And if you want to talk or need anything at all, call or text me. Please let me know how I can pray for you. I said she was loved and treasured, that I could not imagine what she was going through, and then added this note: 'I just want you to know that I will not be talking about this situation to anyone other than God. It was then that I felt God nudge me, saying, 'Really? Then tell her that.' I wanted so much to honor God - and my friend - and avoid gossiping about this situation. Knowing it was wrong to talk about this situation, I chose not to pick up the phone and ignored the emails for fear someone might mention the incident to me. Soon my phone started ringing and I heard the computer alerting me to new email messages.

My heart ached as I imagined what my friend might be experiencing since she was totally blindsided by the situation. They asked if I knew a person mentioned in the article - who’d just been arrested for a horrific offense. I hadn’t.īut I didn’t need to see it, because the caller then related all the details about a news story* from the small town where I lived at the time. Years ago, I received a call from someone wanting to know if I’d read the newspaper that day. And if you want another powerful tool to do that, you might try what I started doing a few years back. None of us would want others to talk about us, so why were we so eager to talk? Yes, perhaps the most effective way to avoid gossip is to simply keep our lips zipped. We shouldn’t be talking like this behind her back.' And I don’t think I have anything to say. Even when another girl asked directly, 'Don’t you think so, too?' she said nothing.įinally, someone asked if she was listening. She sat silently on the bed, staring out the window. One by one, everyone chimed in and shared their opinion about this person. Sitting around my tiny dorm room with a group of girls in college, the topic of someone else on campus came up. I still remember the first time I witnessed the power of zipped lips. 'Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth keep watch over the door of my lips!' Psalm 141:3 (ESV)

Book too much lip