Read: James 3:3-10

“Why didn’t you invite Jase to come camping with us?” Dad asked as he and Thatcher sat beside their campfire.

Thatcher looked at his dad. “His mother’s in a mental hospital!”

“Yes,” Dad said. “She’s getting the help she needs for her mental health.”

“I knew she was in a hospital, but I didn’t know it was that kind of hospital until a guy at school told me,” Thatcher said. “The kids at school say Jase must be nuts too, and…well, don’t you think he’s a little weird sometimes?”

“No weirder than anyone else,” Dad replied. “Just because Jase’s mother is ill does not mean he has the same problems. And remember, she’s ill, not ‘nuts,’ as you called it.” Thatcher didn’t say anything, but he wasn’t convinced.

After swimming in the river the next day, Thatcher let out a yell. “Dad! There’s a yucky worm on my leg! I can’t pull it off!”

Dad hurried over. “That’s a leech, Thatcher. They live in the water and sometimes stick to swimmers. Hold still, and I’ll try to get it off.” Dad succeeded in removing the leech, but Thatcher’s leg kept on bleeding.

“Leeches give off a substance that keeps blood from clotting,” Dad explained. “We’ll wash and bandage your leg, and I’m sure it will be fine.”

Soon Dad had Thatcher all bandaged up. “You know, Thatcher, leeches remind me of gossip. Gossip also sticks tight. Even after people quit talking, those they’ve gossiped about continue to hurt. I’m sure the things kids say about Jase hurt him. All that gossip may be sucking the joy of life right out of him.”

“I…I didn’t mean to hurt Jase,” Thatcher replied.

“No, but people get hurt by gossip, and it’s a sin. When we gossip, we’re using other people’s problems and shortcomings to get attention and make ourselves look better—and often the things we hear and repeat about others aren’t even true! We need to remember we’re just as flawed as everyone else and that Jesus died to save all of us. We’re not showing others His love when we gossip—either the people listening or the person we’re talking about.”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Thatcher said. “I’ll text Jase and see if he wants to come out here. Then I can tell him I’m sorry too.”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are you guilty of hurting someone by spreading gossip? Don’t sin by hurting others this way. Even if you believe a negative thing you hear about someone is true, think about how you’d feel if someone said a similar thing about you. Then show Jesus’s love by speaking words that help support and encourage others instead of hurting them.

Today's Key Verse: I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin. Psalm 39:1 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Gossip is sin