Loose lips sinks ships!

Back in the early 1940's the world was at war and security was on the mind of all Americans. Who knew if their neighbor or co-worker was actually a foreign spy or saboteur? In many work places, especially those dealing with defense projects, it was not uncommon to see a poster on a wall which read, "Loose lips sink ships!" The slightest slip of the tongue could result in the deaths of American soldiers, sailors, or Marines.

Though not as dramatic as the World War II warning, Proverbs 17:9 has a similar message: "He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates friends." Do you love your friends? Are you sure? Suppose one of your friends did something wrong . . . would you out of a heart of love keep the matter to yourself, or would it become a bit of juicy information you just can't wait to tell to someone else?

Solomon says that he or she who truly loves will refrain from gossiping about the faults of a friend. The big-mouth "friend" is moving along the path to losing a friend. Now understand, covering a transgression as it's referred to here in this proverb does not mean ignoring sin in others. It simply means to keep the matter to ourselves and not saying something in public that might embarrass or demean the other person.

Being a gossip is a mean-spirited way of seeking attention for oneself. It is like saying, "I'm important because I know something you don't know!" But oh my, the damage we can cause with a careless whisper. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote about this subject when he said, "A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything -- or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony into chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can't tame a tongue -- it's never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!" (James 3:3-10, The Message)

Be a real friend! Don't ignore the sin, but don't announce it to the world either. A real friend seeks to express love by gently rebuking and encouraging. The gossip is no friend at all. You may not sink a ship, but you can certainly sink a relationship!