Spiritual Spanking

This is a funny title a friend told me about the other day that fit what I was sharing with her.

Earlier yesterday, (I meant to get all this blogged yesterday, but didn't) I was blessed with a wonderful conversation with a friend.  However, I was kinda naughty on said phone call as well.  I was gossiping.  Gossip is not a title I want, or frequently earn.  I try my hardest to keep my conversations friendly and change the subject if the need arises.  However, this time, I failed.  (I have been getting F's a lot lately, yikes!)

We were chatting along nicely and she was telling me about an experience with some friends she had in the past few weeks.  These same friends had been a little rude to me earlier this summer (this was my perception of the interaction anyway).  Well, since they had been nice to her and rude to me I felt the little green monster well up inside and I decided to tell her as much.  One thing led to another and we were singling out some people and going on and on.  I could feel little tugs telling me to stop and that what I was saying might not even be the full truth, but I chose not to listen and to go on.

Eventually the conversation ended, thankfully (not that I wanted to stop talking to my friend, but that it ended the gossip session), because I had another call come in that I needed to take.  After that, I felt terrible.  I knew I was wrong.  I saw my friend just about an hour later that day and apologized for what I had done.  I asked for forgiveness.  I gave her permission to shut me up if I ever started doing it again in a conversation with her.

Then, at my quiet time I sat down and asked forgiveness from the Lord and for help in reigning in my tongue the next time my jealousy took over or the desire to gossip arose.

Then came the 'spiritual spanking' in the form of God's Word (now that I know a fun little term for these moments, I recognize I receive them quite frequently!)
2 Peter 1:5-7  For this very reason {vs 4 says to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires}, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

All the above things I failed to do in this conversation with my friend.  My gossiping was not good.  It did not show my knowledge of God and His Word, thus it didn't show any qualities of godliness.  I didn't practice self-control with the jealously arose.  I did not persevere through the urge to gossip.  And gossip is definitely not kind to my brothers or showing love. 

I totally caved to the corruption of this world and my evil desires.  Praise God for this verse that I can recite to myself next time the idea of gossip might pass through my head. 

There is a little meme thing floating around facebook and pinterest lately that says "Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you no one would believe it."  I want this to be true of me.  Thus, I need to start practicing the verses above with hopeless abandon.  Won't you join me?