“A gossip goes around revealing a secret,
but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.”
Proverbs 11:13
We live in a culture that has made gossip a glossy commodity. There are magazines, websites, TV shows, and social media accounts dedicated to revealing the secrets, the inside scoop, the dirt on people’s lives. Gossip has become entertainment. This is true even if you never pick up a tabloid or succumb to clickbait. Gossip thrives around the proverbial water coolers of our lives. At school pick. In the corners of the church. Lingering in the lunch room. On the soccer sidelines or in the back of the dance studio. People’s ears perk up when there is something juicy or cutting or unbelievable to share. It’s this enticing attention that often compels us to be the one who spills the secret.
But the Bible is clear that how we use our words matters. Gossip is not godly. If we are women of faith, women of the Word, then we need to also be women of our word. If something is shared with us in confidence, we honor the Lord by keeping that confidence.
As God is trustworthy with the tender places of our hearts and hard parts of our stories, may we tend well to the hearts and stories entrusted to our care.
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Beth Williams says
In Courage,
Gossip is the casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. You will never hear me starting or repeating any gossip. That’s why I don’t read tabloids, watch many TV reality shows, or do clickbait. I don’t care about that stuff. Must be known to be true before I repeat anything & it must be “clean”. You will find me a trustworthy person. A friend’s daughter in law was planning a 50th wedding anniversary party at church. This friend & I talk about everything yet I didn’t tell her a word. .
Blessings 🙂
Irene says
A good reminder. I’ve improved over the years, but I still have lots of room to grow in this area.
Dawn Ferguson-Little says
When we say we are Trustworthy we have to be. As if we are saved. We have to remember God is watching see what we do and say. If someone tells us something tells us not to tell anyone comes to us for advice because they know we are saved. Asked us to pray for them. They are even if not saved or saved trusting us not tell anyone. Just help give them any advice we can. Pray to God for him. Especially if something serious. They want no one else to know. We that are saved if it especially an person that is not saved that has come to us. Asked us for advice knowing we can help them and pray with them and for them to our Heavenly Father. They say please don’t tell anyone one else we have to make that promise we will tell no one else. If they here we have told someone else. When we said we wouldn’t have. We have let them down. We are not trustworthy and reliable. They especially when not saved. They are the people we especially want to win to Jesus. See we can be trusted and we are people that live for Jesus and everything we do and say is about Jesus. If we betry their confidence how can we lead them to get saved. No they will probably say. Why would I want to get saved when. I trusted a person who was saved to help me they told someone when I didn’t want them too. They are not a true saved person. I say they are not in my eyes the unsaved person would say. Would you blame them. My answer would be no. So you have to remember God see everything you as saved person do. You will be answerable to him. If you are to win that person to God. They ask you to keep the thing they have told you to yourself and just pray for them. You have to do that to win their trust and not tell anyone. That is what God would want you to do. So that tell me and let me know if someone did ask me to pray for them and they told me something important and wanted my advice and said don’t tell anyone they where not saved. I have to respect them. Remember that what God would want me to do. Not tell anyone. As Satan would want me to. As it could be tasty gossip. No matter how tasty it is we have to keep it ourselves. God will punish us in his own time for telling it to someone when told not to by the person who told it to us come to us for the advice saved or not saved. How true that is. Satan would do anything for get us to tell it to other. But we have to keep our lips closed tight and just pray for them. Love today’s reading. Love Dawn Ferguson-Little xx
Kathy Francescon says
Amen! I have better things to do with my time! Like reading my Bible and praying! And if someone tells me something in confidence, I will take it to my grave! Gossip is not godly!
Shelbi Sue Ong says
Thank that whom have kindly enough who are good of not saying anything if it is not nice.
Lisa says
AMEN! “As God is trustworthy with the tender places of our hearts and hard parts of our stories, may we tend well to the hearts and stories entrusted to our care.” THIS…is such a powerful truth that should challenge each of our hearts daily. Thank you (in)courage!