Home 
| A Summer of Thanks-Fullness - Part 8 |
|
|
|
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. --1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 A Summer of Thanks-fullness - Gossip: a hard habit to break As we’re discovering during the "Summer of Thanks-fulness" many of our bad habits, like griping and gossiping, are hard to break. In fact they are almost like addictions. But judging by the amount of time we spend gossiping it might actually be better to say it’s an epidemic. According to polling data women spend 67% of their conversation time gossiping while men spend 55% of their time talking about others. But men shouldn’t be too quick to judge women on this one. According to one expert men tend to be more generous in defining what is and isn’t gossip. It is said that women gossip more than men do. Perhaps they only do it better. Men just call it "networking". Men are much more interested in who is up and who is down. Women tend to gossip more about who's in and who has merit. So, we gossip a lot. But that doesn’t mean we have a problem, does it? We’re just letting off steam or "venting" when we talk about others, right? Don’t tell that to Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, an author who writes about gossip. When he speaks on the topic he likes to ask his audience how many of them think they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about another person. Very few people typically raise their hands. Rabbi Telushkin responds, Those who can't answer 'yes' must recognize that you have a serious problem. If you cannot go 24 hours without drinking liquor, you are addicted to alcohol. If you cannot go 24 hours without smoking, you are addicted to nicotine. Similarly, if you cannot go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others, then you have lost control over your tongue. As with any addiction, the first step towards recovery is admitting we have a problem. In the words of the prayer of confession, "We admit that we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves". It may seem harsh to say that gossip is sinful and a form of bondage, but it is. And God created us for freedom, not slavery. As Paul says in Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery". Action Step: Try to go for 24 hours without saying anything unkind about anyone else. Ask God for the strength to begin breaking your addiction. Next week: The effects of gossip, part 1. (And don’t forget the Summer of Thanks-fullness discussion forum. Go to www.faceofgrace.org and hit the discussion link on the left of the home page.) Brian www.faceofgrace.org brian-beckstrom.blogspot.com |
