Spitting frogs

While walking around a shopping center called University Village, I snapped a shot of this funny little fountain of a turtle and a bunch of frogs. It starts with one frog shooting a stream of water at the turtle. The turtle retaliates and shoots a stream back at the frog. Then all the frogs simultaneously shoot at the poor turtle.

Oddly, this situation reminds me of gossip. It takes one person to say something negative about another and someone to retaliate. Pretty soon, both sides have got their friends in on it and people start taking sides. Yuck, what a big mess!

The tongue is such a powerful weapon. It can damage self-esteem and destroy friendships. I think that is why the Bible says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear" (Ephesians 4:29). It doesn't mean we can only say good things and never talk about bad things. It really asks us to examine our motives. Are we saying things to build each other up (e.g. constructive criticism) or break someone down (e.g. gossip)?