Now I've Gone To Meddlin'

The other day I was shocked to hear that some perspective employers are now demanding employee applicants to supply their email addresses, web page account addresses and all social media addresses with consent to allow examination of their contents. That brings up a lot of thoughts and questions about privacy and how much about you does an employer really need to know? Well, it seems when you spill your life out all over the inter-web one no longer has a personal life because you’re too dumb to keep it to yourself. The perspective employer gets to know about your personal practices such as, your social life and do you drink a lot and party your money away, and are you a gossip talking about others; or are you constantly cutting down the company where you are currently working and the people who work there. Ouch! Thinking that the inter-web is composed of some sort of invisible ink, social media nuts are laying their whole psychological profile on the line for analysis by anyone at any time. You might be totally qualified for a job, but not get it because you’re determined unstable. The ole inter-web, and the cell phone, is getting a lot of people in trouble as they leave a trail of inappropriate text messages, posts and tweets about themselves, forgotten and floating around in cyber-space like a silent witness of ones character, waiting to be subpoenaed. Maybe you aught think before letting your fingers do your talking, for sometime down the road you may regret being a quidnunc.

I shouldn’t let this out, but I heard my little Bella pray the other night. “Now I lay me down to sleep, the king-size bed is soft and deep. I sleep right in the center groove, my human-being can hardly move. I’ve trapped his legs, they’re tucked in tight, and here is where I pass the night. No one disturbs me or dares intrude, till morning comes and I want food. I sneak up slowly to begin, sniffing on my human’s chin. He wakes up softly, I start to lick, and suddenly he’s up real quick. For morning’s here, time to play, I always seem to get my way. So, thank you Lord, for giving me, this human person that I see, the one who hugs and holds me tight, and shares his bed for the night.”

[Proverbs 26:18-20; 18:6-8; 16:28; 11:13; 20:19 & Romans 1: 18 - 2:11] I really don’t want to get off on a rant here but God’s Word is very frank about gossip. First of all, what is gossip? Gossip, according to Webster is: “a trifling rumor of a personal nature; news of no importance.” ‘A’ gossip is: “one who chatters idly about others.” “…Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” doesn’t soothe the hurt. A gossip has a way of breaking up good works and separating close friends. “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret; A gossip betrays a confidence, so avoid a man that talks too much.” Paul, writing to the Romans, expresses his disappointment in the new Christians because even though they know what is right in the sight of God, they are not practicing it. “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” Folks, when you get wrapped up in idle gossip, God is not very happy with you. You are encouraging others to sin! Do you really need to let everyone know what you are doing right now so they can talk about it? “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels, they go down to a man’s innermost parts.”