Bill E. Smith
Type: Bulletin
Have You Heard??
I cannot stand gossip!! I abhor those who are constantly condemning and running down others! It hurts me when people tell me bad things about people I love! It disgusts me when I observe petty jealously demonstrated by self-righteous critics! These are especially distasteful when I observe them reflected in my own mirror!
It is then that I want to declare,
That’s not me!! I may tell something bad that I know about someone, but I certainly have no evil motivations! I’m merely stating a fact, often a regrettable fact, that I have learned. My criticism of my peers is not motivated by jealousy, in fact I wish them well! I have no desire to hurt anyone with the revelations that I share. In fact, I am touched by their pain! There is logical, acceptable explanation for my actions, because I know that I am not a shallow busybody, a ruthless gossip, nor a heartless talebearer!
But when I examine my actions, they are a lot harder to explain than my motivations. If I do the same thing the gossips do, in the same way, with the same results, it is difficult for people to understand that I am not really one of them. It is even hard for me to look into the mirror and say to myself,
That’s alright. You did the right thing. You should have told what you know. You had no responsibility to keep it to yourself. You did the victim a service by sharing their shortcomings with others.
Actually, I am disappointed in myself when I realize that I have shared with others information about someone when I know it was not told out of necessity to aid the guilty party. And, I am disappointed in my friends who share with me that kind of information when it is literally none of my business. I can still love and appreciate my friends, and myself, but I wish we didn’t have that weakness. I wish I could set a better example for those who trust me to set an example for them. I wish my friends would encourage me by setting a better example.
I am aware that there are times that I should share information with others, and I appreciate it when someone tearfully shares something with me which he feels I should know if I am to help a person loved by him. My fear is that I may not be able to properly use this information to bless the person who is mentioned.
So, be careful what you tell me about others, because, knowing me, I will be tempted to take it and use it for gossip, whether you intended for me to or not!
—Bill E. Smith
Oklahoma City OK
