Even Its Name Hisses

Even Its Name Hisses

A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.

Proverbs 20:19

“The Snake that poisons everybody. It topples governments, wrecks marriages, ruins careers, busts reputations, causes heartaches, nightmares, indigestion, spawns suspicion, generates grief, dispatches innocent people to cry in their pillows. Even its name hisses. It’s called gossip. Before you repeat a story, ask yourself: Is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary? If not, shut up.”

United Technologies, the conglomerate, placed this mini lecture in newspapers across the country for no other reason than to make people take a second look at gossip. And with good reason. Gossips have plagued the earth since people began to talk. The apostle Paul warns about the destructive power of gossip and the condemnation that comes to “gossips and busybodies” who say “things which they ought not” (1 Timothy 5:13, NKJV).

Most people have certain stereotypical ideas about gossip and gossipers. Think about gossip and you might envision housewives gabbing over the clothesline about a neighbor’s drinking problem. Or you may think of teenage girls exchanging malicious remarks about their classmates over the telephone. These perceptions, however, are not only sexist, but they are wrong. Women are no more likely to gossip than men. So, no matter what your gender, don’t be afraid of a little self-reflection when it comes to gossip—even within your marriage.

Be honest. In the supermarket line, when no one you know is around, you speed-read and hope the cashier is even slower than usual. You would never, of course, actually buy the tabloid paper, but something within you enjoys a tidbit of gossip now and then. What harm is there in knowing the Hollywood rumors about who is dating and divorcing and which celebrities are having plastic surgery? Maybe none, but what about your desire to get the scoop on people in your church? Does a part of you want to hear the dish, dirt, and scandal about the people in your life? The temptation is powerful.

Gossip can harm any relationship, and particularly a marriage. Husbands and wives are supposed to be each other’s cheerleaders, guarding each other’s reputations. So, if you are wondering whether what you want to say about your spouse is gossip or not, ask yourself a few questions: Would I say this to his or her face? Would I want my spouse saying this about me? If the answers are no, then you probably should keep it quiet.

Gossip needn’t be false to be evil—there’s a lot of truth that shouldn’t be passed around.

—Frank A. Clark