FOMO and Our Desire For More

How to move from fear and want toward abundance and contentment with all the riches our life has to offer.

Most of us love the feeling of abundance, and at the same time, we're challenged when we have less than we wish we had. Houses, stuff, entertainment, opportunities, and success that we perceive others have can create a selfish desire for more that leaves us with a sense of vague unhappiness. Some call this FOMO or the "fear of missing out." Stop and consider this question for a moment: Do you wish right now that you had more or are you content with what God has given you today?

But don't overthink this question, because your answer should not conclude that it is wrong to have dreams about your future. Those are natural and normal. It does mean, however, that we don't see our present situation as a place of perpetual want that consumes and misleads our desires.

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Abundance is a matter of perspective.
Anyone who has traveled to a developing country and seen abject poverty comes back to the reality that North America has a ton of stuff and opportunity compared to the rest of the world. It's enough to give us a new level of appreciation for how God has given this country profound material wealth. Just consider this: You yearn for a new home, that is larger and better when much of the world has no permanent resident. We even have houses for our cars called garages, that are larger than most other people's homes in other countries. And anyone making over $100,000 is in the top one half of one percent of the wealth in our world. 54% of our society lives on three dollars or less per day.

A lifestyle of thanksgiving fosters an attitude of abundance.
Everything we have is a gift from a loving father. Pay attention to how often Scripture talks about being thankful in all things. Paul advises us in Ephesians 5:20 to be "giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." The Psalms are full of both thanksgiving as well as the goodness of God. A great 15-minute exercise is reading Ephesians 1 and 2 and note every gift we have been given "in Christ." Many of us live out of a spirit of wanting not understanding the riches we already have "in Jesus Christ." Make it a practice to daily thank God for all the gifts he gives, all the blessings you encounter, all the provision you receive. It all comes from him, and he is generous beyond anything we deserve. We might even say he is generous enough.

Generosity creates an attitude of abundance.
Here is an ironic truth. The more I hold on to my stuff the more I feel that I need more and the more I share what I have with others, the more I appreciate what God has already given. It is in giving back to God and others that we start to understand his care for us entirely and we begin to see life through a lens of abundance rather than want. All of God's children can live in abundance if we see life from God's perspective!

Vince Miller Founder of ResoluteVince Miller is a speaker, author, and mentor to men. He is an authentic and transparent leader who loves to communicate to audiences on the topics of mentorship, fathering, leadership and manhood. He has authored 13 books and small group curriculum for men and is the primary content creator of all Resolute materials. Contact Vince Miller here. His newest book is Thirty Virtues That Build A Man.