Have you Heard?

McKenna leaned over to Rory in Social Studies class and whispered, “Did you know that Sarah made an F on her math test yesterday?” Rory’s eyes widened. “Really?” he said. He turned around and told the person behind him. The news spread quickly, and by the end of the day, everyone knew about Sarah’s test grade.

The next day, Sarah heard a couple of girls talking about her in the bathroom. “Did you hear that Sarah made an F on the test?” they were saying. Sarah wondered, “Why on earth are they talking about me? It’s not even true. I made a B on the test!” She began to cry.

Sarah’s classmates were gossiping, or spreading hurtful messages about her behind her back. Oftentimes, when people gossip, the message that gets passed along isn’t even true. Gossip leads to hurt feelings and a loss of trust.

Sometimes it’s tempting to say mean or untrue things about people, but God calls us to love each other by holding our tongues. The next time you’re tempted to talk about someone behind their back, ask yourself: Is this information true? Will sharing this information help the person, or will it hurt them? What would God want me to do?

Jesus, help me to avoid spreading rumors and help me to use kind words instead.

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.” (Psalm 34:13)

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Katie Suarez is a writer from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She has written for Our Sunday Visitor, Living Faith Kids, and James Dobson’s Thriving Family. Katie enjoys playing basketball with her son, reading, and going on walks with her husband.