The Telephone Game

Have you ever played the 'telephone game'?  It is a fun party game where everyone sits in a circle. You start off with one phrase and have one person whisper it to the person next to them until you progress around the circle until you hear what phrase comes out at the end. It can be quite humorous and also very different from the beginning phrase. Some people talk fast while others talk too softly to hear every word and so you repeat what you think you heard.

What lesson can be pulled from a simple game of fun? We need to be very careful with information that we are given when telling it to others. Tell only facts and try not to elaborate. Words misconstrued turn into gossip when they go from a person who was involved in the situation to another person and then go farther down the ladder to more people that weren't there or had any idea what truly happened. I saw a quote that said if you aren't part of the problem or solution then it is gossip.

Hollywood is full of gossip. There are so many stories about the world's "famous people" that those of us who aren't related to those people have no clue what is true and what is false spread to sell stories. But Hollywood isn't the only place where gossip takes place. It is something that is prevalent in every circle-sadly, even among Christians. It is something that can take on a life of its own. It can cause great harm by spreading information that isn't even true about someone and hurting not only their feelings but ruining reputations. But if you don't pass it on-it stops. Refuse to fuel the fire and the fire will die out.

Proverbs 26:20-22

 "For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.  As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body."

Psalms 141:3

"Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"

It takes a conscious effort and practice.

James 1:19

"So then, my beloved brethren. Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath"

 Proverb 25:11

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings silver." 

When we speak to others it should not be about others. Speak the truth in love only. Don't add what you think or what you think you heard. 

As we live one day at a time we do a lot of talking and listening in our lifetime. God gave us one mouth and two ears-listen first before talking or as the saying goes, we should listen twice as much as we speak. But be sure to only listen to what the type of conversations that are talked about in Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."