Before leaving the topic of gossip I would be remiss if I didn’t share my strategy for avoiding it.  The most important thing to be aware of when it comes to gossip is myself.  I am the main catalyst for propagating harmful talk. I must remain cognizant while speaking to anyone including my wife.  A normal conversation can turn into gossip in an instant.  Therefore I must use caution while engaging in casual conversation.  James says it best My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak (James 1:19). My formula for dealing with gossip is simple.  I listen intently while talking to someone and think before I open my mouth.  If I sense that I am about to slip into gossip or already have there are three things I do.

1.  Stop It

2.  Drop It

3.  Don’t Mop It

If I immediately say something that indicates that I feel the conversation is unrestrained the person I am talking to will generally agree and the subject matter will change.  That is what I experience most of the time.  The next step is to drop the subject altogether and avoid the temptation of picking it back up.  The third one generally gets us into more trouble even though we have good intentions.  We try to mop it up by defending the person or topic of discussion.  This is not necessary.  We only end up going deeper into the subject and spreading the mess around which does more harm than good.  It is not my responsibility to speak about something that really has nothing to do with me personally.  So there it is.  That is how I avoid gossip.

Stop it, drop it, and don’t mop it!