A scoundrel plots evil, and on their lips it is like a scorching fire. Aperverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
A violent person entices their neighbour and leads them down a path that is not good. A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.
Gossip: subtle poison
Charles Bridges in his commentary on Proverbs explains it this way: "We may seem to make light of the tale brought to our ears, and wholly to despise it. But the subtle poison has worked. 'Suppose it should be true. Perhaps, though it may be exaggerated, there may be some ground for it.' The thought indulged for only a moment brings suspicion, distrust, coldness: and often it ends in the separation of chief friends."
Having seen in the past two weeks, the effects of gossip I am angry at myself. Not for taking part in the gossip, but for not speaking up against it.
It involved a carer and a service user. The story went around that the carer wasbeing inappropriate with his/her charge, and it was the ‘talk of the steamie’ for a fortnight before the carer eventually and tearfully left. The person who had depended on the carer for a number of years was, understandably, upset too.
The carer who left was promptly offered a new post with someone else, which was refused. The company the carer worked for trusted him/her implicitly, after many years of impeccable service. However, the rumour started by the gossiperhad done the job of destroying the confidence of the carer, causing a breakdown of communication with the friends who knew the truth but started to doubt their friend’s integrity.
The person this carer looked after in now in a nursing home because of the upset caused by cruel gossip and rumour accelerating the dementia he/she suffers from.
I do sometimes speak about others but, thankfully never spreading rumour or hearsay. I think it is acceptable to say that somebody doesn’t look well or isn’t eating as usual. We should care about each other and if something seems to be‘not right’ with them. But instead of surmising things with other acquaintances, speak to someone who can actually do something. It is human nature to be interested in what other people are doing but we must be wary of saying anything that may not be true.
Instead of talking about a person’s bad points, look for their good points and share those, instead of causing hurt and heartache to somebody else. After all we are all in the position of being the subject of gossip and suffering the same feeling of shame, we might cause another person.
Prayer
Gracious Father, we come before You, knowing we are not worthy except by the death and resurrection of Your Son. We are sorry for the times we have not been as charitable as we should be, seeing faults in others, forgetting our own as we speak freely about the flaws in others which we ignore in ourselves. Please let Your Spirit help us to guard our tongues when we speak with each other, so that, instead of causing pain we might bring joy to someone else’s life. We ask this in the wonderful name of Jesus, amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment