What is the attraction of talking about people? I don't say this to condemn anyone, I just wonder why we feel the need? And it isn't just about being spiteful.. I constantly find myself in situations where it would be the "cool" thing to bash someone in order to keep a conversation flowing... How messed up are we?
A perfect example happened last night and I felt the Holy Spirit warning me. A person facebook chatted me to tell me of how one of my relatives had done something awful... and how I was not like her at all. The person openly started bashing her and her deed and it stirred something inside. This relative is not close to me.. and we barely talk but once a year due to our family fued that began and ended with our fathers. I still try to keep up relations, but its hard to go against my parents as well. So, in theory, I could have bashed her. On the surface her "sin" is pretty big and people back home will be talking about it for awhile. I would have saved face by denouncing being emotionally related.
But the stirring turned to anger against the person trying to spread the gossip. And so I took a deep breath and calmly wrote "no, I don't talk to her much anymore, so I have no idea what kind of person she is.. but she is my relation and I won't speak badly against her. She is probably hurting as well." And I left it at that. This of course made the gossiper start agreeing that everyone makes mistakes.. and I agreed that I definitely was not perfect either, and then logged off.
I hate the brand you get for being a Christian, its like we are the Heinz of the world and our ketchup only tastes and looks the same. I also hate that some sins are looked at to be "bigger" than other sins. Didn't Jesus say that murder in your heart is still a murder? Isn't lusting over a married man the same as committing adultery? Dang... we are all freakin' guilty. Why speak harsh things about a girl who is committing an abortion when you have killed people with sarcasm...
Sometimes I am so sick of fake people that I want to vomit. And then I look in the dusty mirror and see that I am fake sometimes, too.
Thank goodness we have hope in Jesus.. or I'd be in a world of backstabbing where I would have to break every mirror I came across, just so I wouldn't have to see the hypocrisy in my own eyes.
2 comments:
its so true that we believe that some sins are "bigger" than others but they are all the same other than denouncing our savior.
There is so much wrong in the world that when we try to do the right thing people see as "holier than thou." I feel for you on this one.
Miss you guys!!
Talk about a convicting blog! I was expecting a nice happy blog before falling asleep but now I feel like I need to search my heart and see if there us anyone I've talked bad against ;) I think I'm ok for today... But it's a bummer how easy it is to hop into those kind of conversations. It's crazy how many verses there are, especially in Proverbs, warning against gossip.
I think it's pretty cool how you stood up for your relative and even though you may not agree with the choice they made or even talk to them, you still refrained from falling into that temptation and sin. I love your character! It gives me a nice warm fuzzy feeling (like I ate a kitten ;) in my heart when I read these cool stories about you or hear from someone what kind of selfless and God following things you do.
Post a Comment