If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.—L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Blessed people are not immune to the lie. Adam and Eve had everything they needed, and they still fell for the lie. Below are some things that were given to the first couple that the rest of us spend a lifetime pursuing:
An intimate, conversational relationship with God
- A great lot— prime real estate, if you know what I mean
- Abundant resources— including a river that coursed through the land of Havilah, where there were gold, precious stones, and aromatics
- A calling and a purpose, as they were commissioned to tend the garden
- Protection and boundaries
- Companionship and physical intimacy
Adam and Eve were blessed. Yet they still believed the lie.
In fact, in my personal experience, blessed people are more prone to fall for the lie than those who aren’t so blessed.
[The serpent] said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” … God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God … ” (Genesis 3:1, 5)
So what was the lie?
To the woman who had everything and the man who was standing alongside her, the serpent told the lie, “You are missing out. You think you have it all, but you don’t. In fact, what you do have isn’t enough. What you’re missing out on is so valuable, it’s worth the price you’ll pay in order to have it.”
The cost was great. In fact, the debt that came with that tree and that fruit is still being paid today.
There’s an acronym used on social media—FOMO, or “fear of missing out.” What are you afraid you’re missing? Are you really missing out, or are you buying into the lie?
It’s worth asking because, in our society, the fear of missing out can be really expensive.
Jesus, by global standards, I am rich—with more worldly wealth than I understand. Yet, I still feel like I’m missing out. I’m blessed, but I’m still so vulnerable to the lie. I know Your Spirit is a spirit of truth and that in You, I have everything and miss out on nothing. Today, I choose to follow truth into freedom. Amen.