Post 08: bad fruit
Growing up, I was always told that I was very mature for my age … but for a long time, I didn’t really know what that meant. Was this a good or a bad thing?
Everyone my age always seemed to be a little more carefree than I ever was, so I had always felt like being more mature held me back … like I was missing out on something. Of course, we aren’t supposed to compare ourselves to others, but that’s the world we’ve been thrown in. We’re given the poison and then we’re told not to drink it.
For a while I was in a pattern of going out and then fully regretting it in the morning. I’d start the night out by saying that I didn’t want to drink and then I’d get tired of feeling a little boring compared to everyone else, so I’d grab a drink and it’d just spiral from there. Where I would go wrong though is drinking to fit in. There is a reason I’m not in the mood to go out like that. That’s not where God wanted my energy to go and deep down, I was well aware.
I’ve realized that I don’t care to go out like I used to. I’m not a fan of hangovers (which I get rather easily) and the unhealthy food I eat after. This probably isn’t a hot take, but going out isn’t all that, at least not for me. Sure, it has its moments, but overall it brings me no where closer to my goals, which are being fit, eating healthy and growing closer to God.
It dawned on me that my maturity isn’t just about holding good conversations. It’s about wanting more than just going to bars every weekend and having conversations surrounding which real housewife flipped a table this week. It’s wanting a more fruitful life. Matthew 7:17 says “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” There’s a time and place for everything and it’s time to learn how to bear good fruit.
I’m not going to sit here and say that I plan to never go out again, nor am I saying that anyone else is wrong for doing so, but it is important to set some personal boundaries. It could mean that saying no to going out on Rainey Street becomes more common than saying yes, but at least for me that’s necessary in order to reach my goals. I have to be picky for myself, even if that means having major FOMO sometimes. Growing closer to God is certainly worth it.
Time to pick your poison.