Four fired for gossip

Last updated on: May 19, 2009 at 7:00 am by David Rupert

“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37).

ABC news reported on a group of four women who were fired for gossiping in the workplace.

The Bible says this: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters” (1 Peter 4:15). “

That’s some heavy duty company. When I act as a busybody, I’m in the same category as a murderer and a thief.

And that’s not an accident. Idle words hurt. They steal dignity. There is always pain in them.

“Slander” is a word that has an interesting origin. It comes from the word “Devil.” According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, slander means “malicious talk; to spread damaging information; to defame; to speak ill of.” And “Gossip” is derived from the idea of “whispering.”

The damage – the pain that comes letting ‘little things slip’ is painful.

What’s your experience?