Stop the Gossip

The Salvation Army is notorious for gossip, rumours and speculation. It may seem harmless enough at the time, but some of the effects of it can be harmful. People very quickly can lose faith through broken trust and confidences, all because of one breif simple passing comment. Is it worth it?

The solutions to gossip seem simple - if you don't know whether it is true or not, don't talk about it. If its really none of your business, don't talk about it. If someone shares something with you, do you really need to tell someone else about it? Someone else's news is not my story to tell to others.

I've been convicted of this recently - if it doesn't help, it has the potential to hurt. And it is not worth losing a friend because of a loose tongue or comment.If someone tells me something cynical or demeaning to me about someone else, it raises the questions of, what do they say about me to others? And listening and agreeing is just as bad as literally doing it yourself.

I respect and value those people I know I can trust to keep things to themselves. I pray that I can become someone like that. I know I have a long way to go and will hopefully one day begin to catch myself before I say something, rather than feeling regretful in hindsight.