Lifegroup on Friday was sort of a first for me in a sense it is the first lifegroup I have attended which there was sort of a house cleaning. At the end of the sharing, my leader George was talking about why certain individuals left the lifegroup and church. Because I knew the individuals involved, it brought about mixed feelings in me.
One side of me seemed to enjoy the "gossipy" element in the whole thing. I can see why people like to gossip. It just seems to satisfy some part of us to know "hidden" things about others. ;) But another side of me felt that maybe a lot of things could be left alone since it was out in the open the individuals involved. Having said that, I could see where my leader was coming from. There were rumors going around as to why the individual left and if both sides of the story were not told, it seems natural the side which tells the story would seem right.
As usual, I would leave my lifegroup early to go back to rest but during my little stroll home, a lot thoughts and scriptures came to mind in regards to the house cleaning during lifegroup......
For one, I try to make it a point to take a neutral stand when it comes to issues between people. The reason is simple. Humans err and there is no instance where someone can really tell you 100% of the truth 100% of the time. By the time an incident goes into a person and is regurgitated out, the contents are usually different at varying levels. Also, the first side to tell their side of the story will always seem right (Proverbs 18:17). Even if I do get to hear both sides of the story, only God knows all the intricate details which we can only guess. So, rather than to make a wrong judgement, I prefer to just stay neutral.
Next, I try my best to mind my own business. Proverbs illustrates it well when it says: "Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him." (Proverbs 26:17) I rhink sometimes we meddle too much into others' business when it does not concern us one bit. You know jolly well if you take a dog by the ears you are in for bite and thus the point made is really simple. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!
Another gem from the book of Proverbs: "The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body." Ooooh. That's scary. Sometimes I wonder why it's difficult to shake an impression of someone off though I may not have actually conversed with that person before. More often than not, I might have heard about that person prior to meeting him/her. The impression would then stick with me though I may find after getting to know the person that he/she may not be what I heard about in the first place. I attribute it the the principle above. So, as much as I can, I avoid such things.
I think sometimes we value being politically correct higher than the wisdom God prescribes. When someone comes with a "whisperer" or "gossiper" kind of spirit, instead of telling them frankly we do not want to hear about such stuff, we just give in and humor them. As a result, the slime of those stuff rubs off on us and defiles us and the relationship we have with others. So, it's time to stop all these nonsense and avoid them as much as we possibly can......
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