One of my favorite games as a child was” Broken Telephone.” It starts off by a group of people sitting in a circle and the first person whispers a secret into the ear of the person on one side, they whisper to the next person, and it goes around the circle, only to find out when the secret gets to the end, it’s an entirely different secret!
It sure is good and funny when you hear the secret at the end and it’s totally different than what the original person said. It’s not so funny in real life under the name of gossip.
Gossip is all around us. It doesn’t take long to see a bunch of information one could classify as “gossip” on social media. Gossip thrives on Facebook, Twitter, texts, and Instagram, in neighborhoods, on HOAs, in families, in churches, and in offices. Gossip is everywhere and it has the potential to destroy lives.
Have you ever been gossiped about? It’s not fun if you’re on the receiving end, especially when it’s false information. It’s just like the “Broken Telephone” game! Yet, the problem is, gossip is so ‘out there.’ We have no idea how far the tentacles of gossip have traveled. There’s no way to retrieve all the information, make it right or even try to change an opinion about it. Gossip is just gone forever.
I think we would all agree that NONE of us want to be the object of gossip. What we may not agree on is this: Will WE stop gossiping?
I find reading a Proverb a day quite helpful as I seek to live before God. Given there are 31 Proverbs, it’s quite fitting to read all the Proverbs in a month. Note these great Proverbs about gossiping:
“A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.” Proverbs 11:13, NLT
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT
“A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.” Proverbs 20:19 NLT
I love Rick Warren’s definition of gossip: “When we are talking about a situation with somebody who is neither part of the problem nor part of the solution, then we are probably gossiping.”
How do we handle gossip? 1. Commit to holding confidences of others. Trust is a beautiful gift. 2. Change the topic when you see a conversation veering off to gossip. 3. Don’t spread gossip. 4. Read a Proverb a day and pray that God will help you put a guard over your mouth. (Psalm 141:3-4)
Every one of us is tempted to gossip at some point in time. Ask God to help you be different.
Gossip is all around us. It doesn’t take long to see a bunch of information one could classify as “gossip” on social media. Gossip thrives on Facebook, Twitter, texts, and Instagram, in neighborhoods, on HOAs, in families, in churches, and in offices. Gossip is everywhere and it has the potential to destroy lives.
Have you ever been gossiped about? It’s not fun if you’re on the receiving end, especially when it’s false information. It’s just like the “Broken Telephone” game! Yet, the problem is, gossip is so ‘out there.’ We have no idea how far the tentacles of gossip have traveled. There’s no way to retrieve all the information, make it right or even try to change an opinion about it. Gossip is just gone forever.
I think we would all agree that NONE of us want to be the object of gossip. What we may not agree on is this: Will WE stop gossiping?
I find reading a Proverb a day quite helpful as I seek to live before God. Given there are 31 Proverbs, it’s quite fitting to read all the Proverbs in a month. Note these great Proverbs about gossiping:
“A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.” Proverbs 11:13, NLT
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT
“A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.” Proverbs 20:19 NLT
I love Rick Warren’s definition of gossip: “When we are talking about a situation with somebody who is neither part of the problem nor part of the solution, then we are probably gossiping.”
How do we handle gossip? 1. Commit to holding confidences of others. Trust is a beautiful gift. 2. Change the topic when you see a conversation veering off to gossip. 3. Don’t spread gossip. 4. Read a Proverb a day and pray that God will help you put a guard over your mouth. (Psalm 141:3-4)
Every one of us is tempted to gossip at some point in time. Ask God to help you be different.
Take a listen to this song. When we have a relationship with Christ, He forgives us of all our sins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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