Too Much Talk
- “Did you hear what she did?”
- “I heard about that party the other night. I guess it was pretty wild.”
- “I thought Jane was going out with Johnny.”
We have all heard things like this said around school. I am sure we have even said some of it ourselves. It was probably said in a harmless little chat with one of our friends. Of course, it may have seemed harmless at the time, but did you ever think about the person you were talking about? Some of you might know exactly how it feels when someone is talking about you behind your back - not very good. Most of the time the things being said aren’t anywhere near the truth.
When people start talking, they get so involved in the excitement of knowing something that no one else knows that they tend to get carried away. Before you even know it, rumors are flying all over the school – and no one likes rumors. I hear people complaining about them all the time. But, even after they complain, they just go talk even more.
There is only one way that we can prevent hurting other people with gossip. That way is to think about how the other person feels. When you hear something, don’t pay any attention to it. If it bothers you too much, then you should go and talk to the person that it is about.
God tells us to treat others the way we would want to be treated. We should think about that the next time we begin to open our mouths.
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT: How do others feel when they know you were talking about them? How would you fell if you were the one that people were talking about? What would you do if you heard something that you knew wasn’t true?
PRAYER SUGESTIONS: Ask God to give us strength not to say anything that would ruin the reputation of others. Ask for the courage to speak up to defend, or to say to a friend, “I’m not interested in hearing about this.”