Speak the truth, not gossip
“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day.” — Proverbs 4:18
We sometimes hear stories about some people who are doing things that may not seem too ethical. I listen to the stories, but before I make any comments I have to find out if the person that is telling the story was personally involved or if it is just gossip.
The damage we do to others by repeating what we have heard from other people is not only unfair but is a damage that sometimes cannot be repaired. Always use the Golden Rule when you hear these stories, and don’t repeat anything to anyone unless it happened to you personally.
I would never do unto others that which I would not want others to do unto me. There is good in everything that happens and if you cannot say something good about a person or the event, then the best thing to do is not comment at all. The best thing is to keep quiet and look like a fool or open your mouth and prove to others what they thought all along.
I grew up in a family of 12 and one of the rules was, when we visited other people’s homes, we were to be seen and not heard. I guess that has stuck with me all of my life because I take time to evaluate a situation before making a comment.
The stories I hear from other people stop with me unless I was directly involved in the situation. The small town I grew up in back east was about 3,500 people who knew each other, and gossiping was a way of life. I guess that was the lesson I needed to learn because I dislike hearing stories about other people that do not bring out the good in them.
One of the greatest things that can happen to anyone is to become aware of who they really are. We are all created out of the image of this Creative Intelligence of the Universe (God) so that makes us part of each other. When everyone recognizes this great truth that this Creative Intelligence is the source of all our good then there is no reason to have wars, murder, assault or gossip, and no reason to manipulate others for personal gain; and the list goes on and on of what some people do to other people.
When everyone gets to that higher level of consciousness (awareness), then our world would truly be heaven on earth. Our world would be a much better place when people start using the Golden Rule in their everyday activities. In the book of James, we are told to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” That is what happens in most situations because we are “hearers” of all the gossip and untruths that comes from events that were not so good for everybody involved. As the gossip is passed from one person to another, the story gets bigger and bigger, the fear grows out of the story and before you know it the whole thing is altogether different than what really happened to begin with.
When you live your life by the Golden Rule, speak the truth of who you are, stop the gossip stories with yourself and allow others to recognize the good in themselves, then our world can be the heaven on earth we pray for. Know the truth about the Creative Intelligence as our source and that truth shall set you free.
The Rev. Jim Fox teaches the principles of the Science of the Mind (aka New Thought or Religious Science).
