You’re at school, and that really cool kid invites you to a Friday night party. Now you are faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, you really want to be able to hang out with this kid because he or she is interested in the same things you are, because they are popular and even maybe because it’s someone you really like. But you know that a Friday night party is not a place that God wants you to be. Going to a party is not how you keep the Sabbath holy.

You have a couple of options you could use here, and you may be stressed out by how to respond to such a situation. You might be tempted to tell this incredibly cool kid that, “Oh, my parents don’t let me go to parties on Friday nights,” and let the blame rest on them. Yes, this is a direction that you could go.

I definitely used that wrong thinking a time or two as a teen. It would leave you looking more smooth and increase your chances of getting in with that crowd at school you’ve been eyeing. But there is a much better way to deal with this situation that requires a bit more courage, and it involves owning what you believe. It involves making God your own God and not just something your parents believe in.

This is about making your relationship with God yours. God doesn’t want you to keep the Sabbath, go to the Feast of Tabernacles every year and obey the Commandments just because it’s something your parents require you to do.

God wants you to love Him because He is your God, too. Jesus Christ gave Himself as a sacrifice not only for your parents, but for you. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Think about that for a moment. God gave His only Son, whom He loved tremendously, as a sacrifice for you, so that you could have a chance to choose life!

Notice what Exodus 6:7 states: “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” God is reaching out to you to be your personal, intimate God, as well as those brethren at services and your parents.

You’re precious to God and important to Him, and He has incredible plans for you: “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Just think of how amazing it is that you have a God who created you, has wonderful plans for you specifically, and wants to hear your prayers and for you to seek Him with your whole heart. This is about a deep, personal connection with your own Creator who loves you very much.

So let’s get back to that situation you might be facing sometime. How do you answer an invitation to a get-together on the Sabbath with courage? Tell them that you can’t come Friday night because it’s your Sabbath. This opens things up, so if they have questions they can learn something. But most importantly, with that simple statement you’re claiming what you believe, and you’re being a light by being different from those in the world.

Jesus stated: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14).

Our goal is to be a light, to seek God, and to be a part of His eternal family in the Kingdom of God.