That Gossip Girl

Gossip: noun. Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. Some would take this definition and run with it... saying that "as long as the information is true, then I'm not gossiping." Still others would say, as long as they're not actively participating in said conversation then its not wrong. I've also heard it said that as long as you're just venting to one person its not gossip. Or what about the reasoning "I'm just trying to talk through my problems." I've also had experiences where prayer groups/meetings and people in spiritual leadership positions have been the initiators of gossip. I can just imagine those prayer request slips being opened and discussed among those in "leadership." So and so has a problem with this? Oh my, no wonder ____ said ______ about her. And the conversation goes on... down a rabbit trail... with no end in sight.

Gossip ruins friendships, relationships, job opportunities, campaigns, Bible studies, leadership teams, churches... it can destroy anything.

I'm not saying I haven't taken part in gossip before, I believe that everyone has at one point, girl and guy alike. Its wrong. Period. Will we ever get away from it? Probably not. Its not a debbie downer look at life, its just a fact of life. People are sinners, and people love to talk. Its going to happien. Recently I've had some experience with "gossipers." During a particular conversation, I was listening to someone vent about a mutual friend of ours. I knew that anything I said confirming or denying her statements during this vent session could and would be used in the future against me. (sheesh I sound like a lawyer) Anyways, because of this, I said nothing, I just listened. Was this taking part in gossip? By some standards, maybe.
Although I wasn't actually participating in the gossip by actively giving feedback and telling more information about the mutual friend. If I had taken anything she said and made it change my opinion of the other friend, then yes, I was participating in the gossip. Did I allow her thoughts and opinions change my thoughts, feelings, opinions, and friendship with the other person? No. If anything it made the friendship stronger.  

On the flip side of this topic, I have also been the subject of said gossip. Was I supposed to find out the things that were being said? No, of course not. 99% of the time the subject of gossip is not supposed to hear what is being discussed. Does that make it less hurtful? No. What was being said actually hurt me, a lot. Even the adults that were part of this situation played the busybody gossip wives. The stories that came back to me from those women's mouths... sheesh. What do they take me for?

Back to the subject at hand... the way I look at things....
If I wouldn't say it to the person's face... then I don't say it at all.
If I wouldn't want it being said about me... then I don't say it at all.
If I wouldn't want those facts to be known about me... then I don't say it at all.
If the person told me the information in confidence... then I don't say it at all.
And so on... Get the picture?

As a friend said in his blog... Christianity is losing its beauty. Not because the truth of Christianity is failing. God's Gospel NEVER Fails. Its because the Christians of today are falling into the temptations of this world. They are losing the Hope that Christ alone can give them.

Waiting on God - Day 7

Read: Psalm 25:21

"Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You."

Integrity: noun

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.

3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition

Do you walk in integrity? Even when no one else is watching, and no one else will ever find out, do you make the right choices? 
I know every single person struggles with this... no one is perfect. One of the ways that I have dealt with making the right choices is to battle it with Scripture. Kind of like what Jesus did when Satan tempted Him. The hard part about this is you have to memorize Scripture; if you're good at memorizing - Great! If not, then take it one day at a time. Keep sticky notes with verses in different books, and places around your house. Put them on the bathroom mirror!
Have a friend or mentor pray for you. Its hard, you don't have to be on your own!   


Challenge: Make the right choice, even when no one else will know.

Waiting on God - Day 2

Read: Genesis 49

I'm going to be completely honest here. I was slightly clueless about how this chapter pertained to the devotional, but I still read the entire thing anyway thinking maybe a light bulb will turn on. Surprise, it did. To clarify, I will be the first one to tell you that I am certainly no Bible expert, just a girl posting her ramblings online for others to glean from. I'm not a theologian, or historian, so here are my thoughts...  

All throughout this chapter, Jacob is blessing the twelve tribes of Israel and in vs. 28 it says, "he blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him."  Each tribe of Israel was known for something specific. Reuben was the firstborn and very honored, but he defiled that honor by sleeping in his father's bed. Simeon and Levi were known for their violence, Judah for waiting patiently like a lion with its prey, and the list goes on. The tribes, as different as they were, did not receive the same blessings. Jacob blessed them with blessings appropriate to each tribe. God didn't necessarily take away the blessing, but the consequences of the tribes choices affected the type of blessing they received. 

Challenge: How do you see blessings? 
The way I've always seen blessings is like this... 
Say a woman is pregnant and uses street drugs and smokes, she is not a believer in Christ. Now, it is pretty much common knowledge that street drugs will harm an unborn baby. However, at some point during her pregnancy, she becomes a believer, stops using the drugs, and changes her life around. She goes into preterm labor because of the drugs and smoking, the baby is fine, but they have to do surgery to save mom. She is unable to have any more children. 
Now, did God take away the blessing of children? No, I don't believe so. She (the mom) made certain choices prior to becoming a believer, and there are consequences to those choices. She has one baby, but she cannot have any more. 
The choices we make determine how much of the blessing that we receive.  

Blessings - Laura Story