I’ve had this as a private post for a while. I didn’t want to make it public until I had experienced a little growth and maturity in this area. Still have lapses, but God is definitely weeding this out of my life.
or if it’s about my children (spouse, mother, father, etc.),
or if I’m really, really, really concerned about them,
or if I’m only telling one other person,
or if it’s some good news,
or if I don’t mention any names,
or if I’m the one just listening (or over hearing).
etc., etc., etc.
some definitions:
Idle talk and newsmongering about the affairs of others.
Idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private
affairs of others.
To talk idly, esp. about the affairs of others; go about
tattling.
Rumor or talk of a personal, sensational, or intimate
nature.
A person who habitually spreads intimate or private rumors
or facts.
some scriptures:
Proverbs
11:13
A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
Proverbs
16:28
A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
Proverbs
20:19
A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.
Proverbs
26:20
Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.
Leviticus
19:16
“Don’t spread gossip and rumors.
Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip,
those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that.
1
Timothy 1:5
The whole point of what we’re urging is simply love—love uncontaminated by
self-interest and counterfeit faith, a life open to God. Those who fail to keep
to this point soon wander off into cul-de-sacs of gossip.
anyone besides me guilty of this stuff? any tips for taming the tongue?
Kathy Lenert 