The Backbiting Bandwagon

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. Proverbs 16:28.

Our biggest fans can be our worst accusers. I have experienced this: People will love and support us to our faces, and then we walk in on them, talking about us in a negative light. It’s like a ninety's sitcom, and they throw us under the bus. Then the back-jabbing music plays and fades into a commercial with us being hurt.

It's painful when a friend, family member, or spouse behaves this way. The Lord reveals them, and it is painful. Someone who we like and believe likes us backstabs us in the back with a sharp tongue.

I am guilty of this, too. They call it backbiting. We compliment them in person but gossip behind their backs. I pray all the time I don’t do this anymore. The issue is reencountering backbiters. It is easy to jump in because it is easy and contagious when other people criticize someone. Then we get on the backstabbing bandwagon. I’m not pushing this off on someone else and saying I’m innocent. I am just stating a fact. It’s easier to backbite with others who contribute.

It's hard to stay silent when someone we know sins and then pretends to be godly in front of others. They act righteous, then sin right in front of others. This makes me want to jump out of my skin. We must be cautious of the reaction. Jesus does not want us to criticize them behind their backs but to pray for them in our prayer closets, to pray the Lord directs them away from those behaviors. Our calling is to love, not betray others.

Let’s surrender the urge to talk about others, especially those we love. We must discipline ourselves to pray for them and ask the Lord to release all of us from our attitudes and destructive behaviors.

Lead us away from the urge to backbite, Lord. Push us towards encouragement and positivity. Let us pray for those caught in sinful practices instead of trashing them. In Jesus’ name, amen.