1 Corinthians 8:9 – But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak
Ok, you can, but if you’re a Mormon, maybe you shouldn’t. I’m definitely not trying to create a boycot, or anything. However, this morning in seminary, we really had an amazing discussion about appearances.
Where it started
There is a great quote from Elder Perry in the New Testament Teacher’s manual about how he used to attend business meetings that were preceded by a “cocktail hour”. He details his dilemma, starting with lemon lime soda, and discovering that his drink looked much like everyone else’s.
Why does that matter, I asked! Champion students they are, our youth quickly identified that people might know Elder Perry to be a Mormon, and mistakenly think he was also a drinker. Surely that doesn’t matter, I cried. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, right?
Their wisdom
Wisely, they distilled the essence of the problem. Elder Perry might have lead others to err, even though he himself knew he was doing nothing wrong. His knowledge, and the liberty he took, would become a stumbling block to others, and might enable them to start drinking.
Lala, who has for a long time mourned the loss of coffee, while still staying true to the word of wisdom, joined the students in their epiphany. By abstaining from the appearance of error, she was giving glory to God, and as verse 1 of this same chapter suggests, giving charity to others.
So maybe you can’t shop at Starbucks
Or, maybe you can. That’s between you and God. But Elder Perry switched from lemon-lime soda to milk. Following his example, I want to look at my life and be sure nothing in it would lead those I stand before to stumble and err.