Gossip Folks.

Missy Elliot said it right. Actually, not at all, but she's still legit.
I have gotten so much better at not gossiping about people since I have been surrounded by so many people who I could not think of anything bad to say about, but now that everyone is settled, I am starting to notice the few people who's company I do not really enjoy. For instance, there is one girl on my floor who would have been the subject of my quips at any other point in my life. Not to say I was without sin or even gossip the last couple of months, but it has been far, far too much these last few days.
Most of the time I don't even feel bad until I realize that word could get back to the person... then I see how inconsiderate things I say are. As long as they don't know what I said, I act like it never happened. What did these couple people do to deserve the spotlight in my list of annoyances. I could probably only come up with a couple of things that bother me about them, but is that ever a reason to hurt someone? If it isn't hurting them, by them finding out, it is still hurting me. I even stop to think about the conversations I take part in and those which I initiate, but it is more important to me that I am being social. I am being a part of a sort of bonding, so rarely to I call it out and try to change the subject. I hate that I do it, but when it's happening, I don't even think about the fact that it is a sin.
People have become far too tolerant of many sins these days, but I think that is the one that is the most frequent sin in my life. It is normal to gossip and be chatty about other people, but that doesn't make it any better. I would hate for someone to judge me for the things I say about other people. And more than that, I would hate to know all of the things that have been said about me. Many of the things people could say about me would probably be well deserved, but that doesn't make it feel any better. How would I handle it if someone heard the things I say about them or the things I laugh at that other people say? I would have no idea how to. I would just feel so terrible. So in any effort to become the better person who I hope I can be, I am challenging myself (or God is challenging me) to be that person who refuses to gossip about other girls, no matter the circumstance. Sometimes I wonder when a conversation changes from simple observation or personal story telling into gossip, but I think it would be safer not to flirt with the grey area... yeah, that's grey with an e, as it should be. Bam!