I wrote this post a few years ago...Instead of re-writing my thoughts again on it...I'm just reposting. Is that cheating in the blog world? I don't know. I don't really care either. I think it's a good reminder:
I'm struggling today with the whole idea of "gossip". In no way am I claiming innocence to this act. There are days when I gossip unknowingly, days where I justify it as "well, I really care for this person" or "I just need to talk this out", and days where I am fully aware of what I am doing, the implications that it could potentially have, the harm it could do, yet I do it anyway.
Gossip: idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others
Idle Talk: talk of no real worth, importance, or significance
Idle talk? How much time do I spend talking about things that have no real significance, importance and are of no real worth? I'm scared to answer that question. It's probably far more time than I want to admit. What scares me even more...I know I have come along way since the 'ol junior high days. Are we so scared to be vulnerable, to talk about the things that are important in life, to open ourselves up to someone else, that we feel we need to talk idly, to spread rumors, to share the latest tidbit of someone elses personal life? Do we feel the need to spread gossip about others to validate that we are a somebody? That we are in "the know"? Are we that afraid to be ourselves that we can only communicate with one another through gossip?
Am I that afraid to be vulnerable and to be myself?
I don't want to engage in idle talk. I want conversations that speak truth in love, that are uplifting and encouraging, that are honest and real; that reflect the character of Christ.
Maybe I am that afraid to let go, to be totally vulnerable and to be myself...God help me not to hide behind idle talk and gossip.
