5/10/10 Gossip

The word gossip can cause so much havoc in people’s lives yet we still continue to do it. I don’t think many believe that they are doing wrong by what they do. I have been the victim of gossip many, many times. And at some instances I have been guilty of gossip myself. However, I learned lessons from it and make an effort to refrain from doing so. It can be very daunting at times especially when we as women are so emotional and love to communicate. I have found that I am worried about if what I am saying will get back to that person then I know I am partaking in gossip. Then it is up to me to correct what I am doing.

I have felt a need to declare some things to certain people in my life but have not done so because I was unsure if they would be receptive to what I had to say. So instead I have discussed my feelings about things to others. Mostly trying to see if what I am observing is valid and how to go about talking to that person about their behaviors or actions. But what good is it doing the person that is in the wrong or heading down a negative direction by me NOT telling them and only telling others? Not a thing. It is not benefiting them one bit. Therefore it is gossip.

However, after reading my morning scriptures and lessons for today, I realize that there are going to be people in this world that will have hardened hearts and deaf ears to the warnings we give to them. But we as Christians must deliver that message. I like the analogy provided this morning of a friend that is blindfolded headed for a 300-ft drop. Would we stand by and just allow that friend to continue walking on that cliff or will we try fervently with all our power to stop that friend and remove the blindfold from their eyes for them to see the danger that lay ahead of them? And not only does that analogy pertain to Gossip but any thing that they may be doing that will cause them ruin in the end.

On my vision board I have “Speak the Truth in Love”. That is what I must fall on about telling others about the issues surrounding them. Just like warning the friend of the 300ft drop, I must lovingly tell my people that I care about that the way they are walking is treacherous and will cause them pain in the end. But I don’t have to beat it into them or forcefully try to make them see my point (i.e. arguing with them.). However, I don’t need to be whispering the warning either so low that they can barely hear me. I must speak loud and clear enough for them to hear the warning and understand what is being said. Therefore, the guilt of their demise will not lie upon my heart because they were warned.

So in final: speak the truth in love and we as women (and some men) need to refrain from gossiping about others, for it is sinful. But lift each other up and encourage one another. As Christ commanded in Matthew 22:39 …,’Love your neighbor as yourself’.