After his wife passed away Nelson decided to move into town. This wasn’t an easy decision but with his children grown and having some health problems he thought it would be best. Another thing that made the move difficult was leaving the congregation he and his family had attend for years but he did know a few members who attended the church in town so he thought this would make things a little easier.
Once he made the move his initial visits at the new congregation was good. He was able to get reacquainted with those he knew and he had others befriend him. There were also those who keep their distance and wondered who this new man was. One of those happened to be a woman named Wanda. Wanda had a nickname she was often referred to as “Watching Wanda!”
As Nelson was settling into his new place and getting to know others better Wanda’s wondering nature got the best of her. Being the congregation’s “Interrogator/Investigator” she tried to pump Nelson for information but being the quiet man he was it was all done to no avail. Not being satisfied she tried her “Bird Watching Tactics!” She carefully watched where Nelson sat at church and who he sat with. She even kept a close eye on his whereabouts in town. Being the inquisitive person that she was she learned quickly the vehicle that he drove so this made it easier for her to keep tabs on him through the week.
This whole charade or some may call it a “Circus” went on until Wanda discovered some dirt! After carefully monitoring Nelson’s movements for weeks the time came when she spotted his car parked in front of a bar in town. This really got her going and her phone a buzzing! She began telling those who would listen how she had seen Nelson’s car parked in front of the bar. This caused her to make accusation and assumptions about his character. She even told some who bought into her vicious ways that he probably had a drinking problem.
Well it wasn’t long until Nelson got wind of the tale being spun about him and it broke his heart. How could someone be so mean and nasty? How could someone spew such awful speech based on a speculation? He wondered what he should do about this terrible attack on his character. At first he thought about leaving and saying nothing to anyone. But then he thought why should he leave he hadn’t done anything wrong. The reason his car was in front of the bar was because it had broke down and he had to wait until his son could come and help fix it. So instead of leaving Nelson decided to help Wanda with her addiction. He decided he would park his car in front of her house and leave it there for several days!
When is it right to be a “Watching Wanda”? When is it right to make accusations based on assumptions? When is it right to spout off about speculations? When is it right to tell tall tales and be a talebearer? NEVER!
“You shall not go around as a slanderer…” Leviticus 19:16
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalm 34:13
“A fools mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.” Proverbs 18:7
“Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.”
Proverbs 20:19
“The lips of a fool consume him. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.” Ecclesiastes 10:12-13
“Judge not…” Matthew 7:1
“The evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice.” Ephesians 4:31
“Speak evil of no one…” Titus 3:2
De Soto church of Christ 