799) I would not be honest if I didn’t admit that I feel a certain satisfaction in hearing the latest piece of gossip. It is a type of forbidden fruit. The fact that someone else is or was doing something that is questionable helps take the spotlight off of the things I have done that are questionable. Besides that, it makes me feel included within the group I associate with. In a sick sense, it makes me feel better about myself, at the moment.

Proverbs 16:28 addresses gossip. In the long run, the verse tells us, it will not bring the results we had hoped. It informs us that what we think will allow us to fit in with our peers will actually separate us. It is also biblical that we will never build ourselves up by tearing others down. The tricky part is remembering this truth.