Slander’s Havoc

Read Psalm 4 here.

You’ve likely seen Allstate commercials that have Mayhem as a character. It’s funny, but it can also be true in our lives. We can be going along minding our own business and out of the blue someone starts spreading gossip and lies.

When our daughter was in college, she was the recipient of lies and slander. I picked up the phone and on the other end she was crying uncontrollably.

“I can’t believe she said that about me! It’s just not true!” My daughter was devastated. A college friend spread lies about her. The sting was brutal. Tears flowed as she poured out the accusations.

Slander, gossip, and character defamation hurt deeply any time. But when it’s a friend or family member it cuts to the core.

It can cause so much havoc that friendships are severed, jobs are lost, marriages are taken to the brink and reputations are destroyed. Some slander is so bad that you fear for your life or even move to escape the predator.

Yes, predator. The person that slanders knows what they are doing and the motives are always to harm.

Dealing with slander and gossip causes great physical, emotional, and mental stress. Often many hours of sleep are lost from the pain of it.

How do you steady yourself? How do you find your foundation as everything is crumbling?

Turning to God is the only sure way I’ve found to get through the embarrassment and havoc. Just as David did in Psalm 4. He called out to God when friends and family, in this instance his son Absalom, maligned him.

So, pray to God. And also, listen to songs to help turn your mind in the right direction. Songs are a great comfort and encouragement to me when I’m going through hard stuff. A song my husband is singing this week is perfect for a struggle with slander. It’s called “You’ve Already Won.”

Act and Ask

Find and play several worship/spiritual songs that speak encouragement to you and sets your mind on the truths of God. Put the song you find in the comments. We can help each other!

Ask God to still your heart.