I hate gossip..especially when it's about me or the ones I love. Even when it's not about me I hate the dirty feeling I have in my mind and spirit if I participated in it, or was simply in the same room with it. But what I really hate is that experience of having a "friend" who comes along and in a "spirit" of caring decide to take it upon themselves to let me know what someone said about me because they thought I would want to know. It's really about the secret fantasy of getting to tell me; somehow that gives them power while they are looking at the look on my face trying to come up with a spirit filled response but instead my old nature knee jerk reaction of trying to figure out how to defend myself kicks in. It's ugly, it's painful, and WHO does it edify?
Someone once said, "when someone says something bad about you, live so no one will believe it."
That's what I do.
I also like the following passage from Scripture that teach us how to live with each other concerning our tongue:
"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech." I Peter 3:10-11
I love life with my husband and my children and I want us to see good days together and we do already. We gossip when our hearts have empty spaces and an impulse to fill it, using as little brain power as possible. It does require more brain power to have a conversation made up of concepts about God, love, life, and how to affect world poverty than it does to sit around and talk about people.
Come on, girls(and guys occasionally)..let's use our God given minds to think up more interesting things to talk about than other people's life choices, preferences, sicknesses, marriages, children, and money management. Let's edify! Make our words life giving instead of life taking.
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3 comments:
Almost as much as at church, gossip is overpowering in the school setting. I hate how it creates divisive camps, especially since we're all doing the best we can. I've learned that I feel dirty when I observe or receive gossip, but I don't usually feel bad when I initiate it. It's dangerous that way.
interesting point!
awesome post, mom. really well said.
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