Don't Believe Everything You Hear
“The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps.” (Prov. 14:15)
Have you ever known someone that’s gullible? Gullible is defined as “easily persuaded to believe something.” There are some people that are willing to believe anything you tell them, sometimes no matter how ridiculous. And to be honest, each of us is probably a little more gullible than we want to believe. When a juicy piece of gossip comes our way, we’re quick to believe what we hear because the details are just too tantalizing to resist.
Believing everything you hear is not only gullible, it’s very dangerous. For example, let’s say that a coworker comes to you and reports that one of your friends is stealing money from the company. Your coworker even provides an elaborate explanation of how the theft is occurring. Not only that, she informs you that many others in the office are aware of the theft. Based on the nature of the allegation, the accompanying story, and the number of those who believe it, you’re tempted to buy in too.
When things like that happen, we must resist the temptation to automatically affirm what we’ve heard. We should stop and think about the people that will be hurt if we perpetuate what we’ve been told. When you hear a rumor, you should treat someone else like you want to be treated. Go to the person directly, ask him if what you’ve heard is true, and if it is then do all you can to assist him/her with repentance. If what you’ve heard is not true, then you should confront those who are perpetuating a lie and encourage them to seek forgiveness from the one they’ve lied about.
Have you ever known someone that’s gullible? Gullible is defined as “easily persuaded to believe something.” There are some people that are willing to believe anything you tell them, sometimes no matter how ridiculous. And to be honest, each of us is probably a little more gullible than we want to believe. When a juicy piece of gossip comes our way, we’re quick to believe what we hear because the details are just too tantalizing to resist.
Believing everything you hear is not only gullible, it’s very dangerous. For example, let’s say that a coworker comes to you and reports that one of your friends is stealing money from the company. Your coworker even provides an elaborate explanation of how the theft is occurring. Not only that, she informs you that many others in the office are aware of the theft. Based on the nature of the allegation, the accompanying story, and the number of those who believe it, you’re tempted to buy in too.
When things like that happen, we must resist the temptation to automatically affirm what we’ve heard. We should stop and think about the people that will be hurt if we perpetuate what we’ve been told. When you hear a rumor, you should treat someone else like you want to be treated. Go to the person directly, ask him if what you’ve heard is true, and if it is then do all you can to assist him/her with repentance. If what you’ve heard is not true, then you should confront those who are perpetuating a lie and encourage them to seek forgiveness from the one they’ve lied about.
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