Day 105 "Liken Gossip To A Boomerang"

The "boomerang," an aeronautically designed object that when thrown by the sender will return back to the point from which is was thrown. Throughout the years the boomerang has been used for hunting, sport and entertainment. Although most people would associate the boomerang to the Aborigines in Australia, there is strong evidence that the boomerang has been utilized for quite a while in various parts of the world, including thousands of years ago in Egypt.

Which lead me to think of gossiping. Do you see the similarity with the boomerang? What goes around, comes around? Gossip is defined as the private information about others shared in conversation or print. Meant to share secret information about someone to another person. I could think of it as hunting, designed to do damage to an intended foe, whether truthful or not. It could pass for sport, as bystanders clamor and thirst for more vulnerable details like spectators watching two gladiators fight. And it can be seen as purely entertainment, the need for information to fuel the interest at the local water hole or water cooler, "Did you hear...?"

But if you think for a moment the dynamics going on with gossiping, do you see the common denominator throughout any of its usage? Can you see that at the heart of it all, is the desire to improve one's own lot in life at the expense of someone else? When we put our own interest before others, especially at the expense of or the hurtful cost of the other person, it stems from selfishness, pure and simple. And at the heart of selfishness, generally lays the roots of our own insecurity.

While growing up, I often encouraged my two daughters, Sara and Christie, "If you don't have anything nice and encouraging to say, then say nothing." It was a good way to get them to look for the good in others, not the bad. And frankly, if we dig deep enough, we can find the bad in all of us.

All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." Psalm 14:3

"All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does

good, not even one.” Romans 3:12

We live in a world where we are often faced with the desire to place our interests first. Advertisers are acutely aware of our need to improve our own status in life. So they structure and bombard us with commercials designed to wet the appetite of our need to buy such and such product, and if we do, our lot in life will improve. The problem is that we seem to always thirst for more which makes us vulnerable like the racing greyhounds always running after the the elusive mechanical rabbit. We need something greater than ourselves to lift us out of our own self-centeredness in order to discover a whole new way of thinking to live out the rest of our lives.

Fortunately, we have one. It is called love. It takes on many forms. But mostly, love takes the focus off of oneself and turns it over to the attention and well-being of others. It totally changes the dynamics of how we interact with one another. Rather than seeking the to be the center of attention, a shift in mindset begins to occur that replaces self focus with ''otherly" focus, considers the interest of others, first and foremost, more important than one's own interests. The ability for this to take place is correlated and grounded in one's comfort level and how secure one personally feels about themself.

It is God's unconditional and accepting love, just as we are, with all of our imperfections, faults, and hidden secrets, that allows us to come out from underneath our shame and insecurities to embrace a life that was designed by God for us to embrace. God wants us to experience his love for us and to channel his love through us to love others. Gossip is just one area, among many, that no longer fits this new lifestyle any longer. It simply becomes a choice as to how we decide to act. But I contend, the greater you understand God's love for you, the more you will be able to freely love others and put their interest and well-being before your own.

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:13-14

"If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Galatians 5:15

"So I say live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."

Galatians 5:16

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22

"Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." James 3:5

"For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 1 Peter 3:10

"Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." Proverbs 16:24

"The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them." Proverbs 12:6

What we say, matters! We can create bridges with one another, or we can tear them down. The sting and hurtfulness of words uttered without thought can be piercing and damaging to another person's heart and soul. Once out, very difficult to try and get back the spoken or written words. The damage has already been done. Gossiping is just an extension, another avenue by which we fail to uplift others and instead, place them on the alter of our own self-importance, sacrificing their reputation and identity to improve our own.

God, through his love, wants to use you to help build others up, not tear them down. Love builds up. So, guard your heart and mind so that God will find you a usable vessel through which he can express his love.

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

"Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge," 1 Timothy 6:20

Love is the most excellent way to live. Check out 1 Corinthians 13. When the heart is shaped and conformed by love, the words and thoughts uttered by the tongue will be uplifting and healing for others.

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What goes around, comes, around, reminds me of the boomerang. What do you wish would come back to you from the things that you say and do?

Make someone else's day by saying something kind or uplifting, or by not continuing someone else's gossip chain. Guard your heart!

In his love, see you tomorrow....

"Carpe Momentum in Love" (Seize the moment in love)