F.O.M.O

I have discovered a fear I've had and how to deal with it, but it's given me another one!

Remember YOLO? You Only Live Once? Now there is FOMO. Fear of missing out.

It happens when there is information overload, particularly online.

So many friends on Facebook, so many shows I haven't seen, you become occupied with keeping up on things just so you don't become out of the loop.

“I fear others are having more rewarding experiences than me,” “It is important that I understand my friends' ‘in jokes,’” and “Sometimes, I wonder if I spend too much time keeping up with what is going on.”.

If someone says "Did you see...?" and you fear you haven't...that's FOMO.

I confess, I love to cruise through the news feeds of Facebook and see what people are up to.  I like seeing pictures of their kids and photos of their holidays.  It's great to be able to share life like that!  I don't have anyone in my feed that I feel is abusing being there.  I skip most political rants lengthy religious "devotions" that seem to be cut and pasted, but for the most part I enjoy seeing the day-today stuff that's posted.

What can be a problem is when I feel like I need to post SOMETHING just to be a participant.  I feel bad if I have not "checked in" somewhere to let everyone know who I am hanging out with.  I fear that I am letting my group of online friends down by being absent.  I fear they may even wonder what I'm up to!

My criteria for posting has a few general rules.  It must be one of the following:

a)  Relateable
b)  Fun
c)  Educational
d)  Inspirational
e)  Engouraging
f)  Thought Provoking

This way I feel like I am not wasting anyone's time.  (When they are online...wasting time!)

Ironically I discovered this fear called FOMO online!

I have a new fear...missing out on more helpful studies!

Matrix Control

Control

Ah, The Matrix!

I have learned so many spiritual lessons from this movie!

Every now and then I pop it in the DVD player and re-watch it.

The biggest lesson for me comes from the fact that The Matrix itself is a form of control.  It's a way for the "machine world" to keep the human population believing that they can make choices, when in fact the computer simulation is running the whole thing behind the scenes.  The illusion is that we have a choice.

I know I am getting deep but bear with me.

I subscribe to the idea that there IS another world, a spiritual world where just the opposite is true.

The Genesis account lays out the fact that mankind has been given "choice" as his most unique quality over animals and even nature itself.  Everything else in this world acts on instinct or seasons, but we humans can act outside both.  We can choose hate over love, death over life or weather to have pizza or prime rib.  We have choices to make every day.

I hear your question loud and clear..."Why do we have free will if the creator has a plan already, are we not prisoners to it?"

Not if you don't want to be...and prisoner is a poor choice of words.  Was the marble that gave us the beautiful statue of David prisoner to Michelangelo?  No it was waiting to be made into an expression of the artist.  Get it?

Anyway I know I am a little cerebral but my point is this.  I believe there is a loving God with a master plan, but within that we have the ultimate privilege of choice.  We are the ones who steer our fate.  Want to be better at what you do?  Choose to do it and make steps to get there.  Want a better marriage?  Choose to have it and make a plan to build it.  Want to be free from fear?  Think of your biggest fear and face it with boldness.

It's up to you....

Git 'er Done!

It's a popular saying, made famous by "Larry the Cable Guy".


"Git er Done!"


I want to share some thoughts about doing "things".


With life happening at faster and faster pace, sometimes we can overlook doing quality work over just "getting it done".


Quality Work vs Just Getting It Done


Which would you rather have? Do you have to choose?


I have had to learn the lessons of work in the course of my life and here's what I have found.


Quality work gets rewarded with...more work! (And financial rewards to) What this means is that, when more work is sent your way you have to be very careful not to take on too much, because that can lead to just trying to get it all done. This is where quality can go out the window if you are not careful.


I have often been self-employed and I have had to scale back on what work I could do, so I could instead keep the quality up.


So heed my words young person...do the best work you possibly can, but do not compromise quality for the sake of "getting it done."

Mission Impossible

Here's a comforting thought.

It is impossible for God not to love you.

When we think of impossible things, things that cannot happen, God not loving us is one of them.

Just the fact that God is love, that should show us how he could never stop, he would have to change who He is!

If we're going to believe in Him we have to believe this about Him to.

God hates things, don't get me wrong. He hates something we do, but He will always love US!

Do people take advantage of this and abuse His love. For sure.

We are children of God and kids get into all kinds of trouble.

I was asked this weekend if one of our kids turned out to be a horrible criminal, would we still love them and visit them in jail?

Well, ya. As long as we are welcome. We always hope for the best.

I don't see any way we could not respond to Gods love, it's so amazing!.

Consider today, what God's love is and who He is...I think you're day may look different afterwards.

1 John 4:8  New International Version

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.