“Girl, I have some tea.”
“Oh, what a minute, let me get ready to hear this.”
“Well, they said that she said it was over! She was done.”
“She said what?!?”
“That’s right.”
How often have you seen this on television or heard it over the phone? Better question – how often has this been your reality?
You may have been the tea spiller sharing some “juicy” news, the listener ready to sip the tea, or the tea itself. Regardless of your position in these conversations, there are some realities that come with tea spilling.
By definition, gossip is a causal or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true. Our society promotes tea sipping and spilling, but as women of faith, it is something we have to be mindful to guard against. The words that come out of our mouths are powerful and can tear down or build up. Would you want your sister tearing you down or building you up?
The bad thing about gossip is it is a lose-lose for everybody. It hurts those spilling tea, sipping tea, and can potentially spoil the tea. The good book even warns us about tea spilling.
Let no corrupt speech should come out of our mouths but only that which is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29
Even if what you hear may be the truth, is it worth adding fuel to someone’s fire?
The next time you sip some tea (hear something) or are tempted to spill some tea (tell something), consider pausing, thinking, and asking yourself these simple questions.
Is it edifying?
Will it harm someone?
Will it help someone?
We always have to be mindful of sources of information but ultimately go to the source (the word of God) for how to handle each other and how to respond when we hear “tea”. (Side-note: If your sister does need some truth that will help her. Consider telling her in private with a spirit of love.)
It’s said that gossip dies when it hits a wise person’s ears. To add, in Colossians 4:6, we are reminded that our speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how we ought to answer each person.
Ladies, let’s aim to share some good news about our sisters and splash some living water on unfruitful words. News that is positive, uplifting, and edifying. Focusing on the good news is a win-win for all.
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