Thumper's Theology

Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 ESV). There’s a wonderful little scene in the Disney classic, Bambi, when Thumper, a little rabbit, first meets Bambi. He looks at the young deer and says, “He doesn’t walk very good, does he?” Thumper’s mother says, “Thumper! What did your father tell you?” He answers with a serious voice, clearing his throat, “If you can’t say something nice… don’t say anything at all.” I wish that I had a dollar for every time someone has started a conversation with something like, "Hey did you hear about ‘so-in-so’? You're not going to believe it?" If someone starts a conversation with you that way, you might want to stop them before they get started. Even though everyone likes to be "in the know," being intrigued by gossip, as Christians, we are called to a higher standard. The sin of gossip is equally as damaging as other sins we are more likely to criticize. If you are really struggling in an area of your life, and you need someone to talk with, do you go to someone you can trust to keep it to themselves? Of course you do. You don't want your problems being discussed as a form of entertainment! One of the elements of Christian maturity is the ability to keep a secret. It is being able to know something, even a deep, dark secret, without having to tell everyone else about it. Even if the person is not someone you know well, he or she is still a person, with a reputation, and a soul that God loves. Our job is to build people up, not to tear them down. I think the great theologian Thumper said it best: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all!” That is good advice for us to live by even today. Ellen Wilcox Wheeler has written a wonderful little poem, titled “They.” Let it be a reminder to you to “live a quiet life, minding your own business.” Have you heard of the terrible family They, And the dreadful venomous things They say? Why, half the gossip under the sun, If you trace it back, you will find begun In that wretched House of They.