Recently I've discovered that our church has a small infection of gossip. The gossip bug bites and spreads like a bad disease. Upon learning about these things I've started to address the issues at hand. What I'm finding quickly is how many lies are mixed in with how little truth.
I've always known that gossip is just wrong and is looked on poorly by God but these last few days I've seen first hand the confusion and damage it brings.
Do you realize that not one person I've talked to thus far has had the facts straight? Gossip wouldn't be fun if you were talking about truth and integrity. You have to sprinkle in lies and personal bias. Otherwise it's useless.
Do you realize that gossipers need a willing ear? An easy way to shut gossip down is to prevent an audience. If people (in our church for instance) simply decide never to talk about people outside of their presence, we'd shut down the gossip train.
Do you realize how many people don't understand when they are gossiping? In our culture (transient for the most part) people want what we've pushed in our church: relationships. It's been interesting to see what some people believe comes with relationships... a listening ear.
Anyway... Pastors please confront the gossip now. Address it publically for what it is... sin. Address it privately as such and give people an opportunity to come clean. If your house is in order the likelyhood is that none of it is true. As long as it is allowed to float you will be in trouble. Get rid of it.
2 comments:
Tally, I loved this post. Two days ago, at a football game, I was sitting talking to a couple of women who were going on and on about something trivial. Then it began involving others. I was watching the game but couldnt help but hear the continued conversation. It began to get a little ugly and then the two were almost fighting to see who could up the crisis in the story. I calmly and politely turned back to them and told them that "I had no time to hear what they were talking about in public that should not be discussed at all not including that most of what you are saying is untrue. Please use this time for something better that gossip"! They actually said to me, "we are not gossiping, we are "sharing"!" Can you believe that the gossip sin was not there because they were "sharing"! At this point I got a little upset and not so politely told them that no matter what they wanted to call it, to keep in mind that God was listening in as well and He still looks on it as sin no matter how they wanted to name it. Sin is sin, no matter the definition or excuse of a definition. I know that I did not write this well but it is still irritating me. I went home and prayed for the two of them and the ones they were discussing.
So in actual response to this post... Pastors PLEAZZZ use this as a message in one of your services. You may have to use the dictionary to look up all the names it has been called though! Could mean some quiet time alone! Thanks again Tally.
Thanks for your post. I appreciate your heart and your desire to help people overcome the desire to gossip. I, too, have noticed the gossip bug all over the place lately (including in myself), and have found Ephesians 4:29 an encouragement to me to focus my words on building others up instead of meaningless (and often harmful) chatter.
Post a Comment