Dear Sofia, gossip is destructive

Today I decided to write a letter to myself about something I’ve been struggling with, gossip.

Dear Sofia,

I know it’s enticing. I know it’s something you try so desperately to avoid yet you get sucked back in every time. I know you get frustrated and disappointed every time you engage in a gossipy conversation or click on a juicy headline. I also know you've been praying for God to free you from it, but are you really taking action? Or are you just praying, hoping God will magically remove it from your life? I’m pretty sure it’s the latter. 

The reality is girl, you are going to run into it every single day, probably several times a day. Every time you are going to be faced with a decision. To end the conversation and possibly offend the person you're talking to (which I know you hate), or continue to listen, and leave the conversation regretting every word you said and heard. Then seeing the people you just gossiped about and knowing you betrayed them, leaving you feeling fake and slimy. 

Conversations aren't the only place you struggle with it, social media is a huge one. You’ve been trying to get away from this one so badly that you've deleted Instagram and Facebook off of your phone. I know you're trying, but you're still getting caught up in it. Be honest with yourself, you know just yesterday you watched several videos about the ending of the Bachelor (a show you don't even watch) just to see the drama and how it all went down. You know you googled that one person just to read the details of their divorce and see how they've reacted to it all. You also know that you saw that girl from high school’s post and immediately started judging her for the way her life is going. 

God has made you for more than this, Sofia! He didn't put you on this earth to put people down. He created you to glorify His name and lift people up! Your Father made you to love and respect, not to backstab or judge. He wants you to use social media to put out a positive message that glorifies Him, not use it to stalk people and criticize their life choices. 

This letter is not to beat you up and make you feel shame for what you've done, but to shine a light on the issue. Girl, you need to acknowledge that you have a problem with gossip. You need to go into your prayer time knowing that you struggle with it, admit it to God, and then do everything you can to avoid it. Yes you're going to slip up, it’s part of being human. 

You have a God who is ALL forgiving. He doesn't want you to keep this part of you in the dark. He wants to bring light to it so you can heal from it. He wants you to know how desperately He loves all of His children, and how you've been disrespecting them. He also wants you to know how desperately He loves you, and that this sin will never stop His love for you.

You can do it sister. Stay strong, and pray for courage to resist the enemy’s schemes. You can’t fight this alone. Remember the devil’s biggest lie is that your sin is unique and that you're all alone in this. Share with your community that you've been struggling so they can keep you accountable. I know you're scared they'll look at you and judge you for feeling this way but they won’t. Chances are, they struggle with it too. 

When you find yourself in the midst of gossip call on your Savior’s name. He is the only one strong enough to rescue you from this evil. Hold tightly to the truth that you were created to “love one another: just as [God has] loved you, you also are to love one another.” ~John 13:34 

Love, Sofia 

“Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” ~Ephesians 4:29