If you’ve ever watched the TV show Monk, you are familiar with the assortment of phobias that he struggles with. On occasion, when I begin to show concern over the sticky spots on the floor in front of the refrigerator, or the non-symmetrical arrangement of our home furnishings, or washcloths hanging over the water faucet in the shower, or the dried and crusted-over drippings underneath the A-1 steak sauce bottle-cap … my family, in frustration, will lovingly accuse me of being “Mr. Monk”!
Yes, we all have our fears and phobias to deal with, and I am no different. But, doesn’t it seem like the list of phobias continues to expand with each passing year?
I heard of a new one the other day: Fomophobia – the Fear Of Missing Out. It seems to be contracted through over-exposure to Facebook and other social media, where people tend to showcase all the great things that are going on in their lives. This can tempt us to compare the lives we live to the seemingly wonderful lives that others are living. And, if we are not careful, Satan can exploit this human vulnerability and we can find ourselves with a bad case of fomophobia, leading to envy, jealousy, covetousness, loneliness, and depression, to name just a few.
I heard a recent Focus On The Family broadcast that talks about how to properly deal with the comparisons that we so often make with each other. I don’t think they ever mention fomophobia specifically, but I think the things they discuss could help keep us from it. You can listen to the broadcast here:
Blessings, PL