Stop
Gossiping
Those
who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their
tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. – James 1:26
She started
her Facebook post with the words “I heard.” That was the telltale sign. She
wasn’t passing on factual information. She was passing on something that may or
may not be true. Her justification? It might be against her religious beliefs.
I could only
shake my head and remove the post from my news feed. It’s not the first time
this “devout” Christian has passed on something like this. She’s a huge gossip
who never bothers to check her “facts” before posting something.
You will
never convince her that this is wrong. I’ve tried. If pushed, she just explains
that it’s her opinion. That she’s harming people, sometimes people she doesn’t
even know, doesn’t faze her a bit. Her “values” are tied up falsehoods. And she
wonders why so many people are turning from God.
We
Christians don’t live by the same standards we require of others. Yes. We all
sin and fall short of the glory of God. I’m really not talking about that. It’s
more a lofty, condescending attitude that we know better than anyone else. How sad.
Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.
– Proverbs 10:18
She claims
to love everyone. She tosses the words around like they are a given. And then
she puffs up to proclaim judgement. It’s that hypocrisy nonbelievers keep
talking about. Her talk of love belies her quick condemnation of anyone who
disagrees with her views. Her knowledge of the Bible is skewed as she uses its
words as weapons to slaughter rather than words to heal.
Maybe I am
no different. How many times have I used words to harm rather than heal? Haven’t
we all done so? As Christians, we are called to bring others toward Jesus with
the light we shine into this dark world. That begins with paying attention to our
words. Stop gossiping and start feeding people hope.
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