I just listened to David Bercot's message entitled "Gossip-Not a Minor Sin." This is a convicting message and I encourage everyone to listen to it under the course "Radical Christian Living." It left me with practical ways of overcoming this problem. However, I wondered if this could be taken too far. Are there times when one should talk with others about the struggles of others? I have wrestled with this question as a schoolteacher.
Sometimes I feel I should tell somebody else (a board member) about what is going on in my classroom. When we have teacher meetings, it's great if you can share the struggles of one of your students to get advice and other perspectives on how to handle the situation. I typically don't ask myself, "Would my student want me to relate this information to the school board?" before I tell them about it.
Here's another scenario: I may be having severe struggles with a certain individual. Let's assume this would fall into a Matthew 7 category, where it is a speck in that person's eye that I must simply overlook. Is there never a time for me to talk to my parents about this situation. I might say things about that person that he might not want me to say, but if I would not, there would be little if any context for what I am saying to my parents.
What about when I am genuinely concerned about something another brother may be teaching? Should I not say anything about it to anyone else?
Just some of the musings of my head. Any comments?
