A man spread false rumors about his co-worker. Eventually, his conscience weighed heavily on him, prompting him to ask his pastor how he could make amends.

The pastor gave him a big feather pillow and said, "On a windy day, cut it open."

The man followed the instructions, and on that first windy day, he cut the pillow open, and the feathers flew in every direction. He came back and told the pastor, and the wise minister said, "Now go and gather all the feathers!"

The man replied, "That's impossible!"

The pastor responded, "Exactly. It's the same way with false words. Once they fly out of your mouth, you can make excuses and even apologize, but you can never fully recover from the damage they cause."

We have much to learn from the pastor's wise counsel.

Bearing false witness may only take a few minutes on the phone, a few careless seconds of posting on social media, or even just a quick comment between bites at a BBQ. However, the damage caused can be significant and costly. Trust can be broken, opportunities lost, and an unhealthy track record of conflict develops. For this reason, God commands us to protect our neighbor's reputation by speaking the truth and avoiding the bearing or toleration of a false witness.

In the Old Testament, Exodus 20:16 states, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Similarly, in the New Testament, Jesus references this command in Mark 10:19, which says, "You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’ ”

What does this mean for us? First, we need to guard our words and our ears closely. Never compromise your integrity by taking the low road of spreading false statements about people or situations. Likewise, be cautious of those who discuss sensitive issues without the other person being present. Also, engaging with such gossip is unhealthy and unproductive for you. I personally like to implement a rule: verify, verify, then trust. I will know right away if someone is bearing false witness, and my responsibility, especially in the context of the church, is to shut it down.  

Exodus 23:1 says, "You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness."

If you have spread lies or entertained them, as always, the way back is repentance and taking responsibility for the feathers you have released.