3.15.10

Proverbs 11:12-13 It is foolish to belittle one's neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.  A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.

My Thoughts

Wow!!... oh verse is probable speaking to us all.... talking about people is just what we do.... its so often all we know to talk about .... it happens at work, between family members, at church, at social gatherings.... on TV people are always talking about each other... and TV shows imitate life... as sad as that can be its true... but is says right here in Proverbs...its foolish to belittle one's neighbor!!... to talk about them in a damaging way!!... and we have all done this... we have all said someithing not so nice about someone we know....we have all had a secret told to us... then in confidence we tell someone we trust that secret that someone trusted us with.... telling just that one person is creating gossip... because if someone trusted us with a secret and we told just one person.... isn't it possible that that person will trust their trusted someone with that secret just as we did??.... then eventually it gets to a person that doesn't know the person that the person that the  secret belongs to in the first place... so they just tell anybody.... this one is easy to fix.... if you know that you can't keep a secret... that you will have to tell your best friend, or even your spouse, or your sister, if you know without a doubt that you can't keep that secret, when someone says can I tell you something in confidence... tell that person "please don't I just don't want to be responsible for keeping your secret." then you won't have have a secret to keep... Belittling people is hurtful... telling secrets is hurtful... Paul tells us that God wants  us to "be kind to one another"  in Ephesians 4:32... in Mark 12:31 Jesus says to  "Love our neighbor as we would love  ourselves".. so don't be a gossip... don't belittle the people you know that you spend your days with... when you talk about people raise them up... tell the good they do.... when you are asked to keep a secret... and you have to tell someone tell God.... use that moment when you feel like you just have to share that secret as a moment to pray for that person... not a moment to break your trust with that person... act in a way that when someone talks about you that the only things they have to say are nice things.... God tells us all the time how to have a better life... just listen!
Hugs
Jeannie