The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 26:22

Today, we come face to face with the reality that gossip is never an insignificant act. We said in a previous devotion, that gossip can become so habitual; we can find ourselves gossiping without even realizing it. It is also easy to think of gossip as a sort of insignificant small talk. We can’t think of anything to say, so we begin to expose shameful or humiliating truths about someone else. According to God, this is anything but insignificant. As a matter of fact, the seeds that are being planted in gossip are stored up in the deepest parts of the heart. The listener has been given information that did not belong to them, and in turn will have to respond to the information in some way. Many times the response is to perpetuate the gossip, or maybe a friendship becomes severed. The point is, we cannot control the destructive results of our gossip, and we certainly cannot reverse them. Those who are wise, will use their words to edify and build up, rather than tear down and destroy.