By GARY ANDREWS
Editor and Publisher

The old saying, “Although the tongue weighs very little, few people are able to hold it,” is something that all of us need to keep in mind.
So many times I have heard people say something derogatory about someone or about some situation and they had no clue what they were talking about. So many of us are prone to repeat what we hear without finding out if it is true or not.
Many people, industries, businesses, and communities are hurt because someone will not have a good experience with whom or what they encounter and tell everyone they know the bad part of the situation. When this happens it is only human nature for us to repeat what we hear without knowing the truth of the matter.
I once had a pastor who said someone told him about a man’s wife having an affair. The pastor asked the person repeating the gossip, “Did you see this happen?”
Of course his answer was no, but he was repeating it on good authority.
The pastor told this person if you did not see it then don’t repeat it. If he was repeating something that was totally untrue then he was ruining the reputation of the person he was talking about.
The same goes with any situation whether it is a business, a church, a school, etc. Unless you witness the problem firsthand, you are only repeating something someone else has told you. In this case it could have been a misunderstanding and the person speaking may not be totally up front with what they are saying.
James 3:5 says, “Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”
When you are talking to others about someone or a certain situation, know for a fact that what you are saying is the absolute truth. So many people and places have been hurt because someone repeated inaccuracies about a certain situation.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to understand and know the truth when I am talking with someone. I pray that what I say will never hurt anyone or their reputation. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday - Proverbs 4:20-27; Monday - 1 Timothy 3:8; Tuesday - 1 Peter 3:10; Wednesday - Jeremiah 9:7-9; Thursday - Luke 20:20-26; Friday - 1 Samuel 2:3; Saturday - James 3:1-6.)A098-10