I have been at Fresno Christian for seven years now and have appreciated the awesome education I have received. The teachers have worked tirelessly to strive for educational excellence and thus become great Christian mentors to me.

I am also very thankful for all the friendships that I have established. But as the year now draws to a close, God has laid something on my heart that I believe that my fellow classmates need to hear.

Now it must be understood that I am not criticizing Fresno Christian, saying that it is a horrible school or anything to that extent. However, I fully believe that there is great room for improvement within a certain aspect of the behavior of the student body.

For quite a while I have noticed the profuse amount of gossiping and backstabbing going on. I have seen strong friendships shattered due to hurtful words that just had to be spilt out about someone.

People sometimes foolishly assume that someone cannot survive without hearing the juicy negativity.

God’s word says in James 3:5-6, “So also, the tongue is a small thing but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”

I don’t know about you but that is pretty straightforward to me.

The words that come out of our mouths can cause major damage. Most of the time I find it funny or outright ridiculous what causes dissention between friends.

People become angry and bitter at one another and feel the need to cruelly “repay” them for their faults. Yet before even thinking of the outcome, people pour out and express their feelings of hatred through means of gossip and heartless backstabbing.

It seems that there are some whose intent is to tear down, harm and ultimately destroy another’s reputation. And many times situations get blown out of proportion until people are oblivious to the seriousness of the problem.

Most likely, any situation can be solved constructively by talking things over.

Unfortunately, the human tendency is to “beat around the bush” and spread as many lies as possible about others. Many times I simply want to smack fellow classmates over the head with a 2 x 4 and tell them to “grow up!”

I know for some people it is sickening to wake up in the morning and pain awaiting them as soon as they step through the school doors.
It says the word of God again facilitates us with wisdom as it says in Ephesians 4:29, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that our words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.”

What a difference it would make if we put this verse into practice and lived by it.

Many people have to accept that life often brings unwelcomed hardships within relationships. It is how we approach and deal with these situations that makes all the difference.

There are two different choices each of us can make: either forgive, forget and move on or harden our heart and tightly hold onto that heavy burden. One will bring about healthy, happy relationships and the other will be a weight of unnecessary grief that causes misery and bitterness.

All need to consider the almighty power of forgiveness. If you personally are not willing to forgive, that means you may doubt your own forgiveness.

In Ephesians 4:32 it says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” It would be astonishing if our eyes were opened fully to the healing power found through forgiveness.

Now I want everyone to know that I myself am far from perfect and I make many mistakes. I will openly admit with great regret that I have been guilty of keeping gossip circulating and even backstabbing people.

But from now on I challenge not only you but also myself to closely watch the words that come out of our mouths. Try focusing on words that uplift others in a positive way.

I know from experience that it is often extremely difficult to be kind toward people who love to “push your buttons” and irritate you to the point of insanity.

This may seem utterly impossible but do not forget the popular verse found in Philippians 4:13, “For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” The Bible is full of wisdom that can guide us to build healthy relationships centered in Jesus Christ.

Try not to become friends with those who are two-faced because they will only drag you down. Make sure that you examine your close friends and be certain they are not the ones spreading gossip and rumors, but rather words of love and support.

“There are ?friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:22).

The reason I wrote this was because I am sick and tired of hearing the negative jargon flowing through our high school. More importantly, God laid this message on my heart and gave me so much enthusiasm that I could not hold it inside.

I am fully aware that not only our high school has this problem but negative talk flows rampant almost everywhere. But it is my hope and prayer that even one person who reads this will think twice about controlling their tongue by filtering the words coming out.

I hope that this letter will not only touch your hearts but also inspire you to live differently from the world by washing the dirt out of your mouths. God gave us freedom of choice in life but only his path is the way of ultimate truth and wisdom. Choose wisely.

To conclude I leave you with one final verse found in Romans 15:5, “May God, who gives patience and encouragement, help you live in harmony with each other ? each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other.”