“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

(Matthew 18:6 NIV)

A husband and wife were driving down a quiet country lane when their car got stuck in the mud. A young farmer came along with a team of oxen and offered to pull them out for $50.   After freeing the car, he told them, “You’re the tenth car I’ve helped out of the mud today.”

Surprised, the husband asked, “When do you find time to plow your fields?  At night?”

The farmer responded, “No, nighttime is when I put the water in the hole.”

That raises a question:  Are we the kind of people who help others out of the mud — or the kind who make sure the mud is always there?

Sometimes – often without meaning to — we can make life harder for the people around us.  A sharp word here, a critical spirit there.  A bad example we never thought anyone noticed.  A joke that cuts a little too deep.  And before we know it, someone’s stuck in the mud because of us.

In Matthew 18, Jesus didn’t mince words. He said it would be better to be thrown into the sea with a giant stone around your neck than to cause a “little one” — a child or a young believer — to stumble. That’s intense. But he said it because he cares deeply about the vulnerable.  And he expects us to care, too.

Being a follower of Jesus means we’re not just responsible for our own walk — we’re also called to watch out for others.  We’re meant to be encouragers, not discouragers.  People who clear the path, not clutter it.  People who build up, not tear down.

It doesn’t take much to be a stumbling block.  But it also doesn’t take much to be a blessing.  A kind word. A listening ear.  A consistent example.  A moment of grace.

We don’t have to be perfect — just intentional. Because you never know who’s watching, or who’s learning to walk by watching you.  Let’s make the commitment to be people who fill in the holes, not people who dig them.

Prayer: Father, help me to be a person who lifts others up rather than causes them to fall. Give me the wisdom to recognize when my actions or words might lead others astray. May I reflect your love and grace in a way that helps others walk more closely with you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day