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Love slows us down Bible in one year: 1 Samuel 10– Luke 9:37–62 It's better not . . . do anything . . . that will cause your brother or sister fall. Romans :21 Today's Scriptures & Insight: Romans :1– Most young Samoans receive a tattoo that points to their responsibility to their people and their boss. Naturally, then, the brands cover the arms of members of the Samoan men's rugby team. Traveling to Japan where tattoos can carry negative connotations, teammates realized that their symbols presented a problem for their hosts. In a generous act of friendship, Samoans wore fur-colored sleeves that covered the designs. "We are respectful and aware of ... Japanese road," explained the team captain. "We'll make sure what we're showing is okay." In an age that emphasizes individual expression, it is remarkable to encounter self-limitation, a concept paul wrote about in the book of Romans. He told us that love sometimes forces us to establish our rights for others. Instead of taking our freedom to the limits, sometimes love holds us back. The Apostle explained how some people in the church believed that they were free to "eat anything," but others ate "only vegetables" (Romans :2). While this might seem like a minor issue, in the 1st century, adherence Old Testament dietary laws was controversial. Paul instructed everyone "stop judging one another" (v. ), before concluding with particular words for those who ate freely. "It's best not eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that makes your brother or sister fall (v. 21). Sometimes loving another means limiting our own freedoms. We don't always have do everything we're free do. Sometimes love slows us down. Reflect & Pray When have you seen people limit their freedom for the sake of other believers in Jesus? How was that? What is difficult in situations where love holds us back? God, help me see where I need encourage others experience freedom and how I need limit the way I use my own freedoms. 
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Reading this reminded me of my days as a nurse. Out of deference to the older folks feelings, if a staff person had visible hickeys, or as they liked to call them, "love bites", it was expected that they be covered. The same with extensive tattoos. Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
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