Tattle Tales All Grown Up

"It's not gossip if it's true!"

"We're not gossiping. Bless your heart; we were just discussing how we could help you."

"I only told Jane. It's not like I was gossiping."

"I'm not trying to gossip, but did you know?"

"I saw it myself."

"He/she informed me him/herself."

How many times have you heard someone say one of the above? How many times have you said one of the above? Take a moment and reflect on the conversations you have had and be honest with yourself. Are you gossiping? Are you trying to deny or sugarcoat your actions?

Let's take a moment to define "gossip."

Dictionary.com defines gossip as "idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others" and "light, familiar talk or writing." I really like the 3rd definition they list: a person given to tattling or idle talk.

If you gossip then you are a tattle-tale.

We need to understand that any form of idle chatter that concerns the personal and private affairs of a third party is malicious. When you open your mouth to discuss some tantalizing piece of news, you are spreading rumors which will inevitably evolve and deteriorate into an outright lie. Don't believe it? Then you must never have played the game "telephone." This popular children's game sets a perfect example how one piece of information becomes construed as it is passed from one person to another.

Perhaps the most outrageous information about gossip is the inappropriate claim that gossip is an acceptable and even beneficial social act. The claim that gossip helps bond friends is simply preposterous. This article {right-click here to read it in a new tab or window) suggests that most gossip is not malicious. Such a claim is hogwash. There is absolutely no form of gossip that anyone should consider acceptable.

My dear Christian Brothers and Sisters, take a moment to read James 1:26. It says, "Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless." Now look at James 3:4-6. It says, "Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

Now consider what we read in Matthew 12:36. "But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken."

The subjects you choose to discuss can easily grow into a wild and uncontrollable fire. Gossip is nothing but a wildfire. Stay away from it. Control your tongue; bite it if you must. If a Brother or Sister begins to stoke the blaze then put his or her tongue out with a bucket of ice cold water!