Summary: Karl burst into the room. "Mom, guess what happened at Bible Club!" he exclaimed. "Marc accepted Jesus as his Savior!" "That's wonderful!" responded Mom. "His parents aren't Christians," said Karl solemnly. "Marc's dad told him he should forget all about God." "Let's ask the Lord to help Marc be a testimony to his parents," Mom replied. Karl nodded. "I will," he promised, "and I'll help Marc any way I can." A few weeks later, Karl was quite annoyed at his friend. "I asked Marc to go with me to play pool at Don's house, but you know what? He said, 'Karl, I thought you were a Christian!' Then he walked away!" Karl frowned. "Maybe Marc's father plays pool in the bars where there's a lot of drinking," replied Mom, "so Marc associates the game with drinking and wasting money. He may not understand that a game of pool in somebody's basement can be okay." As Karl thought that over, Mom added, "Maybe you should give up pool for a while." "Give it up!" exclaimed Karl. "Why?" Baby Joey, who had just learned to walk, toddled toward his toy box. Wobbling uncertainly, he tried to step over some building blocks in his path. He stepped on one of them, lost his balance, and fell. More scared than hurt, Joey began crying, and crawled to his mother for comfort. As Mom soothed Joey, she said, "You know, Marc is kind of like your brother. Baby Joey is a new walker and stumbled over those building blocks." Mom paused. "Marc is a baby Christian. He may not understand that the game of pool can be separated from the bad things he associates with it. Right now, pool playing is a problem for him, so your right to play pool might become what the Bible refers to as a stumbling block. If Marc sees you do something he believes is wrong, it might tempt him to do it, too--and that might hurt him spiritually." "I didn't think about that," said Karl. He hesitated. "Okay, I'll stop playing pool for a while since it bothers him," he decided. He grinned as Joey wiggled to get down. "Maybe by then, Joey will be a better walker, too!" Karl added. How About You? Have you ever been a stumbling block in someone's faith? Sometimes it's hard to know if people are just being picky when they criticize what you do--or if they're being tempted to do something they believe is wrong. You may want to ask an adult to help you decide. Your actions do influence others. Refuse to be a stumbling block, even if it means you have to give up something you think is okay. Today's Key Verse: Beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. (1 Corinthians 8:9) Today's Key Thought: Don't be a stumbling block
