The lyrics of this song state, “It starts as a story. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not; but once you repeat, it it’s hard to defeat it. Now look at the mess that you’ve got! I’m a rumor weed! I’m a rumor weed! A tiny little story is all I need to make a big mess!” A rumor, as this song implies, is like a weed that grows so fast that it gets out of control, until you are left with a big tangled mess.
Proverbs 26:20-22 says, “Without wood, a fire will go out, and without gossip, quarreling will stop. Just as charcoal and wood keep a fire going, a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going. The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food; people like to gobble them up” (NLT). A rumor is like a growing fire, because the longer it circulates the bigger and more ludicrous it becomes.
A rumor is like charcoal in that it does not easily die out. Have you noticed how embers in a barbeque grill give the impression that the flame is almost gone? The charcoal, however, has heat emanating from it; and all you have to do is stir it up a little, and the charcoal will re-ignite. Proverbs 26:20 admonishes, “Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops” (NLT).
Proverbs 11:13 states, “A gossip goes around revealing secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence” (NLT). Those who go around talking are individuals you should not trust with confidential information. Proverbs 20:19 advises, “A gossip tells secrets, so don’t hang around with someone who talks too much” (NLT). If you are tired of rumors spreading, then stop associating with those who gossip.
A monk once told his leader, “I am troubled in spirit, and I want to leave this place.” The old man asked, “Why?” The monk said, “I have heard unedifying stories about one of the brothers.” The old man inquired, “Are the stories true?” He said, “Yes, Father. The brother who told me is a man of trust.” The old man answered, “The brother who told you is not a man of trust. For if he was, he would not have told you these stories.”
If you are one who tends to gossip then beware. I want to leave you with an excerpt from Prevention magazine, concerning those who gossip:
Before you talk about someone behind their back, take a minute to ponder the results of some recent research on gossip. Dr. John Skowronski, a psychology professor at Ohio State University, was the lead author of a study that assessed the effects of gossip. They discovered that people who hear your gossip will actually associate the message with you.
If you talk about someone who is dishonest, the person hearing you tell the story will associate that characteristic with you as well. Likewise, if you sing the praises of someone who is getting a degree from Harvard, you will be remembered as intellectual. Dr. Skowronski said, “It’s a memory mistake. You listen to the descriptions of others’ actions without thinking much about it. Later, when you search your thoughts about the person who told you, you subconsciously associate them with their description of someone else” (August 1998, p. 40).
Rumors can be extremely destructive to individuals, and the body of Christ; for once they ignite they will consume reputations, tear down emotional stability, stunt spiritual growth, and hinder the work of the kingdom. Therefore, let’s be careful about trusting confidential information with untrustworthy individuals; and if you happen to be a gossiper who loves to talk about negative things, then be forewarned that people will begin thinking negatively of you. Let’s put an end to the rumor weed!