Am I Missing Something?

I feel like every Christian goes through seasons of growing pains. God reveals another layer of things that we need to surrender and turn over to Him. So yesterday was one of those days. One of my friends called me and just warned me to be careful about who I drink with. It completely took me out of left field. At first I brushed it off and was like she’s my friend who cares. Then God threw this thought at me:

It’s not about you, it’s about your friend.

Immediately this verse came to mind:

“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.”

1 Corinthians 8:9-12 NIV

So after that I spent the rest of the day in turmoil with thoughts like, “Am I an alcoholic? Does my friend think I’m an alcoholic?” I basically allowed condemnation to consume myself.

But God being in His loving nature told me “you’re not an alcoholic but sometimes you may indulge a little more than you should.” And then I felt peace. Honestly anyone who knows me knows I love a nice glass of wine or a happy hour, but just because you want something, doesn’t mean you should always have it. Sometimes just by having a drink it could signal to someone who shouldn’t be drinking that it’s okay to do it just because I’m doing it. Something innocent can quickly turn into something dangerous.

So with every truth, there’s a choice. I choose to take a word of warning and discern when the right time is to have that glass of wine and when I should just stick with a water with lemon (delicious and also better for you 😊). So if you’re like me and you’re facing a situation of growth, choose obedience because you never know what the repercussions of your disobedience might place you.