Back To Home Page To Archives - Spring of Life - H. Roger Bothwell The Tip Cup As I stood at the cash register paying for my sandwich I was confronted by a big yellow sign with bold black print posted directly behind the cashier that read, "Tip Cups and Penny Cups Are Strictly Forbidden In This Establishment." As I looked down to my wallet my eyes fell on a nice large paper cup filled with ones that said, "Tip Cup" on the side. The two girls who made my sandwich and took my money were wonderfully bubbly, sweet smiling, vivacious, articulate teenagers, who had been very accommodating about which veggies and which dressing I wanted on my sandwich. How could I not put money in their cup let alone say something about the sign? Now comes the ethical dilemma. Did I aid and abet? Did I commit an immoral act by encouraging and participating in a violation of company policy? When, if ever, does rewarding excellence in the workplace become a higher priority then conforming to a bureaucratic decree? Jesus' actions in Mark 2:24 - 28 lead us to some interesting conclusions. He commends David who took the sacred bread from the sanctuary that was to be eaten only by the priests and fed it to his men. There must be some situations when human needs outweigh rules. While Jesus' behavior should not be a license for us to break rules upon every whim, it does seem to give us some latitude. Now society can only function if we keep the rules. But we must never lose the human touch that makes life a pleasure. My question is was I right or wrong? Help please. I'm Roger Bothwell and my address is roger.bothwell@verizon.net or 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453. Thank you for your support of our faith ministry. Past devotionals can be accessed at Archives