It seems to me that in this world today, some people’s favorite sport is to tear people down, to cut them into little pieces, and then to spit them out. How tragic we think so little of others that we have made that our favorite sport.
I was reading a devotion by Pastor Greg Laurie in his book Every Day with Jesus when he shared a thought from radio Bible teacher, the last J. Vernon McGee. He said that McGee used to say that the only exercise some Christians get is running down others and jumping to conclusions.
I wish I could say he was/is wrong, but I can’t. I’ve seen it too often-in myself-and in others. As I’ve aged, I would like to think my tendency to throw people under the bus to deflect blame and jumping to conclusions to justify my words or actions has lessened. I would like to believe I have become wiser, more discerning in what I think and ultimately say.
Gossip and slander are ugly vices. They are both deadly sins. I’ve heard it put this way: before we say a word we should T-H-I-N-K. It is True? (Even if it is does it need to be passed on? See “K”). It is Helpful? Is it Inspiring? Is it Necessary? Is it Kind? If not, maybe we ought to just keep our words and thoughts to ourselves. Common vernacular: maybe we just ought to just keep our mouth shut.
Let’s stop running others down and jumping to conclusions. Let’s stop pressing down on others and start lifting/raising people up. What do you say? Join me?