Have you ever found yourself being drawn into a conversation about someone else?  This can be called gossip; small talk or light chat about others.  It can also be slander; in the same family as gossip but more malicious and based on untruth usually.  It can be rumor; something heard but not substantiated either good or bad. 

Other types of discussion can be more worthy.  We sometimes talk about others to lift them up.  We praise and congratulate and affirm them in conversation also.  Conversations about others can be both positive and negative.

However we talk about people, what exactly are the limits of its value?  What does it accomplish?

Sometimes we find ourselves immersed in conversation about events.  What is going on around us is always important to us.  These conversations drive a lot of the discussion boards on the internet.  A forum I frequent seems to be very top heavy in its discourse on events. 

These events can be about things that are closely personal, community driven, of culturally impacting substance or of worldly import.  The events that are important to someone are as wide as the east is from the west.  If you find yourself wanting to discuss an event you can always find someone to discuss it with you. 

But again what do these conversations actually accomplish?

Then there are those who want to discuss ideas.  These people are a little strange to most of us.  Who hasn’t heard of a think tank?  Some people find significance just in the thinking on a thing.  A conclusion does not have to be reached for thought to find relevance.  This seems to me to be not that praiseworthy. 

But some discuss ideas with the desire to make a conclusion.  Application is the very essence of what the conversation is supposed to glean.  These idea driven conversations can be about a lot of different subjects.  Again, most people will only participate when it is a subject close to their heart. 

I love to talk about God.  I love to talk about what He has done.  But most of all I love to talk about what He wants.  What does he expect of you and me?  How does this particular issue look to Him? 

I read somewhere that small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, but that great minds discuss ideas.  I don’t say this to belittle anyone.  It was just something I read and it made me think about the things we talk about and the ways we conduct our conversations. 

I hope we all get to a place where all we want is to discuss the person of God, the events of God and the ideas of God.  And especially those ideas.  I see it as glorifying Him when we talk about His person, praising Him when we talk of what He has done, but as actually having the means to effect change when we come to the discussion of Godly ideas and reach conclusions. 

(Isa 1:18)  “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Our Lord is asking us to discuss ideas with Him.  I am sure that is what He would want us to do among each other.  I see the discussions about these ideas as the only conversations that have any real impact. So that is what I would love to do.  Discuss the ideas of God.

Love you all 

Tags: Conversation, Discussion, God, Gossip, Relationships, Theology