The words of a gossip are tasty morsels, going down into one’s innermost being. Proverbs 18:8, TLV
Spiritual Cannibalism? “No one can eat just one.” Anyone remember that Lay’s™ potato chip slogan? Gossip is a lot like potato chips, for most of us, once we “eat” one, we crave more. And, before we know it, we’ve “eaten” the whole bag of hearsay and rumors.
What’s unique about this proverb is how much responsibility the “eater” of gossip has, not just the “server.” I wonder, if we held the eater as responsible as the server, would gossip be so rampant these days?
Serving up Gossip
Gossip treats another’s life as fast food. It’s spiritual cannibalism. It matters not if the information is true or not, the gossiper loves to serve up the snack and leave their diners wanting more.
What about the gossipers? I think gossipers like being in control. Control of the person they are talking about and the person they are feeding the junk to.
My grandmother use to say, “If you can’t say anything nice about
someone, don’t say anything at all.” That’s actually a lovely paraphrase of Proverbs 11:13, “A gossip reveals secrets, but one who is trustworthy conceals a matter.” Combining the two might be, “Even if it’s a complimentary secret, it’s not yours to tell.”
What Gossip Isn’t
When is talking about someone not gossip? When we’re given permission, or the story is public/published. So, I can talk about Moses because he publicly shared his story. But what if I knew a secret about him? That he requested confidentiality? Or sharing what I think his motives were. Or his character. These are things we can’t share.
Social Media
Speaking of which, with social media, sharing ours and others’ life publicly has become so commonplace. We simply click on the SHARE button. Do we realize how open we are to gossip and ridicule by people who don’t know us or care about us? Are we careful that the SHARE button doesn’t promote gossip? Or, here’s the clincher, are we sharing:
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any virtue and if there is anything worthy of praise—dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8, TLV
What If . . .
What could the world look like if we simply stopped gossiping and speaking and thinking poorly of others? Stop devouring one another? We’d probably be back to only a few networks, and a lot less magazines and books. The words “unauthorized biography” would never appear on a book cover.
Our conversations could involve deeper discussions. Subjects like the arts, history, gardening, parenting, Biblical truths, life, even the weather. Topics that could edify, inform, and teach.
It wouldn’t make the world a perfect place, but it would dial us back
to a gentler, kinder place. A place where we “dined” on gourmet, healthy foods of goodwill and peace. And that’s a meal worth having.
Think More About It
How will you “dial” back to a gentler and kinder place? Are there people in your life who share information that doesn’t belong to them? How will/do you plan to handle those addictive morsels?
Thanks for stopping by. I truly appreciate your comments and shares.
