Gossip can be juicy and mouthwatering especially when you are not the one being gossiped about. Refusing to listen to gossip is very difficult as it is refusing your favorite meal. If we take one bite of either we find ourselves craving more.
Proverbs 18:8 says this- Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart (NLT).
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly (KJV).
Most time when someone brings you news it is usually misrepresented, colored and packaged in such a way as to break-up relationships and stir up trouble. As a child growing up, I was always told that any dog that takes you a bone- will take one from you. In translation what my parents were saying – when people bring you news beware they will go back with anything you have contributed to the conversation. As the verse says the words of a talebearer wounds deeply the person being talked about, their reputation, and their integrity.
As a person who is serious about their diet is able to resist food that is fattening or unhealthy, so we should resist rumors. If you do not nibble on the first bite you can’t take the second and the third bite.
In His Service,
Vilma