I found myself the other day not being able to hold it in. There is someone with whom I have been working for a long time and I found out that what I was being told about a personal situation was not the whole truth and what had been the reason for months of carrying the load of this person came to look like was just not true. I found a confidant who has also been involved in the situation and I unloaded. After I made it clear on how I felt, I felt better, but not really. What I felt like later in the day was that I had let my own emotions take over and in some way, the words I had said about this other person felt almost slanderous. While I knew that they would never be repeated, I felt bad about what I had said. Then shortly after that, I got a note from the person who I had spoken to about the situation and I was reaffirmed in how I “could” feel this way, but challenged on how maybe I needed to look at the situation differently and with a more open mind. I thought about the words I had used. I did challenge myself and realized that the words I had used should have been replaced and displaced with words and feelings of understanding and a second-chance. It is easy to malign and slander someone else. The work world is full of it each and every day. It is harder to find the words that show caring, understanding and even if disappointed, still encouraging. These are the words and emotions that we need to use to displace slanderous words. I was taught that if you can’ say something good about someone, then don’t say anything at all. I forgot that lesson last week but have relearned it. Paul told us that there is no place for slander; “Get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander…”. We have to let the words that add to bad emotions go and today would be a good time to start.

Reference: Ephesians 4:31 (New Living Testament)