On Gossip....
On Gossip:
The goal is that our closest relationships are marked by equal parts heat and force so that God can use trust and truth to shape us.
Most of us tend towards-one side or the other- more heat, or more force. More trust or more truth. But there’s another category: those who have all the heat-in the world to your face, and all the force in the world behind your back.
Gossip is so dangerous, because it makes you feel like you told the truth. And you did. Just not to the person involved. It scratches the itch, that impulse to tell the truth, but it has no power to transform, and destroys trust.
When you speak negatively about someone, you begin to think more negatively about that person, so does the person you are talking to.
Gossip infects everyone involved-it creates false little alliances, failed trust: you and I get it, He doesn’t.
Words are power. You can use them to sharpen, to inspire, to call to Christlikeness, or you can use them to make yourself feel safe and included.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in Gods likeness. Out of the same mouth came praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. - James 3:9-10
Has gossip affected you? Gossip has been shown to have a huge impact on mental health as well as physical health.
How are you using your words? How can they be used in a braver and more loving way? How can we remember to see the humanity in each and everyone.? Can we remember to lay our struggles down at His feet and to bring them to prayer?
The goal is that our closest relationships are marked by equal parts heat and force so that God can use trust and truth to shape us.
Most of us tend towards-one side or the other- more heat, or more force. More trust or more truth. But there’s another category: those who have all the heat-in the world to your face, and all the force in the world behind your back.
Gossip is so dangerous, because it makes you feel like you told the truth. And you did. Just not to the person involved. It scratches the itch, that impulse to tell the truth, but it has no power to transform, and destroys trust.
When you speak negatively about someone, you begin to think more negatively about that person, so does the person you are talking to.
Gossip infects everyone involved-it creates false little alliances, failed trust: you and I get it, He doesn’t.
Words are power. You can use them to sharpen, to inspire, to call to Christlikeness, or you can use them to make yourself feel safe and included.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in Gods likeness. Out of the same mouth came praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. - James 3:9-10
Has gossip affected you? Gossip has been shown to have a huge impact on mental health as well as physical health.
How are you using your words? How can they be used in a braver and more loving way? How can we remember to see the humanity in each and everyone.? Can we remember to lay our struggles down at His feet and to bring them to prayer?
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