Transgression by Gossip!
“He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.” (Proverbs 17:9 KJV)
One of the greatest blessings of friendship is the ability to “bear ones’ soul” to his friend with absolute faith in that loyal friend, knowing he will hold the matter strictly confidential. A good friend will listen and give wise advice but will not then turn around and gossip about it. As well, a faithful friend when he sees his friend involved in a transgression will try and correct him in the spirit of meekness and will also keep the matter private, if at all possible. The one who counsels his friend in private and then gossips about him afterwards has broken trust and has destroyed a relationship. The same is true of the one who, instead of counseling his friend regarding a transgression, decides to talk about it behind his friend’s back. Be a true friend and don’t be a gossip!
Read Proverbs 10:12; 16:28; Galatians 6:1-2; 1 Peter 4:8