Stumblingblock or Stepping Stone?

“Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” Romans 14:13


It has been stressed enough in the teaching of the gospel that one should wait patiently upon the Lord, and it has been stressed enough in our preaching that one such thing to wait for is a spouse. But if you’re like the type of girl I was, I did not want to wait! That meant something that contradicted my own terms, not helped it! Oh, how wrong I was.
One of the definitions of the word wait means to “remain inactive, until something expectant happens.” That does not sound like fun to me! But this is not always the case. I really don’t think that definition is what the Lord means. How can we help the kingdom by being inactive?
What I believe He means is the other definition of wait, one definition that a friend of mine actually brought to the surface that rang true to me.
The other definition of wait is to “perform the duties of an attendant or a servant of.”
It’s to be a servant to God. But not only that, to our fellow brothers and sisters.

Are we a stumblingblock or a stepping stone for our fellow brothers and sisters? Do we encourage or discourage? The scripture says to “ Let us not judge one another any more.” Are we doing that?
You may be thinking, “Well yes I am. I never talk bad about anybody!” Good. But how is your image reflecting Christ? Our duties to our fellow brothers and sisters are not just about not putting them in a bad light; it’s about not hindering their walk with Christ too.
The importance of this is that while we wait on the Lord, especially for the special someone, we must remember to wait on our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ by not being a stumblingblock in their way, and hindering their walk with God.
By being careful of the image you portray, including dressing modest and guarding your heart from emotional promiscuity, you will become a stepping stone instead! Doesn’t that sound a lot more pleasant?

We cannot find peace and joy on our own terms. It will be unfulfilling if we tried. I know, I’ve tried! But it helps to know that the Lord is not surprised by our actions. Instead, Jesus provides a solution. I pray that we all will be a part of the solution, a not a stumblingblock.