What is "Gossip"?

[sincereheart]

I've heard it said that some people are "transmitters" and some are "receivers".  This cartoon really showed that concept in a real way.  It's unfortunate that we all know people like this major transmitter.  May we all have a servant's heart and have "big ears" to listen but also discernment to know when to speak up to tell people we don't want to hear gossip.  I wish I had done that more in the past.  Too many times our conversations are about other people and not about sharing our faith.

Amen!
So often people don't think that just listening to gossip is wrong!

From an earlier article in this thread:
Charles Swindoll gives four excellent suggestions to silence gossips:

a) Identify sources by name. If someone is determined to share information that is damaging or hurtful, demand that the source be specifically stated. People who gossip almost always insist on keeping their "sources" anonymous!

b) Insist on facts. Do not accept hearsay. Refuse to listen unless honest-to-goodness truth is being communicated. You can tell. Truth is rarely veiled or uncertain. Rumors fade when exposed to the light.

c) Ask the person, "May I quote you?" It’s remarkable how quickly rumor-spreaders can turn four shades of red! Equally remarkable is the speed with which they can backpedal.

d) Openly declare, "I don’t appreciate hearing that." This approach is for the strong. It might drive a wedge between you and the guilty...but it’s a sure way to halt the regular garbage delivery to your ears.

[sincereheart]

Confidentiality, by Mike Barres

  He who covers a transgression seeks love,
  But he who repeats a matter separates friends." (Proverbs 17:9)

Confidentiality is critical to maintain relationships of trust and
love.

How many times do we share personal and private information about
someone? Later they find out that we have done so and they are very
hurt by it? As Christians we can be hurtful without realizing it and
even be well meaning.

Sometimes we tell others about private information that has been
discussed with a lost person with whom we were sharing our faith.
Sometimes we share private information in the form of a prayer request
for a person in trouble. Sometimes we divulge private information about
a person for whom we have prayed that has won victory over a sin area
in his or her life. If we aren't careful we can even share private
details about someone else in the form of a praise report.

When a person tells us something that is private and personal, we
should consider that information a sacred trust. We should only repeat
that information with the person's permission. The person who tells us
things in private may not always preface it with, "Don't tell anyone
else this!" However, he or she may very well assume that we will know
"not" to share that information.

I really believe that many Christians go around suffering in private
pain because their trust has been violated before and they don't feel
they can trust anyone with their personal problems. They end up
suffering, struggling, and stumbling ... alone!

Consider these other verses in Proverbs:

  A talebearer reveals secrets,
  But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter. (Proverbs
  11:13)

  He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets;
  Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. (Proverbs
  20:19)

  Debate your case with your neighbor,
  And do not disclose the secret to another ... (Proverbs 25:9)

Many people have been hurt by well meaning Christians who have repeated private and personal information. In the future, let's remember this and keep things shared in private as a guarded trust.

---------
  (c) 2006 Mike Barres <mbarres@dnet.net>.

[sincereheart]

[sincereheart]

The glowing embers bounced off the already red-hot pavement. With a tumble of sparks, the cigarette butt bounced into the tinder-dry grass along the entrance ramp. Directly across the Interstate, a scorched area the size of a football field was a blackened reminder that such reckless disregard had already made its mark not too long ago, and not too far away.

    Regardless of how one feels about smoking, most anyone would acknowledge that throwing out smoldering cigarette butts into dry grass in summer conditions is reckless disregard!

    But doesn’t that kind of thing happen everyday in conversations all around us? When was the last time you heard someone passing on a juicy morsel of gossip or a tantalizing tidbit of innuendo about someone else? How did you view it? What did you do when you heard it? What happened when this glowing ember tumbled into your presence and others nearby?

    Deep down, we know that gossip, whether it is true or untrue, is destructive. It sets a fire ablaze that neither the gossiper nor the one being gossiped about can control. To take part in it is to willfully wound, maim, and damage. It places in Satan’s hands the fire with which he can destroy the life of someone for whom Christ died.

    Let’s recommit ourselves to using our words to bless, encourage, and heal. Let’s never be part of starting a fire that can do untold damage to someone made in the image of God. To do so is to show reckless disregard for that person, and for God who made them!

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