Dandelion Gossip

Have you noticed in the springtime how lemony-yellow blooms pop up overnight in the lawn?  They seem perfectly harmless, but those yellow blooms are dandelions, a weed with a taproot similar to a carrot.  When left to its own devices, dandelions will take over and choke out your beautiful grass.

Shortly after those blooms appear, they shoot up a stalk, which in turn becomes a fuzzy seed head.  Most children like to pick, blow or shake them, and watch the seeds float away on the breeze.  When they land, they take root and make more dandelions, which produce more seed heads, and so on, and so on, the cycle goes.

Gossip is like dandelions.  A story is heard, then repeated to someone else, who repeats it to someone else.  Many times the story is changed along the way, or the persons repeating the story don't even know whether or not the story is true, and they don't bother finding out before repeating it.  But once a tale is told, whether true or not, it becomes like the dandelion seeds.  It's spread to the wind and it cannot be retrieved.  The damage is done; seeds of doubt have been planted, and someone's character and reputation may have been ruined, without the opportunity to defend themselves. 

Speak truth, not speculation; do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  This is good advice for me and for others as well.  I don't want to be a dandelion gossip.   

Proverbs 6:16-19 "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."


Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney