“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.” Matthew 6:28-29
I suspect that like me, you’ve heard of the acronym FOMO. It seems to have come into usage during the era of social media and stands for the “Fear Of Missing Out.” Whenever someone posts pictures of their fabulous vacation, or shows a happy gathering of friends having a good time, or displays some sumptuous meal at a fancy restaurant, your sense of FOMO can be triggered. This can be especially true when close friends gather without inviting you and then share pictures of their good times without you. Or when family members gather but you weren’t able to join them. As I like to tease my family, “Feel free to gather, but no having fun without me!”
My friend Greg Daum recently introduced me to a newer acronym, one that I suppose has evolved in response to FOMO. In contrast to FOMO, JOMO stands for the “Joy Of Missing Out.” According to psychologist Susan Alberts, JOMO describes the notion of embracing joy and contentment, opting out of draining activities, and placing “a greater focus on consciously choosing what you want to participate in, not what you feel pressure to participate in.” In our era of endless busyness, unending consumerism, and the frantic pursuit of resume-padding activities, the ability to say “no, I don’t need to do that too” can be counter-cultural, sanity-producing, and freeing.
In Disney’s classic movie, “The Jungle Book,” the old bear Baloo, voiced by the incomparable Phil Harris, sings about JOMO:
“Look for the bare necessities, the simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean those bare necessities, that’s why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life.”
Toward the end of his song, Baloo sings, “When you find out you can live without it and go along not thinking about it, I’ll tell you something true, the bare necessities of life have come to you.” I think he’s talking about JOMO.
As a follower of Jesus, I’m reminded of Paul’s observation that “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” In other words, we can learn to be happy without having to buy everything we see advertised, have every experience our friends have, or run ourselves ragged trying to keep up with the Joneses. May God grant you the wisdom to discern when to pursue and engage and when to experience JOMO.
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