Pastor’s Corner

Jomo Cousins, Ph.D.

Gossip

“So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second flter, the flter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”“No, on the contrary, it is bad.”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him, but you’re not certain it’s true. You may still pass the test though, because there’s one flter left: the flter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?” “No, not really,” replied the man.

“Well,” concluded Dr. Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful to me, why tell it to me at all?”

When considering the reports of others, always question these 3 things:

A. Is it true, without a shadow of doubt, or an opinion?

B. Will it be good for others?

C. Will it be useful to me?

Prayer:

Father God, help me not to gossip or be a talebearer. Give me the wisdom to know when to speak and when to be quiet, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Except from: 60 Prayers in 60 Seconds Page 52