“They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;
they shoot at him suddenly without fear.”
Psalm 64:3-4 (NIV)
There aren’t too many new gadgets or ideas that get my attention. I have always been a bit skeptical about most of them - that is, until a few years ago when I saw a shelf at a local store full of packages labeled “Bed in A Bag.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the photograph on each bag of a beautifully made bed without a wrinkle or pillow out of place.
But what intrigued me even more was the fact that everything that made that bed beautiful – the comforter, bed skirt, the sheets, two pillow shams, two pillow cases and three throw pillows – ALL of it was in one bag!
I could not resist and left the store with a king size purchase in shades of lavender and gray. I could hardly wait to get home and open it.
I imagined the experience would be something like taking a dry, flat sponge and placing it in a sink of water: it would suddenly expand to 20 times its normal size in 5 seconds. I was right. But there was a problem.
As I unzipped the bag and the contents tumbled out, I immediately saw that my king sized comforter was actually a queen. Either the bag had been mislabeled or someone had switched comforters in the store. “Easy solution,” I thought. “I’ll just take it back and exchange it for the right size.”
But as I began to put everything back into the bag, I could tell that it was not going to be as easy as I thought. I folded and pushed and shoved sheets and pillows but I could not get the entire contents BACK in the bag! I ended up with a broken zipper and a ripped bag. No matter how hard I worked, I could not put everything back like it was.
Gossip is like that, isn’t it. We allow it to roll out of our hearts and off our tongues so easily, disguising what we say with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” But just like the bed in the bag, it’s easy to speak out and much harder to take back. The end result? Lives get ripped apart and hearts broken from careless words and comments that do not need to be spoken or shared with anyone.
Scripture is very clear on this issue. Proverbs 12:18 says that “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Ephesians 4:29 goes further: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up . . .” That is not a suggestion, my friends. And it could not be any clearer. Let me share an example of “reckless words.”
There was a woman who went to her minister to confess gossip that she had shared. She knew it was wrong and untrue and yet that did not stop her. One day she saw all the damage that was done by the rumors that she had spread and she was broken. She immediately asked her minister how she could change what had happened to make everything right.
He responded by taking her to a hill and cutting open a feather pillow, which he shook in the air. Thousands of feathers were lifted up and twirled by a breeze and – within minutes – were scattered for miles. “Now,” he said, “try to collect all these feathers and put them back in the pillow, for that is easier than trying to reverse the damage that has been done by the gossip that you spoke.”
The woman could only hang her head in shame because she knew that her task was impossible and the damage could never be completely reversed.
I never did get all the contents of the “Bed in a Bag” put back where it belonged. And neither can we “put back” all the damage that is done when our hearts ignore the words of Jesus and we speak gossip.
Father, so many times I have gossiped and called it something else but that is just what it was. Please forgive me for using my tongue to cut and slice reputations and lives and the very hearts of those around me. Help me to remember that I am your child and you desire me to build up and not tear down those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
R.A.P. it up . . .
Reflect
Think about the times you have shared gossip and followed it with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” Is that always true?
Are there times when information does need to be shared so people can be praying? Why or why not?
Apply
As I unzipped the bag and the contents tumbled out, I immediately saw that my king sized comforter was actually a queen. Either the bag had been mislabeled or someone had switched comforters in the store. “Easy solution,” I thought. “I’ll just take it back and exchange it for the right size.”
But as I began to put everything back into the bag, I could tell that it was not going to be as easy as I thought. I folded and pushed and shoved sheets and pillows but I could not get the entire contents BACK in the bag! I ended up with a broken zipper and a ripped bag. No matter how hard I worked, I could not put everything back like it was.
Gossip is like that, isn’t it. We allow it to roll out of our hearts and off our tongues so easily, disguising what we say with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” But just like the bed in the bag, it’s easy to speak out and much harder to take back. The end result? Lives get ripped apart and hearts broken from careless words and comments that do not need to be spoken or shared with anyone.
Scripture is very clear on this issue. Proverbs 12:18 says that “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Ephesians 4:29 goes further: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up . . .” That is not a suggestion, my friends. And it could not be any clearer. Let me share an example of “reckless words.”
There was a woman who went to her minister to confess gossip that she had shared. She knew it was wrong and untrue and yet that did not stop her. One day she saw all the damage that was done by the rumors that she had spread and she was broken. She immediately asked her minister how she could change what had happened to make everything right.
He responded by taking her to a hill and cutting open a feather pillow, which he shook in the air. Thousands of feathers were lifted up and twirled by a breeze and – within minutes – were scattered for miles. “Now,” he said, “try to collect all these feathers and put them back in the pillow, for that is easier than trying to reverse the damage that has been done by the gossip that you spoke.”
The woman could only hang her head in shame because she knew that her task was impossible and the damage could never be completely reversed.
I never did get all the contents of the “Bed in a Bag” put back where it belonged. And neither can we “put back” all the damage that is done when our hearts ignore the words of Jesus and we speak gossip.
Father, so many times I have gossiped and called it something else but that is just what it was. Please forgive me for using my tongue to cut and slice reputations and lives and the very hearts of those around me. Help me to remember that I am your child and you desire me to build up and not tear down those around me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
R.A.P. it up . . .
Reflect
Think about the times you have shared gossip and followed it with “I’m telling you so you can be praying.” Is that always true?
Are there times when information does need to be shared so people can be praying? Why or why not?
Apply
Memorize 2 Timothy 2:16-17 and speak it to your heart when tempted to listen to and share gossip.
Be on guard for those moments when someone wants to share gossip with you. Always be ready to encourage and build up rather than tear down.
Power
Psalm 64:3-4 (NIV) “They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent man; they shoot at him suddenly without fear.”
2 Timothy 2:16-17 (NIV) “Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene…”
James 3:5-6 (NIV) “Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)
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