I Love Jesus... But I Like To Turn Up

I Love Jesus... 

But I Like to Turn Up........

Hello my name is Karyn Lee and I like to have fun, as a matter of fact I TURN UP. First let’s define what I mean by “Turn Up”. According to Karyn’s dictionary… Turning up or being TURNT means, “To have fun, let loose, interact with peers/close friends while enjoying your drink of choice.” Some people would add a couple of activities (Smoking Marijuana, engaging in sexual activities) to their definitions but I can only speak for myself.

The first thing I would like to do is address the elephant in the room. What does the bible say about being “Turnt”? The classic scripture that most Christians always use when they are being questioned about drinking is John 2:1-10, “Jesus turned water into wine.” While that is very true, that’s not necessarily a justification to drink. Many people believe that the bible encourages total abstinence… Well guess what? IT DOES! But it does with reasoning. Many people read scriptures without fully interpreting the underlying meaning or message. Romans 14:21 says to not drink IF you are causing others to be stumbled by it. Romans 13:1 says don’t drink if it’s against the law, you must abide by the laws of the land. Mathew 5:29-30 addresses those who struggle with alcohol abuse. The bible doesn’t mention drugs by name at all, but you can always apply the scriptures that speak on abiding by the laws of the land.

As a Christian I think there can often be a battle between legality and morality. Is something right just because it’s legal? Not necessarily.

The biggest thing that I have discovered while being on my walk with Christ is that, what you choose to do is based on your PERSONAL CONVICTIONS. Being a young Christian is hard, sometimes you can feel like you are constantly being judged by the choices you make. Why can’t I enjoy life without being reminded that I’m sinning every 5 seconds. The way I define personal convictions is actually very simple. If you feel like you are doing something wrong...then don’t do it. If you have a gut feeling and what you are doing doesn’t feel right then you probably should reevaluate what you are doing. The problem with personal convictions and Christianity is that people often put their own convictions on other people. Just because something feels wrong for you doesn’t mean that it’s wrong for ME. Everyone is on a different level in their Christian walk. Some things are harder for different people. Somebody might have self control issues, so when they do certain things it might be hard for them to stop. A lot of people like that tend to be around people whose morals match their own. I think people should be around like minded people, and not around people who will judge the choices they make.

I can personally be around others and not feel pressured to do what they do, but other people often struggle with that. I will acknowledge that self-control is a strength of mine.

Building self-control is an essential part of enjoying life as a Christian. It is one of the fruits of the spirit (Galations 5:22-23) along with love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and gentleness. Knowing when to stop is a struggle for some but God can and will heal that but a person would have to acknowledge that self-control is a problem in their life first.

Something that I have had many arguments over is whether or not Christians should listen to secular music. I always state my case like this. God gave me the gift of song and he has also blessed many others with beautiful musical gifts as well. What’s wrong with me enjoying the beautiful and diverse gifts God has placed in people? God is far beyond the four walls of the church and as a Christian it is a personal decision to choose to reflect his image. I KARYN LEE choose to reflect him in all that I do and I also choose to see the good in other people. If God is love, then what’s wrong with enjoying a love song? Just because you want to have sex when you listen to R Kelly doesn’t mean I feel that way too. PERSONAL CONVICTION. It’s all about perspective, how you choose to look at things will affect the way you live your life.

    Christians need to learn to let loose and realize that everything is not a sin. A lot of times people believe certain things are bad because they were always taught that it was wrong with no explanation. I learned that I had to form my own outlook on things. Listen to your heart and let the Holy Spirit help you discern if something is right or wrong. It’s always good to acknowledge that how someone else lives their life may not be the way you want to live yours. It doesn’t mean that they’re a bad person and you’re better or vice versa.

My definition of turning up is based on my PERSONAL CONVICTIONS. Everyone should define their own version of “turning up” and if you happen to meet people whose definitions match yours then... TURN UP. It is important to learn to enjoy life, even the bible speaks on that in Ecclesiastes 8:15. Life is a beautiful gift that God gave us, it’s nothing wrong with LIVING it.