The Teeter Totter

So, I've decided it's doubly challenging to be a Christian here. First of all, there is the obvious challenge of being surrounded by non-Christians that drink, smoke, hook up, cuss, and seem to have lasting joy in doing so. So first I have to keep myself from falling into sin with them, or even just falling into the mindset that their lifestyles are good and beautiful.

Secondly, there is the challenge of wanting to believe I am morally superior to them. Although I may be successful at avoiding the sins they commit, I develop a prideful heart, condemning them while glorifying myself. The latter is arguably a worse or at least more dangerous offense, as pride has a uniquely powerful effect in separating a person from God. With a sin like adultery or drunkenness, although it is displeasing to God, the sinner is able (hopefully and eventually) to experience the brokenness of acknowledging that he or she has fallen from God and does, in fact, need redemption through Jesus Christ. With pride, the very sin prevents the sinner from realizing the disparity between his or her moral state and that of Christ.

I've been oscillating between these two extremes. I see myself making compromises, falling into the worldview of the world, so I back out and refocus on Christ. However, I get too caught up in my own self-righteousness and I become a proud hypocrite. My goal is to find that balance of recognizing the world's actions as sin yet realizing my own need for a Savior.