Last week, Precious tried to “tell” on Bubby. The incident got me thinking on why I instinctively despise tattling. Last week, I also happened to read John 8 to Precious about the scribes and Pharisees bringing a woman caught in adultery to Jesus. Then, I started thinking.
The Pharisees were “telling” on the woman. Jesus reacted by ignoring them at first. Then, he told the one who was without sin to cast the first stone. Ashamed, her accusers left one by one, and Jesus was alone with the woman. Then, he forgave her of her sins and told her to sin no more.
What spirits motivated those Pharisees to accuse this woman before Jesus? I think a tattler has a self-righteous spirit. Pointing out another’s wrong is a thinly disguised attempt to cover one’s own mistakes, and to imply that he is without fault. He thinks that by pointing out another person’s misdeed, he is somehow absolved from his own conscience of sin. In the case of the woman caught in adultery, the accusers learned that absolution came only from Jesus’ forgiveness.
Jesus’ example is why I believe that tattling should never be tolerated among siblings. If a mama is too busy to stay with her children and observe firsthand what has happened, then she is in a compromised position to punish a child for his sibling’s accusation. I am not a perfect example of keeping my children with me all the time, but I do make it a point to check on them often if we have to be in different areas of the house.
I also try to keep them occupied with whatever I am doing. Or, I come along with them and do whatever they are doing. We have very little alone time around here. Whatever we do, we do it together. It is a little busier and patience-inducing than doing things alone, but it is usually a lot more fun, too! By default, this prevents tattling.
A tattling spirit is also a spirit of gossip. The Pharisees were exposing the woman so that they could put Jesus down before the people. I don’t think much more needs to be said about the effects of this type of spirit. It is so infectious; I think that parents should do everything possible to quell it. Bro. Branham's advice here helps me stay focused:
If it works for our brother or sister in Christ, it should work just as well for siblings in the same home. Before a child receives the Holy Spirit, he depends on his parents to be his moral reference and give him a conscience for the Truth. Creating a peer-boosting attitude in family relationships prepares our children for the Christian experience when they are older.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
The Pharisees were “telling” on the woman. Jesus reacted by ignoring them at first. Then, he told the one who was without sin to cast the first stone. Ashamed, her accusers left one by one, and Jesus was alone with the woman. Then, he forgave her of her sins and told her to sin no more.
What spirits motivated those Pharisees to accuse this woman before Jesus? I think a tattler has a self-righteous spirit. Pointing out another’s wrong is a thinly disguised attempt to cover one’s own mistakes, and to imply that he is without fault. He thinks that by pointing out another person’s misdeed, he is somehow absolved from his own conscience of sin. In the case of the woman caught in adultery, the accusers learned that absolution came only from Jesus’ forgiveness.
Jesus’ example is why I believe that tattling should never be tolerated among siblings. If a mama is too busy to stay with her children and observe firsthand what has happened, then she is in a compromised position to punish a child for his sibling’s accusation. I am not a perfect example of keeping my children with me all the time, but I do make it a point to check on them often if we have to be in different areas of the house.
I also try to keep them occupied with whatever I am doing. Or, I come along with them and do whatever they are doing. We have very little alone time around here. Whatever we do, we do it together. It is a little busier and patience-inducing than doing things alone, but it is usually a lot more fun, too! By default, this prevents tattling.
A tattling spirit is also a spirit of gossip. The Pharisees were exposing the woman so that they could put Jesus down before the people. I don’t think much more needs to be said about the effects of this type of spirit. It is so infectious; I think that parents should do everything possible to quell it. Bro. Branham's advice here helps me stay focused:
“We should never have words against one another. We should always say the highest thing about a brother or sister. If one is down in the gutter, don't never shove them any farther down. Pick him up; get him out of there as quick as you can, because it helps. We should be an example.”
(Thirsting for Life- March 4, 1960)
If it works for our brother or sister in Christ, it should work just as well for siblings in the same home. Before a child receives the Holy Spirit, he depends on his parents to be his moral reference and give him a conscience for the Truth. Creating a peer-boosting attitude in family relationships prepares our children for the Christian experience when they are older.
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
Comments
hugs hugs and super hugs!
jennifer
Still, I decided to re-do the whole thing while I was playing with it, anyway.