A poison, when ingested, destroys your system. It doesn’t really matter how it enters. The dose administered determines the outcome and death is the ultimate goal.
To administer it successfully, you need an ignorant target, perfect timing, and a good measure of hate.
Taste buds learn to adjust to whatever is frequently served and so do our hearts invline to whats often passed or pressed into it. The tragedy is exacerbated if the waiter or waitress is someone you love or respect.
If you really want to poison someone successfully, serve them gossip.
Gossip is of the deadliest of poisons and the cure is neither easy nor cheap.
Like the sin of pride, gossip operates in stealth mode and a little is more than enough. Like sugar, addiction easily occurs.
It kills both the rich and the poor, the weak and the strong, the smart and the stupid, the good and the bad. But the damage it does to the Christian’s heart and the Body of Christ is as terrible as death itself.
Not many things we hear are sweeter than hot, juicy gossip. Unlike music, you don’t need to learn the lines or remember the rhythm to thoroughly enjoy it.
The potency and spread of gossip depends largely on the person at the center of it. Call him/her, the object. The higher up the public or family ladder the object is, the better.
Once served, it immediately deposits a weight on the heart. To deal with the load exerted, you must relieve it by sharing it with someone you trust or deliberately purge it from your system. The latter could take time.
You cannot gossip with someone you don’t trust, about someone you know. It may seem gossip is a good trust-builder, but many we choose to gossip with often don’t keep our trust. Like us, they spread it and often spice it up.
For some, gossip is ingrained in their culture. For others, it’s a lifestyle. Sadly in all, it’s their way of dealing with their own broken lives. Even when a guilty conscience spotlights their despicable conduct, many choose to only mollify their conscience with a quick prayer.
The fun derived from gossip delights the sick soul in three ways. First, the thrill of seeing the hearer awestruck and totally mesmerized; then, the contentment of feeling morally superior in comparison with their victim. Lastly, the burden is eased, albeit, a little.
Secrets make gossip a powerful tool for manipulation in every community. The people you gossip with become part of an exclusive clique, a small group where everyone is a chief facilitator.
The use of gossip that has befallen the Body of Christ is an immense tragedy. Innocent souls are poisoned daily with accusations against others, that often cannot be proven. We lack the ability to simply bury the weaknesses of our brethren because we have no love in our hearts to beget humility.
Our loved ones can serve us gossip innocently, but how we deal with it reveals our maturity. People that truly love us will not gossip about us. Rather, they’ll confront us with what they heard, with an “it-can’t-be-true“ disposition.
Do you seek to justify your weakness by dissecting the lives of others? Or do you care enough to seek the truth and pray silently for God’s mercy when the worst is confirmed? The broken pieces of our brethren should not be found between our teeth.
“When a leader listens to malicious gossip, all the workers get infected with evil.” (Proverbs 29:12)
How do you deal with a tale-bearer when s(he) is your leader, an elder or someone you respect?
How does culture help or hinder our quest for freedom from gossip?
Are you suffering from the wounds of gossip? David was “unfazed by rumor and gossip.” He is described as “trusting in GOD with a ready heart, spirit firm, unperturbed, ever blessed, relaxed among enemies… Lavishing gifts on the poor– A generosity that goes on, and on, and on. An honored life! A beautiful life!” (Ps 112:7-9) The Message
Examine the toxic level of things you’ve heard about people around you and if you are tempted to stop loving and esteeming them better than yourself (Phil 2:3), purge yourself quickly.
Don’t assume you are immune. Remember, “The words of a gossip are swallowed greedily, and they go down into a person’s innermost being.” (Proverbs 18:8) God’s Word Translation
Lord Jesus, deliver me from gossip and those that love it.
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