Rituals and Motions

Proverbs 20:19  “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.”

I like this verse in theory, but honestly, how do you avoid yourself?  I really have had a hard time talking badly about certain people and places lately.  I do it and then think to myself, now I shouldn’t have said that or shared that.  Usually I keep what people tell me to keep in confidence in confidence, but there are times that I talk too much.

So what is the solution here?  Pray every morning?- I do that already…  But do I pray about the right things?  Do I pray that everything that I do and say would be pleasing to God?  Do I really mean it?  Do I just go through the motions?  There are so many times that we ask God to do something but it is just a motion.  Think about praying before a meal time.  It is so easy to just go through the motions- dear Lord, bless this food, help it to nourish our bodies…..

How would you like it if someone called you before something but wasn’t sincere?  It was like a ritual.  You want a relationship with them but you can’t seem to get past the basics. 

Hey, how are you? 

            Good, you?

Fine thanks.  What did you do this weekend?

            Not a whole lot. 

It is like when your kid comes home from school and you are desperate to know every detail of their schooling.  You want to know; what they liked, what they didn’t like, who they sat with at lunch, who they worked with, if the teacher said anything about this or that…  Usually kids come home from school and you ask them, “How was school?” Then, in response, all you get back from them is “fine”.  It drives you a little crazy because you want a deeper relationship. 

So, how does that all relate back to gossip?  Well, lets look at it this way. If we look to God and really ask Him to take away the gossip in our lives and are really seeking to know him and share our lives with him, then guess what, HE WILL!  If we just say it as a passing thought or a ritual or a motion, do you really think that it will happen?

I pray that the Lord guides my thoughts today and that He keeps my mouth from gossip and slander.