oh my gosh, did you hear about....?!

the sermon today at church was on gossip. we're doing this whole segment on "breaking free" and this week was to staying away from gossiping/listening to gossip. as a junior in high school, i've heard my fair share of gossip and i have been the gossiper to others as well. Todd Meyer was talking about how when we gossip about others, we are belittling them (proverbs 11:12). We're basically saying we are superior over you and have the right to talk about you in a negative way. but what makes us so high and mighty? why do we think that we are "better people" or more superior to others? high school is full of gossip, everyone always wants to know the scoop-the latest boyfriend/girlfriend break ups, friend drama, parties, etc. but why does all that matter? why do we all think that it is our business to know everyone else's business? Todd also explained how there are certain phrases that we should watch out for such as "did you hear about..." or "he/she is great and all BUT....", "or "guess what i just found out..." these are all most likely going to head into the gossiping department. but we can catch ourselves, and by being careful with our tongue we can avoid being the rumor started. It was a cool sermon to hear considering every week mon-fri from 8:20-3:25 i'm in a building with what 1,200 other students maybe, that are all trying to firgure themselves out. and with that comes tearing others day to make themselves feel better. it can be dramatic and for eventful. it's high school. what do you expect? haha but we who are in Christ are different. and our lives should look different to others. instead of gossiping we should be loving on the kids (even the ones who gossip about us). our lives should represent something bigger than hvhs, bigger than the valley we live in, bigger than younglife, we represent the kingdom of God. Christ lives in us, and He should be shining through us. so the sermon was very relatable-it definitely made me thing about how i should always be on guard with my tongue as well as my ears. and remember that i'm loved so so deeply, and no gossip will ever change that.