1slan·der
transitive verb \ˈslan-dər\
: to make a false spoken statement
that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone
So the other day I was having a
conversation with a friend when she began telling me some bad stuff about an acquaintance
of ours. Now, this friend is a dear one to me and she rarely speaks negatively
about anyone. But this time she did.
At the moment, I didn’t think too
much of it. People say bad things about other people all the time. What’s the
big deal?
Well, a few days later, I was
recalling this conversation and immediately feelings of negativity began circling
like a group of vultures. Because of what I’d been told I began to think less of
this person. Didn’t matter if what I’d been told was true or false, the damage
was already done.
How powerful that tongue is, huh?
James, a smallish book in the new testament has a lot to say about this influential
little muscle.
James 3:7-12
9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
It is so easy to speak poorly about another. In fact, sometimes it can be downright fun—especially amongst a group of colleagues or friends; it’s just harmless gossip, right?
But the more God sanctifies my heart, the more I see the hypocrisy of attending church services Sunday after Sunday only to stand in the narthex afterward and slander someone’s good name, or, for that matter, someone’s bad name.
The thing about gossip and slander is that the very people who you gossip with are probably gossiping about you when you aren’t part of the conversation. My husband and I have often talked about the irony of that.
For instance, when I visit with a group of neighbors and the conversation turns into gossip about another person in the neighborhood who no one else likes, I usually walk away wondering what they’re going to say about me?
Don’t be a gossip. Don’t be a slanderer. You might think it’s harmless fun, but it can be like a spark in the forest. Though it begins small, it spreads quickly causing a person’s life and reputation to go up in flames.
James 3:5-6
5 Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
