Gossip or observation?

When does one morph into the other? 

My thoughts around gossip versus conversations that contain observations is this: gossip states things beyond what you can see, with the intention of creating an image, concept or view that is not verified. 

An observation is something you have seen and it doesn’t go beyond that and is used in a conversation without malice. 

Example of an observation in a conversation:

You see someone in public with a nice purse. So you nudge your friend to show them the purse too and then begin to say, “That’s the type of purse I want to gift to my daughter. Do you think you could help me find it?” 

The observation was this: it was a really nice purse. 

Example of gossip in a conversation:

You see someone in public with a nice purse. So you nudge your friend to show them the purse too and then begin to say, “I can’t believe she has that purse. I bet she had to skip a bill to be able to get that or maybe she doesn’t even work and has a rich husband that gives her anything she wants.”

Not only did you draw conclusions beyond what you could see, but without awareness that person is now considered an “enemy” to you because you created a situation of you vs them. A space for jealousy. A space for comparison. An opportunity for division to take root. 

For a long time I struggled with knowing the borderline difference between simple conversation and gossip. Now that I’ve learned through revelation and application, I wanted to share this for someone else’s benefit. 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. – Ephesians 4:29 

See you next week!