Skip to main content

Thinking ...

         Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. (Proverbs 17:9)

 

            Oh, it’s so tempting… You don’t know any of the people involved. I could give them fake names. They aren’t likely to read my blog. I’m not malicious, I’m just providing an example of the passage… or, I just want to hear your wise answers to how I should deal with this situation… or I want you to recognize that I understand where you’re coming from. I’ve been there.

            Yeah. This is one of those temptations that we succumb to all too frequently.  Some clever person came up with the idea to think before saying things, meaning to ask ourselves:

T - is it True?
H - is it Helpful?
I - is it Inspiring?
N - is it Necessary?
K - is it Kind?

                But let’s be real. Even if we could remember the words that went with each letter of think at the time when we need to, chances are good that we would find some justification. If nothing else, when we’re praying about it as a group, isn’t it absolutely necessary that the whole group know every detail so that they can agree? How often are what we call our prayers gossiping? Even to God!

                We need to ask ourselves questions about what we say, but perhaps our questions should be simpler than T.H.I.N.K. What if, instead of asking “Is it true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind?” we asked, “Is it loving?” or “Will it bring everyone closer together?”  Based on today’s passage, these are the same question. Love unites. Another approach, from the negative perspective, can be asked. “Will it hurt a relationship?” If it does, it’s not love, which means it’s wrong. Sin separates.

                Take your pick of the three.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 21, 2023 at 3:50 AM

    Gossip is never ok someone is always hurt. The Bible tells us if you have something against someone go to that person and clear it up ( my words)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen A. KeilFebruary 21, 2023 at 8:15 AM

      Absolutely - but it's so easy to weasel our way around it. We justify it to ourselves.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more