Welcome to those of you visiting from the Proverbs 31 Devotion today.
I remember being a young middle school girl and feeling the sting of someone's stabbing words about me. This girl was vicious. Without any care for my feelings at all, she tossed her words out to anyone who would listen.
Thankful they weren't the target of this girl, others joined in her cruel game of taunting and tearing me apart.
I went home and buried my face into my bubble gum pink pillow sham.
Some of my friends felt I'd brought this ridicule upon myself. After all, I'd decided to run for class treasurer and plastered my little bucked-toothed face all over posters hanging throughout school. They reasoned, "If she's going to put herself out there, she better have skin thick enough to withstand people's criticisms."
This just doubled my hurt.
How could these girls be so cruel?
Well, it's been a long time since I've walked the halls of those middle school days. And I would think that we've all long since outgrown a world of harsh judgements and cruel words. But sadly, this is still something too many of us experience and are tempted to participate in even as grown women.
James 1: 26 says, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."
This verse rattles me in the best kind of way.
Now I’m not a big fan of thinking of my relationship with the Lord as “religious,” but this verse powerfully warns us against uncontrolled, thoughtless conversation. It breaks my heart to think my careless words might give others the impression that my relationship with Jesus is worthless.
So the bottom line I've decided to preach to myself is, don’t do it.
Plain and simple.
It’s not who I am.
Not only should I choose not to gossip, I need to choose to believe that in Christ I am not a gossiper.
Imagine the number of issues and the amount of hurt that would simply vanish if we were all more committed to loving words.
Whether it's about the people appearing on the front of tabloids or someone who annoyed us at work yesterday or a friend who did something you don't agree with... no matter what, we were made for more than dime store words of gossip.
I remember being a young middle school girl and feeling the sting of someone's stabbing words about me. This girl was vicious. Without any care for my feelings at all, she tossed her words out to anyone who would listen.
Thankful they weren't the target of this girl, others joined in her cruel game of taunting and tearing me apart.
I went home and buried my face into my bubble gum pink pillow sham.
Some of my friends felt I'd brought this ridicule upon myself. After all, I'd decided to run for class treasurer and plastered my little bucked-toothed face all over posters hanging throughout school. They reasoned, "If she's going to put herself out there, she better have skin thick enough to withstand people's criticisms."
This just doubled my hurt.
How could these girls be so cruel?
Well, it's been a long time since I've walked the halls of those middle school days. And I would think that we've all long since outgrown a world of harsh judgements and cruel words. But sadly, this is still something too many of us experience and are tempted to participate in even as grown women.
James 1: 26 says, “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."
This verse rattles me in the best kind of way.
Now I’m not a big fan of thinking of my relationship with the Lord as “religious,” but this verse powerfully warns us against uncontrolled, thoughtless conversation. It breaks my heart to think my careless words might give others the impression that my relationship with Jesus is worthless.
So the bottom line I've decided to preach to myself is, don’t do it.
Plain and simple.
It’s not who I am.
Not only should I choose not to gossip, I need to choose to believe that in Christ I am not a gossiper.
Imagine the number of issues and the amount of hurt that would simply vanish if we were all more committed to loving words.
Whether it's about the people appearing on the front of tabloids or someone who annoyed us at work yesterday or a friend who did something you don't agree with... no matter what, we were made for more than dime store words of gossip.
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