In the age of social media, minding one’s business has become harder and harder. Many people post their most intimate moments and family drama onto their social media pages. However, as Christians we are called to simply mind our business. What does that look like in the year 2021? We are still in our homes and only going out for the necessities of life. There are many directions we can go with this verse, but I would like to talk about gossiping and meddling.
James 3 discusses the power of the tongue. We can use it to sing praises to God, read the scriptures, evangelize, and pray. We can also use it to spew hatred, gossip, and lie. It is up to us. When I was in high school I thought gossiping was bad, but that was just the test run for working in a “professional setting.” As a recent graduate who was excited to start my first job, I was shocked at how much time my coworkers spent talking about each other. I was wide eyed and young so I did what I shouldn’t have… I joined them. It did not take long for me to realize the error of my ways. Ironically, this was a heavy topic in my high school Bible class, but I never had a problem with gossip until I was in my 20s. So what did I learn from my journey down gossip lane? The obvious is nothing good comes from it.
I want to pause here and say that minding our business does not mean we have to stop being evangelistic. We still have to call out error and be lights in the world (Matthew 5:14-16). So, as we live in the world of political division, racial tension, and a global pandemic, how can we “mind our business” in a way that is pleasing and acceptable to God?
Don’t be a busy body. 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 reads:
“11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.”
The Greek word for “busy body” means “to bustle uselessly, to busy one’s self about trifling, needless, useless matters.” This does not sound like a child of God. If we want to be righteous, we have to be like Jesus--about our Father’s business not the business of people of this world (Luke 2:49).
Take a step back. Whenever I feel myself gossiping or going down a rabbit hole on social media I try to step back and think, is this beneficial? Is what I am doing pulling me closer to Christ or further away? I love this scripture from 1 Corinthians 6:12,
“12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
Scrolling on social media for an hour is not a sin, but is it helpful? Am I wasting time being nosey when I could be doing something more productive? Taking a step back and evaluating your behavior is a great way to make sure we are minding our business.
Remove toxic influences. This is easier now because
many of us who once worked in offices are now working from home. However, just as we made a way to continue worshiping God, the devil will still make a way for temptations to come before you. We must know our triggers and remove them. Influences can be people, activities, or anything that will cause you to fall into bad behaviors. We have to find ways to cut ties for the glory of God and the betterment of our Christian walk.
As a young kid I was very nosey, and I was constantly told to “stay out of grown folks' business.” Now as an adult, I have learned that my only focus should be kingdom business. Am I being the best wife I can be for God? Am I doing what I can to share the gospel? Am I being a good influence to my co-workers? These are all things that I am working to focus on instead of which couple from college got a divorce or who did my high school classmate vote for in the presidential election. God is so good, and when we stay busy in His kingdom we should not have the time to worry about other people's business.
