A light in the Darkness

Saturday night I went to a birthday party for a friend. It was a costume party and everyone had to be something starting with the letter "P." I went as Pippy Longstocking:) I had mixed feelings about going to this party, on the one hand I was excited to celebrate with my friend, but on the other hand I knew it was going to be hard for me to be myself. I know this sounds weird but let me explain. A few months ago I decided not to drink anymore. I've never struggled with abusing alcohol and I don't see anything wrong with enjoying it responsibly, however, the culture in NZ is obsessed with it. Most people my age work hard all week so they can go out and get "pissed" (drunk) on the weekend. It breaks my heart to see these people turning to alcohol to escape reality or let loose/relax. Alcohol is not the magic ingredient for happiness...so I showed up with my lemon lime with bitters (NZ soft drink)and I was all set for the night. I admit, I was rather uncomfortable for most of the night and at first I felt bad about it and thought something was wrong with me. The more time I spent thinking about it, the more I realized that I should be uncomfortable in this type of setting, something would be wrong if I wasn't. I was in a place where the conversation wasn't meant to be God glorifying, where the morals were not of Biblical standard. Because I am a Christ follower and desire to glorify God through my speech and actions, it was right for me to feel uncomfortable. At the same time, it was my responsibility to be a light of hope and stand strong in my Christian convictions against drunkenness and crudeness, and still celebrate with true, unmasked joy. I continue to pray that God gives me the grace to be His witness among people who are ignorant, blind, and passive about His Truth. I do not desire to become comfortable in sinful situations, but I do desire to become more confident in my role in those settings, a light in the darkness.