Amber Kuhn- Stop-Gossip Wrap Up

There is this woman at work who drives me insa….. oh wait, probably not the best way to start this!
Have you consciously caught yourself going down a road where you know you have said too much? I know that for me, this is a daily struggle. I am a Personal Assistant, in my role people seem to want to entrust me with their every gripe, concern or 'people problem'. To be honest, at times it's hard to not join in. I believe the main temptation to gossip is when the other person's subject matter is something that you can relate to personally.

For example, if your best friend is talking about relationship issues with her long lost cousin do you try and see a positive light to what she is saying and work on giving positive advice and solutions to her situation? But if you’re best friend is talking about a girl at school who you have frequent run-ins with in the locker room, how quickly you can go from constructive feedback to giving your 2 cents worth on how you also feel about her. It's like your emotions then take hold of the conversation and usually you've said too much before you know what's going on.

For me, if a colleague comes to me about a problem with one of my close friends at work, I take a step back from the situation and try and see the positive side of the situation. However, if a colleague comes to me about a problem with another person who I may have faced conflict with in the past… that's a different story. I find it so difficult not to jump on the 'dish out the dirt' band wagon, and keep my mouth shut. So how do become an overcomer of this?

I am reminded of the scripture in Ephesians 4:29 - 'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen'. In order to overcome gossip, you need to put on the mantle of being the bigger person. This action actually requires a lot of humility. It's saying 'I am going to put aside how I may feel about this situation, and I am going to build this person up according to THEIR needs'. For me, this action only comes about by being open to and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. When faced with situations of gossip, trying to find even 1 thing about the person/people that builds and constructs instead of dividing can be difficult, however when you take this stance, the following occurs:
1. You rise above the situation
2. The Holy Spirit can convict and work to change the people who are entering into gossip
3. You gain favor from those around you as a trustworthy person who doesn't compromise their integrity for the sake of an opinion

How quickly we can enter the conversations with others that aren't wholesome, or uplifting. By getting into the practice of turning around the conversation and taking the 'bigger person' approach out of humility the freedom that you feel will give you a life set free of your circumstances, and give you the strength to continually rise above and allow the Holy Spirit to work on the situation.

What conversations are you willing to rise above from now on?