Monday Motivation: Gossip

Friends

Have you felt the sting of someone talking about you behind your back? Have you been the subject of gossip? It hurts, doesn’t it?

 

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“After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.””

Luke 1:24-25 – NIV

 

“You’re not gonna believe this. Elizabeth’s pregnant!”

“What? No way! She’s too old. You’ve got to be kidding!”

“No, really, that’s what I heard at the market. Elizabeth’s pregnant, and old Zechariah can’t speak. What a pair! How are they going to raise a child?”

 

I frequently wonder about all the things the Bible doesn’t tell us about a particular story in scripture. Take Elizabeth and Zechariah, for instance. We know the story of Zechariah’s response to the angel’s proclamation that he would soon be a father. He doubted the angel’s message, and that’s why he ended up mute. Yet, we don’t know much about Elizabeth’s response except for her expression of sheer joy at being blessed by God with the gift of motherhood. We don’t know much about the response of the other villagers to the elderly couple’s unusual situation. We don’t know what the townsfolk had to say, but we can guess, can’t we?

 

And then there’s Mary. If there was ever a story ripe for gossip, this one would fit the bill.

“You know that young girl Mary, the one betrothed to the carpenter’s son? Well, I hearr she’s pregnant!”

“What? No! Shame on her! Is the baby his?”

 

I’m guessing that little piece of news spread through the streets of Mary’s hometown like wildfire. Imagine the talk at the marketplace, the whispers of the women at the well. Even if Mary and Joseph tried to keep it quiet, the rumor mill had to be running rampant.

 

What I do know without scripture saying so is that Mary and Elizabeth were two strong women. I know that, because they would have to be, in order to stand up to the scrutiny of their communities. I wonder. Is that why God selected them for their divine assignments? Maybe. But I think there’s another reason, and it has to do with perspective.

 

As my pastor pointed out in her excellent sermon last week, the village gossips were not necessarily bad people. Sometimes, they were just regular folks struggling to understand a situation that didn’t quite make sense. After all, an elderly woman becoming pregnant is out of the norm. A young teenager becoming pregnant out of wedlock went against every social norm of Jewish society. For that matter, Mary could have been stoned to death had Joseph not stepped up to the plate and stood by her. In reality, elizabeth’s situation was at best confusing, and Mary’s position bordered on perilous.

 

It’s hard to blame the other villagers from talking out of turn, because if we are downright honest, we would likely do the same thing. What happens when we don’t understand something we see or hear? We talk it over with our friends or family members. We debate, and discuss, and decipher. Worst of all, we judge. Quite often, we judge a situation even though we are not privy to all the facts. Those villagers looked at the predicaments of Mary and Elizabeth from an earthly perspective, and what they saw teetered on scandalous.

 

But we know what those gossiping neighbors had no way of knowing. We know that the angel visited Zechariah and informed him of God’s plan for him and his wife. Zechariah struggled to accept the message, but apparently, elizabeth embraced it. She took it on faith and later became a mentor for Mary.

 

Mary must have been terrified when the angel showed up with the proclamation of her pregnancy, but even though she couldn’t fully comprehend it, she accepted the message on the spot. No deliberations, no protestations, only a simple question followed by a faithful acknowledgement. ““I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her” (Luke 1:38, NIV).

 

What I see in these two women, that I don’t often see in myself or others, is a heavenly perspective. Their hearts were open to the things of God, but even more so, their minds were open to hearing from God. Their faith was strong, and the strength of their faith helped them greet a schocking situation with resolve and determination. They believed God would do what He said He would do. They banished doubt and chose to trust. In the face of scorn and ridicule, they chose to trust God’s plan for their lives. They may not have understood how it would all work, but they believed in the way God works.

 

Friends, that’s quite a testimony. I can see why God picked these two women, can’t you? They chose to believe even when it was hard, even when they couldn’t see how it would all work out, even when their neighbors scorned and  criticized them.

 

In her sermon, my pastor shared a take-home message that I  took home and pondered all week. “Pay less attention to what others are saying about you, and more attention to what God is saying to you.” Good advice, is it not?

 

It’s clear that Mary and Elizabeth took that message to heart, but the real question remains, will we?

 

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“Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.””

Luke 1:36-37 – NIV

 

PRAYER

O Faithful Heavenly Father, forgive us when we fail to trust. Forgive us when we judge others. Let us choose to love instead. Let us choose to listen when You speak, to follow where You lead. Lord, Your plans are perfect. May we choose to trust.

In the Gracious Name of Jesus, we pray,

Amen

 

Advent Blessings,

Anita

 

-APS 12/11/2023