSB

With the invention of social media has come a number of disorders and syndromes. Netflix is airing a docufilm, The Social Dilemma which discusses these various mental health illnesses or disorders. One mentioned in their film is FOMO, which is an acronym for the Fear of Missing Out. It is described as a social anxiety rooted in the fact that someone might miss out on fun or an important event when they are not present. This causes them to want to be socially active all the time. Social networking is said to worsen FOMO and can lead to phone and social media addiction. It can impact psychological well-being, mood, long term goals and life satisfaction.

Our Scripture passage today is talking about an event that we don’t have to worry about missing out on. It’s talking about judgment. Hebrews 9:27 says, “Just as it is appointed for people to die once-and after this, judgment. Verse 28 goes on to say, “Also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

We should have no fear of missing out on death and judgment. We can rest assured that we will be present for both of those events. The thing we should truly fear missing out on is an eternity in heaven with God the Father. Our Scripture passage puts it plainly. There will be a judgment. Those who are going to heaven will be separated from those who are going to hell. As the song says, “I want to be in that number when the Saints go marching in.” I want to know that I know that I know that I am headed for an eternity in heaven. I have no FOMO on the glory that awaits me there. I look forward to seeing my loved ones that have gone on ahead of me.

I do suffer from FOMO on church. I don’t like to miss church. I love the time during the week that I get to spend in God’s house praising and worshiping Him with my church family. I love the fellowship and the joy that we experience there.

Do you suffer from FOMO? Are you afraid of missing out on social media? Are you afraid of missing out when all your friends go out drinking at the bars? Are you afraid of missing out on the drama that usually ensues from these situations?

Or do you suffer from FOMO on heaven? If you suffer from that the cure is simple. You must call on God. You must confess your sins to Him and repent. Believe in Him and trust in Him. Surrender yourself to obedience to Him.

There is also a syndrome called JOMO which is the joy of missing out. This describes the reduced anxiety felt when someone takes a break from social media or when they choose to miss out on events or occurrences. I experience JOMO when I miss out on drama and things that distract me from being focused on God.

Take a good look at how you spend your time. Are you constantly checking your phone to be sure you haven’t missed out on anything? Why not try being that anxious about reading your Bible? You could even download a Bible app and choose to only read that for the next three days. You might find that you experience JOMO on social media and FOMO on missing out from daily Bible reading.

My friend, I truly believe we are in the end times. The devil is constantly sending more and more distractions to try to steer us away from God and His will for our lives. Don’t let the devil distract you. Focus on God. The only thing we should fear missing out on is eternity in heaven.

Turn to Him today and you won’t have to worry about that. You can live a life of faith instead of a life of fear.

Have a great day!