The
Most Destructive Force for Relationships
A
perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.- Proverbs 16:28
Winston
Churchill quite often exemplified integrity and respect in the face of
opposition. During his last year in office, he attended an official ceremony.
Several rows behind him, two gentlemen began whispering, “That’s Winston
Churchill. They say he is getting senile. They say he should step aside and
leave the running of the nation to more dynamic and capable men.”
When
the ceremony was over, Churchill turned to the men and said, “Gentlemen, they
also say he is deaf!”
Gossip
is one of the most destructive forces anyone can introduce into a relationship.
That’s because when someone discovers—and they likely will—that you said
something bad about them in secret, it destroys the single element on which
friendships are based: trust. And once trust has been abolished, many, if not
most, relationships will never recover from that trauma.
So
instead of gossiping about someone, make one of two choices. Either keep the
matter silent or go directly to the person and talk with them about
it. While it may seem easier to talk about others behind their backs than doing
either of these, gossip is much more destructive in the long run. So make the
choice to preserve trust by refraining from gossip.
Prayer Challenge:
Pray
that God would give you the strength to refrain from participating in gossip.
Ask Him to bless your relationships by keeping them built on trust.