FOMO- n. the fear of missing out. A potential obstacle to living your own story and being fully present in the community where God has placed you.
At first, I was hesitant to say ‘yes’ to the World Race, afraid of all that I would miss.
The biggest thing holding me back? Fear of missing out. I could graduate a year early, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how I would miss a whole year with a Christ-centered community I deeply love. All my friends back at IWU would be having the time of their life experiencing their senior year of college—without me. That scared me.
I know. It sounds ridiculous to say it, but it’s true. Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond excited to travel to 11 countries in 11 months. Yet, I’ve found myself reminiscing over the long conversations, spontaneous road trips, and annual traditions that I’ll miss back at home and IWU, not to mention the holidays, birthdays, and other milestones. I won’t be in pictures of senior year at IWU, but I’ll have my own pictures of traveling and loving God’s people around the world. Still, I am afraid of missing out.
But FOMO is not just a future problem, it’s my present problem. Scrolling down my Facebook feed and reading through World Race blogs tempts me with future possibilities. Pictures of people and stories stir my heart to be across the world participating in the story they’re living out. Why do I have to be stuck in Indiana?
The activities and people of my two worlds are pulling me in different directions. I love getting to know my World Race squad through our Facebook group, Google hangouts, and group texts, but just keeping up is overwhelming. If I don’t contribute to every conversation and Facebook post, I’ll be left in the dust. What if all my squad mates start building relationships and I get left behind? I’ll be missing out!
I’m slowly being sucked into a future that isn’t here yet.
I am frantically trying to raise support, to collect gear for the journey, and to make friends with 50 new people. Voicing these concerns and fears to my friend Amanda, I was given a healthy dose of reality. She reminded me that I can only invest in a limited number of people and places at once. Focusing on God’s plans for my future distracts me from what He is currently doing. I know that I am here at IWU for a reason; otherwise, I would’ve graduated last semester, as crazy as that sounds. Haha.
I’m tempted to either ‘check out’ of my current reality, embracing my future on the World Race; OR to ‘forget’ about Race preparations, enjoying my last semester of college. I’m realizing that neither option is wise. I have to live in tension between a presence in my immediate community and a presence in my distant community.
Wherever you are, be all there; live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God. Jim Elliot
The reality is that I will miss things, but that is a sacrifice worth making.
If the things I am preparing to miss command my attention, I will miss valuable chances to make memories in the moment. Although my future is exciting, I don’t want to be blind to opportunities to fully participate in God’s story for me now.
I don’t want to wish away this season by rushing into the next one. So here’s to overcoming FOMO and being completely present where I am.
God is continually teaching me to Just Be Present.
