Have you ever found out that someone said something unkind about you behind your back? How did that make you feel? A few years ago someone made a hurtful remark about the way I had done my job. The comment made its way back to me and I fretted over it for weeks. Should I confront that person and “set them straight”? Should I just swallow it? The old saying, “Sticks and stones may hurt my bones but words will never hurt me,” just isn’t true. Very few things that we experience in this life are as painful as unkind words! Today, let’s keep that in mind as we listen to a passage written by Solomon:

Don't eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant laughing at you. For you know how often you yourself have laughed at others. (Eccl. 7:21-22)

How do you like that? Has Solomon got us figured out or what? The NKJV says it this way:  “Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.” Ouch! I’m not usually able to eavesdrop on others…although I might do it if I had the chance. But I certainly “take it to heart” when I learn that someone has said something bad about me. The Bible is a practical book and this passage clearly points out our hypocrisy. We love to talk about others but we don’t like it when they talk about us, do we? In today’s passage, Solomon says we are not to take other’s comments about us to heart. Why? Because you and I do the same thing with other people. One of my problems is that I take myself too seriously. In fact, each Sunday when we stand together before God and confess our sins, I am immediately reminded of my constant struggle with pride. It’s not as if I have anything to be proud about—I’m the worst sinner I know. I not only know the sinful things I do, I also know the ones I think about doing and plan to do! Today you may be in a situation where you know that someone has said something unkind about you. You might even be stewing over it, trying to decide whether to get mad or get even. To you, God says in today's passage, “Stop that—don’t take it to heart.” After all, you may not have said something bad about that person…but there’s a time when you almost surely said something bad about someone else. Maybe today is a good day to repent! Forgive the person who spoke unkindly about you and repent of the way you thought or spoke about that person. You can live freely in Christ and in healthy relationships with others if you don’t take their comments to heart...and that is very Good News!