As Matthew 12:36 tells us, we will give an account to God one day for every word that we speak. I don't know about you, but I have said many things over the years that I'm not too proud of. Knowing that God heard me say these things makes me cringe. To be perfectly honest, I still catch myself saying things "in the moment" of a conversation with friends and family that I really regret later. But, by then, it's too late. The damage is already done.
One place that many people encounter gossip is the workplace. During my "pre-child" days, I worked as a mental health crisis worker. Part of my job was to answer the crisis line. When the phones were ringing, we were really busy. When it was quiet, it was really quiet. When the quiet time came, it allowed a lot of opportunities for gossip, etc. It was really difficult not to get involved in all of it, because of the way our office was set up. When there weren't any calls, everyone tended to drift to one office (the one I usually worked in) to talk. It was a really small room (probably no bigger than the average bedroom) with several chairs and a few desks. I wish I could say that I was able to get through that time of my life without gossiping, but I can't. I found myself praying before work each day, for God to show me ways to glorify Him and not get caught up in it all. It can be so easy to get drawn into that, and when you do, it's so difficult to get back out.
What if you don't work outside the home or don't have any trouble staying out of the gossip at work? What if you have already made up your mind that you're not going to gossip? Have you ever come across any of these situations?
- Have you ever told your spouse something about someone else that he/she didn't necessarily need to know?
- Have you ever been told something and then presented it as a prayer request to someone else when you knew you shouldn't have disclosed the information to anyone else?
WHAT WE TELL OTHERS WILL AFFECT THEIR HEARTS
One area that God has been speaking to me about lately, is telling Kevin things he doesn't necessarily need (or want) to know. For example, I may be speaking with someone and find out that "Stacy" has been arguing a lot with her husband, etc. Unless Kevin has some specific reason that he would need to know all of this information, God has been showing me that I shouln't tell him. Otherwise, it's just gossip. God has really been showing me lately how much everything I tell Kevin affects his heart. I don't want to add to all of the "garbage" that he hears during the day. This has been a tough area to improve on, but with God's help, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)!
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21).
- Are you honoring God with what you say? What changes can you make if you're not?
- If you're married, do you tell your spouse information that he/she doesn't necessarily need to know?
Lord, you are so patient and merciful. You know how powerful the words are that we speak. Each word we say speaks life or death. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer (Psalm 119:4).
Picture credit: http://www.michaelhyatt.com/
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2 comments:
I appreciate your observations - especially when it comes to things I speak about with my husband. Praise God for your timely post in my life.
This has been something God has really been speaking to be about the last year but more intently the last few weeks. I, too notice myself telling my husband things he doesn't need to know & recently he began asking "why are you telling me that??" and this has helped me A LOT!! I love how my husband is helping me in my struggle. P.S. Great post & perfect timing!!
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