Reminders: Gossiping Gertie

Gertie the church gossip kept sticking her nose into the other members' private lives and spreading false rumors.  Church members didn’t like it but didn’t know what to do.  Gertie made a mistake when she accused George, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the only bar in town one afternoon.  She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there knew exactly what he was doing.  George, a man of few words just walked away.  He didn't explain, defend, or deny; he said nothing.  Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of Gertie's house... and left it there all night!  

We all make assumptions based on too little information.  It is easy to jump to conclusions when something appears obvious.  A bigger problem can happen when we speculate about a situation with other people.  We run the risk of starting a rumor that can hurt another person.  Innocent people have lost their good reputations over rumors they can’t disprove.  For example, when we see someone walking into a doctor’s office, we might assume they are sick, but they might just be there for their annual wellness checkup. 

We should all be concerned about our neighbors.  However, we have to be careful to keep our concerns private until we know the facts.  If the person we are concerned about is a close friend or family member, and we think they might need our help, the best thing we can do is to speak to that person directly.  If they don’t tell us that they are having a problem, then chances are they do not want our help.  All we can do is pray for that person, and leave it to God.  It isn’t as if God doesn’t already know whether or not there is a problem.  It’s just that we are admitting that we don’t know.  We need to ask God for guidance. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6