Taking Back Gossip

 “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”  

Psalm 141:3 (NIV)

     There aren’t too many new gadgets or ideas that get my attention. I have always been a bit skeptical about most of them - that is, until a few years ago when I saw a shelf at a local store full of packages labeled “Bed in A Bag.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the photograph on each bag of a beautifully made bed without a wrinkle or pillow out of place.

    But what intrigued me even more was the fact that everything that made that bed beautiful – the comforter, bed skirt, sheets, two pillow shams, two pillowcases, and three throw pillows – ALL of it was in one bag!

   I could not resist and left the store with a king-size purchase in shades of lavender and gray. I could hardly wait to get home and open it. I imagined the experience would be similar to taking a dry, flat sponge and placing it in a sink of water: it would suddenly expand to 20 times its normal size in 5 seconds. I was right. But there was a problem.

  As I unzipped the bag and the contents tumbled out, I immediately saw that my king-sized comforter was actually a queen-size. Either the bag had been mislabeled or someone had switched comforters in the store. “Easy solution,” I thought. “I’ll just return it and exchange it for the right size.”

   But as I began to put everything back into the bag, I could tell that it was not going to be as easy as I thought. I folded, pushed, and shoved sheets and pillows but could not get the entire contents BACK in the bag! I also ended up with a broken zipper on a ripped bag. No matter how hard I worked, I could not put everything back like it was.

    Gossip is like that, isn’t it? We allow it to roll out of our hearts and off our tongues so easily, disguising what we say with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” But just like the bed in the bag, it’s easy to speak out and much harder to take back. The result? Lives get ripped apart and hearts broken from careless words and comments that do not need to be spoken or shared with anyone.

   Scripture is clear on this issue. Proverbs 12:18 says “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”  Ephesians 4:29 goes further: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up . . .” That is not a suggestion, my friends. And it could not be any clearer. Let me share an example of “reckless words.”

   A woman went to her minister to confess gossip that she had shared. She knew it was wrong and untrue and yet that did not stop her. One day she saw all the damage done by the rumors she had spread and she was broken. She immediately asked her minister how she could change what had happened to make everything right.

   He responded by taking her to a hill, cutting open a feather pillow, and shaking it in the air. Thousands of feathers were lifted and twirled by a breeze and – within minutes – were scattered for miles. “Now,” he said, “collect all these feathers and put them back in the pillow, for that is easier than trying to reverse the damage that has been done by the gossip that you spoke.” The woman could only hang her head in shame because she knew that her task was impossible and the damage could never be completely reversed. The same is true with gossip.

    As for the contents of the “Bed in a Bag,” I was never able to put back everything in the package. And neither can we “put back” all the damage that is done when our hearts ignore the words of Jesus and we speak gossip.

    Father, forgive me for gossiping. Help me remember that I am your child and you desire me to build up and not tear down those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

 R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Think about the times you have shared gossip and followed it with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” Is that always true?

• Are there times when information does need to be shared so people can pray? Why or why not?

Apply

• Memorize 2 Timothy 2:16-17 and speak it to your heart when tempted to listen to and share gossip.

• Be on guard for those moments when someone wants to share gossip with you. Always be ready to encourage and build up rather than tear down.

 Power

• Psalm 141:3 (NIV)  “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”

• 2 Timothy 2:16-17 (NIV) “Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene . . .”

• Proverbs 12:18 says “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”