I Ordered Milk

A member of the Church who is worthy of a temple recommend should always stand out in whatever professional circles he or she belongs. My advice to you is to dare to be different. Never worry about offending others by living up to the standards of the Church. I promise you that living up to temple recommend standards will bless and never hurt you in any situation in which you may find yourself. 

Let me offer a personal example. Again, my business career was as a retail executive. As such, I was required to attend trade association meetings, business clubs, chamber of commerce meetings, etc. They always started with a cocktail hour. I was always uncomfortable in the setting. Nearly everyone would be holding an alcoholic beverage in their hands as they mingled together. I asked myself, “What could I hold in my hand to represent my standards and the standards of the Church?” I realized that if I didn’t hold a glass in my hand someone would always be wanting to buy me a drink. 

At first I tried holding 7-Up, but it looked the same as other bubbly, alcoholic drinks. Finally, I decided to walk over to the bartender and request a glass of milk. I thought he might be hard of hearing because he made me repeat my order three times.  The final time was loud enough that everyone in the room could hear. 

After fumbling around for a few minutes the bartender finally handed me a glass of milk. You can imagine the ribbing I received as I mingled the rest of that evening, but I knew my standards, and I was undeterred. The next month, at the same meeting, I ordered my milk. From then on, the bartender always had a glass of milk for me. 

Then a funny thing started to happen. At future meetings more people started ordering milk and drinking it with me. They confided in me that their wives did not like them drinking because it might impair them as they drove home. Instead of feeling awkward during cocktail hour, I soon became the center of conversation. It helped me meet more people and fulfill the purposes for which I attended those gatherings.

I learned an important lesson from this experience. If I kept my promises to the Lord, He would always keep His promises to me. He would always fulfill his end of the bargain—and much, much more—if I fulfilled mine.

Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional, January 24, 2012,"The Church: Scaffolding for Our Lives"L. Tom Perry