Dear brothers and sisters. Today I want to write about gossip and the damage it can do to people. Mostly innocent people! I know that we all have participated in it, willingly or unwillingly. But have we ever wondered about the consequences of gossip? I know I have for gossip has affected me very badly in the past and now in the present. I can personally testify that:
“The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”( Prov26:22)
I myself have been the victim of gossip many times in my life and just recently I found out that I am the object of gossip again because of me being a Christian. How ridicule is that ha? They do not know me personally, nor have they taken the time to get to know me in a personal way, but they already have an opinion of me! How can that be? And the most awful thing about it all, is that many people unfortunately are believing this gossip. People are avoiding me not only for being a Christian, but due to gossip spread about me! I have no idea what they say behind my back, nor am I particularly interested in what they say, about me but one thing I do know and that is that king Salomon was right when he said that “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly”(Prov 18:8). Please do realize that gossiping is nothing other than spreading lies about someone, for most of the time the gossip is far from the truth.
It hurts when people are spreading gossip (lies) about you! No matter how old or how much self-esteem you might have, it still hurts. Why? Because what these people are telling is not the truth and most of the time you cannot defend yourself! And if it where the truth, they are misquoting the truth in order to sensationalize it until the whole thing gets blown out of proportion. Most people that love to gossip think that they are interesting and nice people for doing so, only finding their equals to agree with them..Most people love gossip so much because it always focuses on the negative, and NEVER on the positive side of people. Do you know that people who spread gossip around are usually very antagonistic in their own lives as well? That is why they are always on the look out to see if there is some evil lie to spread around. These people usually end up destroying someone’s reputation, and the worst of all is, they are having whilst fun doing it! People that spread lies do not respect you at all. I wonder if they even respect themselves for that matter, but that is quite another issue. Take a look what else the Bible tells us about gossiping people:
He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips. Prov 18:8
These are the people who you should not have as friends. I know this sounds harsh but it is the truth. They cannot be trusted and they run at every opportunity to spread your little secret around. And spread around it will, until it becomes a ‘sensational secret’. I have people tell me the worst things about other people and loving it. I was completely appalled by what was said to me, and one thing it made me realize very well was this: these people are out there to destroy your reputation. Why? Maybe because they are jealous of you. I have seen jealousy bring people into very big extremes.
“For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance”
( Prov 6:34)
We see that gossip vengeance can be a source of gossip. People who make use of this vile tool usually do this by making use of lies. In this way they ventilate their anger.
“Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashame?” (Job 11:3).
I am sorry to say but unfortunately way too many people put a gossip monger to shame! Almost nobody goes up to the person and tells them what lies are being said behind that person’s back. That would be one honest way of dealing with it. At least the victim can then defend himself. No, today society regards gossip as glamorous. It is being sold out on the streets, in gossip magazines. Have you ever wondered how those people feel? Have you wondered the weight on somebody’s shoulder to know that you are the object of gossip? Have you noticed all the different kinds of gossip magazines in the stores? They are sold by the millions. What a sad state of affairs! The worst thing of all, is that many Christians participate in the gossip as well. Churches have become so very competitive between each other that gossip is being used to curse someone or to destroy a pastor’s reputation. Some churches even go so far as to infiltrate into the churches and start spreading lies and gossip about the pastor to completely destroy him. “They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly”(Ps 62:4). Nobody gives it a second thought not even Christians think about the implications involved in this horrendous thing. This needs to stop friends. We need to realize that gossip is nothing more than the spread of lies about someone with the sole purpose to harm that person. If a person has done you harm does not the Bible in fact tell us to return love for evil? Should we not pray for our enemies and those who persecute us? What are we doing then by returning evil for evil and in return spread gossip around? Don’t you know that God has said that “He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight.”(Ps 101:7)?
Do you understand the length of what God is saying here? He is in fact telling you that He will not put up with you for lying. Have you wondered why your prayers are not being answered? You might now have found the answer. If you want to have God in your life, if you want to walk in His blessings, you better put gossip out of your mouth. And if you are the victim of gossip do as I do. Bless them and forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. I know it is not always easy, believe me, been there, but God is faithful and He will give you a way out. Do well remembering that
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.( Prov. 26:20).
Do not participate in gossip, give the gossip no wood. A fire cannot be lit without a spark!