As we study how to develop Christ-like communication skills based on the book of Proverbs let’s consider another destructive tendency to avoid: participating in gossip. Proverbs 18:8 explains why so many of us get drawn into gossip: “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man’s inmost parts.”
Proverbs 17:9 explains, “He who covers over an offense promotes love,” but the temptation is to repeat details about the offence, and when this happens it often separates friends.
How can we deal with this very natural, enticing tendency in our communication?
Proverbs 26:20-21 illustrates this destructive dynamic vividly: “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.”
We’re responsible to stop gossip in its tracks or walk away from it, for gossip destroys healthy communication.