Gossip is something we’ve all probably engaged in. It’s enticing, exciting and entertaining, but behind all the glamour is an underlying destructive force that we’re all unaware of.
Gossip: What is it?
The thing about gossip is we don’t always realise when we are actually doing it, because, surely our conversations aren’t that bad…right? But when we talk about someone, it’s hard to define what is gossip and what is not.
Gossiping, at its core, is to intentionally spread negative information about someone. By doing so, we try to build ourselves above others as we hold this information over them.
It’s this that we often don’t realise mid-conversation because it feels so much easier to just indulge in the pleasure that gossip brings.
Why is it so tempting?
We treat gossip as a tantalising treasure, and once we’ve started, it’s hard to stop. Gossiping is entertaining and intriguing, and hearing it makes us feel as if we’re a part of an exclusive group.
It also amuses us because it lets us focus on someone else’s downfalls, providing us an escape from reality. After all, it’s much easier to laugh at someone else’s problems than try to fix our own.
Proverbs 18:8 describes gossip as choice morsels or small, desirable bits of food that we seek because of its enticing taste. However, it also warns us that gossip is not only a surface-level matter, suggesting that it is a powerful weapon that harms us. The more we engage in it, the more it changes the way we perceive people and things, most times, for the worse.
Gossiping is much like quicksand. We become easily trapped the more we engage in it and it’s not something we can easily escape.
What the Bible says
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, “Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: … nor slanderers will inherit the kingdom of God.” He reminds us that engaging in such behaviours is unrighteous, encouraging us to avoid it.
Proverbs 16:28 also talks about how gossip can break up close friends. It implies a destructive power that could break up friendships because of seeds of distrust sown from gossip.
Gossip is not a sin that we can easily destroy; it is something we might be doing every day, but barely realise it. However, the Bible reminds us of its destructive nature. To diminish hurtful conversations, it is important that we first recognise when we are gossiping and the seriousness of this sin.
Let us use our mouths instead to bear the good news of Jesus Christ as God wills us to do.
