February 20th - Proverbs 11:13

Proverbs 11:13 I suspect we have all had the experience of someone saying to us: “This is just between you and me. It must go no further. It has to be kept within these four walls.” Because we are human, we get excited. This person has trusted us with important information. But this is dangerous territory. It may well be that they are passing on information with such care because they have promised not to share it. They have proved that they cannot keep a confidence. You’d do well to remember that when speaking to them in future! Gossip is incredibly attractive. The writer of Proverbs refers to it as being “like dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart” (Proverbs 18:8). When we hear gossip, for a fleeting moment we feel flattered that the person was willing to share it with us. Then we realise the horrible destructiveness of what they have done. We can be quite sure that our secrets will never be secure with that person. We all need people with whom we can speak with complete confidence. We need to know that what we share with them will never go any further. And since we need such people in our lives to support us, we, in turn, need to be totally trustworthy ourselves. We must keep a confidence whatever the temptations may be. It isn’t easy to turn away from gossip, and it’s hard to keep confidences, but we need to learn to do both. In God’s strength, we are able to do it. Remember this – God is a God of miracles! Question How good are you at resisting gossip and keep confidences? Prayer Lord God, grant me wisdom each day so that I will be faithful in keeping confidences and standing up to the most tasty morsels of gossip. Amen