For two of my favorite's, Caroline & Lori's, birthdays, we decided to go to the parkway super early in the morning and catch the sunrise against the beauty of the blue ridge parkway. I know it's going to be incredible, I'll share pictures tomorrow. Living in the mountains is such a gift! Everyday I can't get over how beautiful it is up here. Even though I'm exhausted (I went to bed at 1 last night, yikes!), I think it'll be worth it.
Back to the point of this early morning post...
So, last night I went over to a friend's house to hang out with a group of people. Now, I know I've talked about drinking before on here, but I wanted to again just cause it's an issue that plagues me.
Having a birthday on the young side of the year makes me turn 21 up to even a year later then some of my friends. I won't be 21 until my senior year, which puts me at a disadvantage. I'm the youngest to drink and when all of them are old enough to legally do it, I'll still be waiting.
Being raised a Christian has brought up a lot of hard battles with drinking, so I want ya'll's opinion if you want to give it.
As a Christian, I don't think drinking is bad, I don't think the bible ever says drinking is wrong and I'm not ashamed to say that I do drink. I drank last night and I enjoyed it.
The thing that the bible says is wrong, is getting drunk. There's a big difference between drinking with some friends and getting so hammered that you're puking in your bathroom at 3 in the morning from too many shots.
I feel like college is all about defining boundaries for Christians. Defining the boundary for "how far is too far", defining how much drinking is too much, defining the boundary of how involved to be with christian friends vs. being friends those who really need a Christian influence. When are you crossing the line in these situations?
I think that drinking is one of the hardest things (other than sex) to determine a boundary for. Born and raised Baptist, drinking has always seemed SO taboo to me. Every time I drink, even if I'm just drinking barely anything while watching a chick flick with some girlfriends, I feel SO guilty about it. It seriously eats away at me.
I lay there in my bed when I'm by myself and question why I drank in the first place. I also start questioning ...why I'm even questioning,... "is drinking even wrong?"
As some of you know, my parents are pretty anti-drinking. We grew up in an alcohol free zone. I really never saw it in our kitchen unless my Mom wanted to make Chicken Marsala or the occasional Kalhua cake.
But lately, my parents have started to loosen up a bit. Their kids are all in their twenties now, 20-24, and it's become more of our decision. They know that if they drink, they're not setting a bad example for us because we are old enough to decide for ourselves. But they really don't drink that much anyway, less than any other parents I know.
What I'm wondering is, what do ya'll think about drinking? What do you think about underage drinking? What do you think about drinking and Christianity?
Is it wrong? I have trouble deciding. I'm indecisive in all aspects of my life, so when it comes to big stuff likes this, I really can't choose.
I enjoy drinking and I like having fun with my friends, but I hate the guilt that comes with it. I want to be able to do it and have fun without praying the whole night afterward for God to forgive me for it.
Any Input?
...Well, that's my 2 cents for this early morning! It's finally the weekend and I'm going to go watch the sun rising against the Appalachian Mountains!
Cheers!
4 comments:
Wow, you'll need a NAP today! : ) You know how I feel about this, but my basic rule is that, just like everything else, it's YOUR heart. God hasn't convicted me that I need to homeschool, so I don't plan on it. Whereas some people feel that's what God has laid on their heart for their family. God hasn't convicted my heart about drinking, so until then, I'm fine with it. As long as I'm being prayerful about it and don't feel his conviction in MY heart, then I'm okay. But there are plenty of people out there who do feel convicted about drinking and don't do it for that reason. And that's a pretty darn good reason. : )
With my 21st birthday approaching I've been wondering the same thing. I also grew up in a anti-drinking christian home and really have never been around alcohol until college. Personally I didn't think drinking was bad until I wondered what would people from church think if they saw me drinking. So as of now I am anti-drinking, but I don't look down on christians who do drink. Hope that helps!
I LOVE good beer or a glass of wine! On a Friday night after a long week of work its how I choose to unwind with my hubs or friends. I, as you know, grew up in a similar situation as you so I can completely understand where you're coming from! I also agree the Bible says to not get drunk - so getting drunk and 2 or 3 drinks is way different in my book. I also agree with Ashley, I don't feel a conviction from the Lord that I shouldn't have a drink on the weekends so I partake :)
Just don't ever drink & drive or get in the car with someone who has been! I know you know, but seriously, a cab would be WAY cheaper than a DUI, accident, or someone's life :)
Wow. I could have written this a few years ago. Ditto. I grew up with the *if you drink you are going to hell in a handbasket* mentality. It's all I knew. My parents didn't drink. The people I knew that drank hid it in a drawer in their refrigerator. It was taboo. When I had my children, we had no alcohol in our home. We still don't except for wine occasionally. BUT, now I know God's grace. Like REALLY know it. I know there is NOTHING I can do to make HIM love me more. And there is NOTHING I can do to make HIM love me less. He just loves me. He just loves you. When you lay down at night and the devil tempts you with thoughts of guilt over sin, you remember that Jesus loves YOU. He loves who you are...and who you are striving to be. He just loves you. Mostly, HE knows your heart. He knows your intentions. You are His child. There is nothing you can do to change His love for you. That said, there may be those in a group you are with that struggle with alcohol for whatever reason. Either a drinking problem or a religious belief. If you KNOW that, you may want to save that glass of wine for another time....Just out of respect for others. The underage thing is a whole different issue. I won't touch that here. You are one wise girl! I applaud you for putting this out there.
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