Lent '09 - Day 28: Removing Stumbling Blocks

Chapter 14 of Romans is very important advice for day-to-day interactions with others on areas of subjectivity (e.g., swearing, music you listen to, what situations you put yourself in, etc.) Here's is the summary:

• We aren't to look down on other's people's decisions in these areas. They are aren't our servants; their God's.
• What we do, we do unto God. We will have to give an account of actions. As a result, be sure to act out of conviction.
• We also don't just unto God, but unto each other. Therefore, our actions should not be stumbling blocks for others.

This may seem like giving up some of authenticity, to "just be ourselves". In some way's it is, but we're asked to give up a lot for love's sake. Our freedom should not be another's undoing, and these areas are no exception.

One area this comes to mind for me is with the TV show The Office. Kara and I find the ridiculous and/or awkward situations it creates hilarious. That said, some episodes present a unrealistic or skewed view of relationships and sexuality. It's not hard for me to see through this and look past it. That said, others know I like the show, including my younger brothers, and I wonder if they're able to bypass these parts as easily as I am. I remember being a teenager, and the difficulty of knowing and living a God-honoring sexuality amongst all the media, friend conversations, and hormones. At this point, I've resolved to talk with them about it and ask how affects them to determine if I'm putting a stumbling block before them.