If this months topic WORDS were to be catergorized, I'd brilliantly say that they fall into 2 REALLY basic categories.....Good words or bad words :)
GOOD WORDS build friendships, give life, lift a heavy spirit, calm our souls, .....
BAD WORDS bring trouble, lead to ungodliness, are full of gossip, .....
Let's say you are not the provider of the words, but instead the 'heeder' or listeners of the words....an innocent by stander per say. And that by chance these words were negative words about someone & their life situation.
The Bible equates these kinds of words to CANDY ... cheap venomous candy at that! If we take heed to them somehow they make their way into our soul. They are sweet, tasty & easy to digest, but deadly to our spiritual lives & the lives of others. Everyone looses; the speaker of the words, the listener of the words & the life of the person that the words are being spoken about!
Participating in 'the conversation' doesn't only mean you actually say words. Participating in
'the conversation' could just mean listening or paying attention to the words being said.
Proverbs 17:4. Tragically, participation in any form puts us in the same category as the speaker of the words : /
Ok....so....someone drew us into some choice words about another & they now have our ear. What now? How do you stop the bleeding?
Prov 26:20 reminds us that, without wood a fire goes out. Our ears are the wood! Separating ourselves from the situation, interrupting the speaker & changing the subject or excusing ourself & walking away are some subtle ways to stop the infection of the negative talk. Water must be put to the fire ASAP.
But, further thoughts to considered if we have been hooked into a negative conversation in any way could be:
What was your heart's motivation for even listening?
-Was seeking the approval of the person(s) telling the story a motivation?
-Was being a person " in the know" a motivation?
-Did listening about someones weaknesses somehow make feeling of superiority emerge?
Juicy tales can be entertaining, but are way more deadly that what they seem. Next time one presents itself, DON'T incline your ear to its sweetness! Its not worth it!
Stay strong ladies!