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Writer's pictureBryce Johnson

Missing Out

As it continues to sink in that most of the sports world is on hold, one thing we're constantly reminded of, is what we’re missing out on.

Even flipping through the TV channels over the weekend, we knew we were supposed to be watching the conference championship games - not sports documentaries and bowling!

Last night, it really hit me when the program guide listed a show that was scheduled to breakdown the NCAA bracket. Of course, the channel aired something else and it wasn't something I wanted to watch!

Today, we're missing out on filling out our brackets and giving our Final Four predictions.

A notification just popped up as I’m writing this with the headline about the NBA suspension possibly being permanent. It reads, “Five Storylines We Might Miss Out on if the Season Doesn’t Resume.”

Then on ESPN.com, there's an article with the headline: “What if? Some of the Possible Storylines We'll Miss in the 2020 NCAA Tournament.”

As sports fans, we’ve lost some of our favorite sporting events and for many of us, our favorite sports month is now not taking place. We’re not experiencing what we thought we would.

Even though we realize the NCAA giving up the tournament and other sports leagues letting go of a part of the season was the best decision, it's not easy to accept and remain positive.

I’m not going to pretend that missing out on our favorite sporting events is a good thing, but I do think some of the thoughts we’re having can parallel a very important spiritual concept that's worth unpacking today. Missing out on basketball is front and center right now, but don't we regularly fight the feelings of missing out? Some call it the "fear of missing out" or "FOMO," like these examples:

  1. When single, we hold back on marriage for fear of missing out on the freedom we have.

  2. When parents, we willingly say no to the social activities we were once involved in, and yet contemplate all that we're missing out on.

  3. When working, we say yes to everything because we're afraid of missing out on a raise or an opportunity if we pass on something.

The concept of missing out also factors into our decision to follow Jesus each day. He offers us salvation, eternal life, peace, and joy while inviting us to surrender our lives to Him by taking up our cross and dying to ourselves and our selfish ways.

This requires us to sacrifice, give up, and let go of things we're used to doing or are holding onto. Unfortunately, we fear to surrender our "fun," power, money, and worldly success will cause us to miss out.

But truth be told, this mentality of "missing out" is all wrong. The choice not to follow Jesus and be with Him forever is missing out - not some temporary satisfactions the world has to offer.

Anything we give up or surrender as we follow Him is absolutely worth it and the best choice we can make. Jesus explains this in Matthew 10:39 and these three translations help us further capture what He means:

"Whoever finds his life will lose it , and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it " (AMP).

"If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for Me, you will find it" (NLT).

“If you don’t go all the way with Me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve Me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to Me, you’ll find both yourself and Me” (MSG).

Today, let’s stop being concerned about missing out on something because the world tells us we are. Instead, let’s be willing to surrender and give up whatever we need to, so we can find true life in and with Jesus.

I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, teach me how to be willing to take up my cross every day. Help me to not worry about what I’m missing out on in the world, but focus on the life I have in Christ both now and for eternity. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Discussion Questions for PACKS:


What do you most worry about missing out on?


What do you sense Jesus is asking you to surrender that might be holding you back from following Him wholeheartedly?

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