So I went to a club tonight. I was with a teacher friend of mine who is recently divorced, and she decided I needed to be set up with some random guy she barely knows. I agreed to go, primarily because she is bossy, and I don't know how to tell people no. Perhaps there was a little part of me who was flattered to be invited. It's not the usual crowd I hang out with.
The bar was extremely crowded, and drunk folks littered the walkways. Every one was smoking, and the music was so loud it would have been impossible to make conversation. I followed my friend around most of the night, trying to look inconspicuous, but apparently I stuck out like a sore thumb. The guys that met us there were curiously puzzled when I declined their beer offer. They just couldn't understand why I didn't drink. After being asked if I was a Mormon or Jehova's Witness, I tried to explain I was just a non-drinker due to personal convictions. Of course, this made the whole group a littel uncomfortable, considering they were already two sheets to the wind. The CONSCIENCE had arrived and was not really welcomed.
I stood off in the background for as long as I could stand it, and finally the gentlemen she had told me about approached me and tried to make small talk. The first thing out of his mouth was, "You look miserable. This isn't really fun for you huh?" How did he guess? Did I have it written on my forhead or something? I wasn't really have a horrible time, I just didn't know how to act. Apparently, sober people don't belong at clubs. He quickly began to justify his choice to drink, and I felt like the little "goody-goody" from 5th grade who wouldn't cheat on the test when the whole class had made a pact to go through with it.
I'm not sorry for my convictions, and I felt no pressure to fit in. I did however, feel somewhat guilty for making the group I was with feel bad about their choices. Is that wrong? Should I even care? I found myself thinking about how they might feel in my social cirlcles. How would they react in a Bible study setting, where everyone around them held different beliefs? Would they stay? Would they even come?
As Christians, we often have a double standard. We say we shouldn't go to places like clubs, yet we expect them to just magically come to us. I am pretty grounded in my faith, and nothing about the party scene is tempting to me at all, so it's relatively safe for me to spend time with this wayward friend in her comfort zone. However, it isn't always wise for me to hang out in the teachers lounge, because gossip runs rampant and most of the time I can't control my tongue. We all have our own cross to bear, but I think we each need nights like this to evaluate our witness.
Do I belong in a club? Not really. But did it hurt me to stand back and observe? I'm hoping I took away a little perspective. God's got things He's trying to teach me.