We are social creatures in this time and day. We live in a social society where we share in each other's lives. Why else would Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et cetera exist? We are curious. We desire to be "in the know". I'll admit it. I'm always on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I tweet about ten times a day and have more than 1,000 pictures on Instagram. I am a social creature. I want to know what is on everybody's minds. I want to know what goes on in everybody's lives. And, I'll admit, too, that I am a gossip. I'm not as bad as I used to be, but I still do it. And I feel guilty about it.
Why is it so hard to NOT gossip?
Well, everybody loves a good story, right? I mean, not necessarily. How about that person that the story is about? Do they like it? Probably not. Gossiping (i.e. spreading rumors) isn't beneficial to anybody. It hurts those whom we talk about and it destroys our credibility. Nobody is going to want to trust you when they know that you are going to tell other people.
Gossip is also seen as a way that we judge others. Judgment is and never will be our job. The only one who can judge is God. He is in charge of judgements, not us.
Gossip really only ends up creating things such as GREED, HATE, ENVY.
If you look at it, really look at it, gossip is a sign that we, as Christians, aren't being really active in our faith and in our lives. I mean, look at your life: the busier you are, the less time you spend wrapped around other people's lives; the less time you gossip.
Gossip is bred out of boredom. It always begins as just a simple conversation and then escalates. You may just be meeting with a friend for coffee to catch up on each other's lives. Before you know it, you both are spreading rumors/gossiping about the other "friends" and acquaintances in your lives. How twisted is that? We have so much more to do with our lives than sitting and telling lies about other people.
When looking through my Bible for verses on this topic, I was overwhelmed with the amount of scripture that has to deal with gossips.
Leviticus 19:16 – “Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.”
Proverbs 11:13 – “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.”
Romans 1:29 – “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips.”
1 Timothy 5:13 – “Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.”
Matthew 7:1 – “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.”
Proverbs 18:8 – “The words of gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”
So, what should we do about it?
1. If you find yourself about to or in the middle of gossip, get out of it. If you don't fuel the gossip, it has nowhere to go. This (obviously) also includes those gossip magazines and television shows. It may not seem "sinful" to be reading those magazines or watching those shows, but it is. When you buy that magazine or watch that show, you are fueling the gossip. You are contributing to it.
2. Also, when you are faced with a statement that may or may not be gossip, check out the facts. For instance, if you hear someone has an eating disorder, go to the person and talk to them about it. They may just need someone to talk to. It may not be true at all. Teenagers can be nasty people when we want to be. However, if you don’t feel comfortable talking to the person yourself, and the rumor is something serious, you may want to go to a parent, pastor, or youth leader. Getting someone to help in a serious situation is not gossip as long as the information stays with you and the person you go to for help.
3. If you want to avoid gossip, focus on creating helpful and encouraging statements. Let the gossip and end with you and remember the Golden Rule – if you don’t want people to gossip about you, then don’t participate in gossip.
Here are a few more verses dealing with this topic:
Proverbs 26:20 – “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.”
Deuteronomy 13:14 – “Then you must inquire, probe and investigate it thoroughly.”
Matthew 7:12 – “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
Ephesians 4:29 – “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Gossip isn't necessary for our lives. We can live without it. So, try and stop it before it spreads like wildfire. Unknowingly, you could even save someone's life.
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