And I'll be the first to admit, that whole party scene has never been much of my thing, The idea of going to a stranger's house to only be in an overly crowded room, with overconfident boys, and overly desperate girls seeking attention of that "one boy" they like. All that just doesn't appeal to me. Loud music, strangers, shots for fun... No thank you.
However, last Tuesday, I was invited to my first college party that would take place on Thursday. For the next 48 hours, I debated with myself back and forth if I wanted to go or skip, but finally, I figured that I don't have the right to claim that I truly have a deep hatred for the "party scene" unless I experience it. Right?
So, I gathered my anxious feelings along with some friends I've known since high school and once 8 pm rolled around on Thursday, we rolled up to the party -- and by rolled into the party, I mean walked up to the party.. I'm trying to make walking seem cool because ya know the whole college freshman no cars kinda thing? Any whoosies, I wandered into this backyard and my senses were immediately stimulated, by the smell of the campfire, the sight of too many people squeezed into a small yard, and of course the noise generated by the same people squeezed into that same small backyard, oh and don't forget the music, that was quite loud too.
After two hours, of bouncing between talking to strangers, witnessing intense drinking games, and having too much to drink myself, I was ready to leave. Here's what was different about this party, after drinking a solid 4 drinks and kicking some butt in drink pong, I left even more hydrated than I was when arrived. Why? It's quite simple actually. Take the stereo typical college party, remove the alcohol, replace it with water, take away the random strangers, and replace them with people who all love Jesus or have an interest in getting to know him. Indeed, this WATER PARTY was held by a campus ministry, and was advertised with the slogan, "come and get hydrated" (so yes in that red solo cup there's only water). That Thursday night turned out to be a lot of fun, and knowing me, I took a lesson out of it. I left the backyard party not only physically hydrated but spiritually hydrated as well.
College is the time to grow, find yourself, and determine what you want to do with your life. Every human has a story that is unique only to them and is unlike that of any other living person. But, we all have the same void in our hearts and once one steps out on their own (college most often), the void becomes incredibly prominent. Our first instinct is to try to fill this emptiness as quick as possible. The most common attempts seem to include: drugs, alcohol, and sexual impurity. Of course, this provides happiness -- but only temporary. Those same three temporary trappings of this world, are extremely influential on the lives of college freshman, they want to fill the void which they believe will help them in their pursuit of finding who they truly are and where they belong. But, those temporary fillings will fade and lead us back to our emptiness. You may be asking, "then what is the permanent filling of this void of emptiness?". Well, C.S. Lewis states it perfectly, "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were not made of this world".
How does this tie into the water party? Here's what I took from it: Jesus is the living water, the only drink we need. Because of his atoning sacrifice, we no longer need to thirst. God knew we were all Prone To Wander and prone to leave him. But, he instilled in us a void that was intended to lead us straight back to him. Only his unconditional love, unconditional grace, and unconditional mercy can fill that emptiness we all know, so that we never thirst again.
So yes, I had a great time at that party without alcohol, because "if you're drinking from anything but the well of Jesus, you'll never be fulfilled" (quote creds to Chloe Button)
"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water." (Ps. 63:1 NIV) -Madison
Shoutout to Marissa, Erica, and Hannah for making that 'water party' a blast and helping me realize an amazing lesson. I love you girls!