We must be a part of our friends' and neighbors' lives


"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Exodus 20:16 (ESV)
 
How do you know that what you know is true? For example, should I assume I know what happened if I hear something about someone? If I see something happen, I should confront the person personally. If I hear about something, I should stop the gossip.
 
We cannot decide to unhear what we have just heard when we hear gossip. Gossip fuels mob rule, which always ends in chaos and destruction. We should not be talking about our neighbors but to them, and if we are ever asked to be a witness, we need to be dedicated to the truth, not the gossip we hear.
 
We must be a part of our friends' and neighbors' lives because we were meant to be together. Truth reigns in healthy relationships.
 
The fact that we are warned against bearing false witness means that we will be tempted to "gang up" on people and twist the "facts" to support the desired results. As a result, we tend to get addicted to gossip and find it far more satisfying than the truth.
 
We need to work at seeing people as they are and not as they are talked about.
 

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