I just want to have fun. I want a normal teenage experience. I want to live my life like everybody else. I wish I was saved later in life so I could just do what I want right now. I feel like I'm missing out on what everybody else is doing.
These thoughts have all run through my head countless times. If you've said or thought any of these things before, you're not alone. Partying, drinking, and random hookups have become the definition of fun, and it's hard to see them as destructive when everybody else seems to be fine doing them. I've never even done these things, but I still struggle with wondering what my life would be like if I wasn't convicted by the Holy Spirit to abstain from the ways of the world.
"Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever." 1 John 2:15-17
Honestly, I could just leave this verse here and say nothing else. God's word and wisdom is so good! But I want to talk about it because realistically, just reading this verse does not remove FOMO from our lives. I still struggle daily with seeing people go out without me because they assume I won't have a fun time if there's alcohol there, or wishing just once I could do what everyone else is doing. Something I love about this verse is that it recognizes that people crave things of this world. It is normal for our hearts to desire sinful things/ things that society deems as normal. But there is a better way.
I have come to realize that living for the world never gives people the satisfaction they desire. Things that people think will lift them up and help them are actually just breaking them down more. More than anything, all of us desire two things: a purpose and to be wanted. For some, meaningless relationships may give them that temporary feeling of being wanted. And from an outside perspective, that person seems like they are doing great or "living their best life," but usually they are longing for something more. For others, they may drink to solve their problems or to fit in with others, but the next morning they end up in the same place as before, without true satisfaction in the things they are doing.
The only one who can give us what we really desire is Jesus. He doesn't tell us not to get drunk or have sex before marriage to control us: He tells us these things because He loves us. He knows that the best and most fulfilling way to live is to obey God's law and love others above all else. These are the things that not only give us satisfaction in the meantime, but give us eternal purpose. We may still feel like we are missing out on the ways of the world. But this verse reminds us that the true people who are missing out are the ones that do not know the love of the Father. After all, this world is fading away. And we will either be left with nothing because we put our lives into the ways of the world, or everything because we put our trust into the Creator of the universe. His ways are so much greater than ours, and we should consider ourselves lucky to have found true meaning and purpose in the One who lasts forever.
**Disclaimer: this post is in no way meant to judge those who choose to drink, hookup with people, or live the way they desire. This is the truth that I have found through my relationship with Jesus, but I understand that not everyone believes the same things I do. God sets Christians to a high standard, and I would never expect anyone who is not a Christian to live to a standard of a God they don't believe in. My job is first and foremost to love others, and if you feel convicted by this post, please know that my intention is to lead people in the truth of the Lord, not to judge them for the way they choose to live. I love you all and please reach out if you have any clarifying questions/constructive criticism about this post.**
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