I know that gossiping and speaking ill of others is a sin, yet I still fall into this behaviour constantly – and even blame others for my failure.  If that colleague were not so annoying, I would not complain about her to others. If only my neighbour would bring her dog in when he was barking, I wouldn’t talk to the other neighbours about her inconsiderate behaviour. The truth is, I make the choice to speak ill of others because it’s  easier than being loving and kind.

  

In Titus 3:2, we are told ‘to speak evil of no one’ and ‘to show every courtesy to everyone’. Of course it’s easy to love our neighbour when our neighbour is kind, caring and easy to get along with. But the people in our lives who are hard to love are often the ones who need love the most. Maybe my annoying colleague is dealing with a difficult personal situation. Maybe the neighbour with the barking dog is working at a second job because of financial problems.

  

We are commanded by God to love, not to judge. Thankfully, God knows we are imperfect and forgives us when we fail to speak lovingly to others. All we can do is to keep trying and keep praying for strength to succeed in speaking lovingly to and about everyone.

Prayer: O Lord, help us have only kind words for others as we remember how you love us. Amen