05.06.01 Introducing What to Do if the Negative Gossip Is About You
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ave you ever been targetted by negative gossip before? If yes, chances are that it was such a heart-wrenching experience. To ‘call a spade a spade ’, negative gossip can leave you feeling empty, ruined, crushed, embarrassed, reproached and desolate. And, trust me, I have ‘been there’ as reported in the ‘feature-stories’ section of this book, when people hatched a defamatory rumour about our firm in general and me in particular. You can read the full story in chapter one.
In Psalms 69:1-4a, 12, David relays his experience after being gossiped against. Part of that scripture reads (CEV): 1Save me, God! I am about to drown.2I am sinking deep in the mud, and my feet are slipping. I am about to be swept under by a mighty flood. 3I am worn out from crying, and my throat is dry. 4There are more people who hate me for no reason than there are hairs on my head. Many terrible enemies want to destroy me, God. … 12Rulers and judges gossip about me, and drunkards make up songs to mock me. Definitely, David’s experience of negative gossip was unpleasant, to say the least.
In this chapter, we shall combine my personal encounter with negative gossip; the JuaLink story; and Nehemiah’s biblical narrative; to discuss what you could do if you ever become a victim of negative gossip