Living Proof

Touching on the topic of gossip is a difficult one, because whether or not we know it, we all gossip in one form or another. What exactly is gossip? 1. idle talk or rumor, esp. about the personal or private affairs of others: the endless gossip about Hollywood stars. 2. light, familiar talk or writing. 3. Also, gos·sip·er, gos·sip·per. a person given to tattling or idle talk. 4. to talk idly, esp. about the affairs of others; go about tattling. –verb (used with object) Idle talk or rumors are mostly seen as ‘lies’ or ‘exaggerated truths’ about a person. Even writing about someone is considered gossip, as shown in the web’s dictionary. In the Jewish culture, it’s been told that gossip kills three people: *The speaker *The person you are speaking about *The listener But at what lengths do we consider “talk” about other people, gossip? Do we stop talking about how Julie’s husband just got a promotion at his job? Do we stop talking about our kid’s achievements in school? Do we go as far a...

Have you ever noticed how much celebrities have an affect on people? Gossip, tabloids, paparazzi and news reporters swarm to them like bees to honey. You read stories about them, you see their life on TV and hear rumors on the radio reporting various things. You actually feel like you know them well. We start making assumptions about their character. “Well, if Britney Spears was home with her baby instead of partying all night…” “Did you hear that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake are together again? They were seen at a basketball game!” Or the latest: “I can’t believe Anna Nicole Smith died! She was such a nice girl.” (A few months later the same person was calling her a dimwit.) How do you know someone if you don’t have a relationship with them? If you don’t spend time with them, you don’t talk with them to great lengths and you don’t visit them at their house, then how would you get to know them? This is the same scenario as having a relationship with God. His tabloid is the bi...