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Stopping Gossip
Gossip is sin, and, like all sin, we are prone to it and it draws us in. For that reason alone trying to stop gossip in your life is hard. At least it’s hard for me! For weeks I had been writing and studying what God has to say about gossip and yet I found myself gossiping with a friend. “He should untuck his shirt” and “How could he be so rude” were a few of our comments. Yes, we could have said a lot worse things, but gossip is gossip no matter how small or big we think it is. Those comments would have hurt those people if they had heard us say them.
Our words are to be uplifting and encouraging, and our words were neither. Gossip is a struggle for all of us. So how do we stop it? We must realize that gossip starts small and then grows. It starts with talking about people’s clothes and then, when you are comfortable with that level of gossip, you move to talking about people’s actions and character. It also grows from talking to a trusted friend to a larger circle of people. No gossip is innocent, no matter how silly it may sound. It’s hurtful and never useful!
Why do we need to talk about his shirt to begin with? Does it really matter in the overall plan of glorifying God? Does it stop God’s truth from being spread? Of course not! We have to stop all gossip. To start erasing gossip from your life, you must pay attention to what God’s word says about gossip. When there is an understanding, your capability to recognize gossip grows. God’s truth allows you to become consciously aware of the comments you make in regards to other people.
In the beginning you may have a hard time identifying or even admitting that what you are saying is gossip. Take it one step at a time. When you start, if you need to, don’t even try to decide if it’s gossip, just evaluate what was said. Was the comment negative or positive? Was it necessary or did you just want to share the information? Only by becoming more aware of what you are saying will you be able to determine if it’s gossip and then stop it.
Also, in order to stop gossip, you have to be willing to deal with the root of the problem. If you want a weed to go away completely, you have to tear it up by its roots. You can always refer back to day 3 again to help you pinpoint the reason(s) you are gossiping. Breaking the habit of gossip is intentional and takes time. Don’t give up! God cares what comes out of your mouth, and you need to care too. Begin avoiding gossip at all costs so that your heart, reputation and relationships stay intact.
Gossip is sin, and, like all sin, we are prone to it and it draws us in. For that reason alone trying to stop gossip in your life is hard. At least it’s hard for me! For weeks I had been writing and studying what God has to say about gossip and yet I found myself gossiping with a friend. “He should untuck his shirt” and “How could he be so rude” were a few of our comments. Yes, we could have said a lot worse things, but gossip is gossip no matter how small or big we think it is. Those comments would have hurt those people if they had heard us say them.
Our words are to be uplifting and encouraging, and our words were neither. Gossip is a struggle for all of us. So how do we stop it? We must realize that gossip starts small and then grows. It starts with talking about people’s clothes and then, when you are comfortable with that level of gossip, you move to talking about people’s actions and character. It also grows from talking to a trusted friend to a larger circle of people. No gossip is innocent, no matter how silly it may sound. It’s hurtful and never useful!
Why do we need to talk about his shirt to begin with? Does it really matter in the overall plan of glorifying God? Does it stop God’s truth from being spread? Of course not! We have to stop all gossip. To start erasing gossip from your life, you must pay attention to what God’s word says about gossip. When there is an understanding, your capability to recognize gossip grows. God’s truth allows you to become consciously aware of the comments you make in regards to other people.
In the beginning you may have a hard time identifying or even admitting that what you are saying is gossip. Take it one step at a time. When you start, if you need to, don’t even try to decide if it’s gossip, just evaluate what was said. Was the comment negative or positive? Was it necessary or did you just want to share the information? Only by becoming more aware of what you are saying will you be able to determine if it’s gossip and then stop it.
Also, in order to stop gossip, you have to be willing to deal with the root of the problem. If you want a weed to go away completely, you have to tear it up by its roots. You can always refer back to day 3 again to help you pinpoint the reason(s) you are gossiping. Breaking the habit of gossip is intentional and takes time. Don’t give up! God cares what comes out of your mouth, and you need to care too. Begin avoiding gossip at all costs so that your heart, reputation and relationships stay intact.
About this Plan
Gossip, you know it’s bad, but you know you want to. A story shared. A side comment. A roll of the eyes. All of the words we use have incredible power to build up or tear down. Words used for gossip are especially toxic. This plan helps clarify what gossip is, where it stems from, and how if we have nothing nice to say, we shouldn’t say anything at all.
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We would like to thank Markey Motsinger for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.markeymotsinger.com
