When I was a little girl I told my Aunt that one of our family members smoked. “Don’t tell Grandma.” She said. “It will break her heart.”
I shrunk inside myself, knowing that her warning had come too late. I had already broken my grandmother’s heart.
It was then that I learned the damaging effects of gossip (though I didn’t quite know how to define it at the time). I learned that telling the secrets of others–true or not–wasn’t fun or helpful. And that maybe smoking wasn’t the worst thing a person could do after all. Maybe it was hurting others with our words.
This morning, while driving with Easton, I saw someone I know. I waved to this someone I know. Then I talked about this someone I know. Expressing my opinions about some choices he’s made.
Again, I chose to be careless with my words. Again, I committed the greater sin.
I quickly repented, telling Easton that I had no right to an opinion on a life I have not walked.
“The sin in question is one which I have never been tempted to commit. I will not indulge in futile philippics against enemies I never met in battle.” ~~C.S. Lewis
When I’ve studied the ten commandments, I’ve never found a passage admonishing me to make sure my neighbor is living them correctly. But I have read that among the greatest commandments–second only to loving God–is that I love the someones I know, and even the someones I don’t know, even as I love myself.
Simply love. Nothing more.
So next time I drive past someone I know, I’ll wave to that someone I know then I’ll talk about that someone I know. Expressing the love I feel toward him or her.
And I won’t say another word about it–true or not–not even to my Grandma.