Bumble Bear and Busybody Bird
Meditate on the damage of gossip and the correct way to handle it when people gossip about you
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: So where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. Proverbs 26:20.
In the bright, bustling town of Tickleberry Glen,
Lived Bumble the Bear in a quiet wood den.
He hummed as he planted, as calm as the breeze,
While others buzzed by with their drama disease.
Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: 22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. Ecclesiastes 7:21–22.
One day, Zips the Squirrel, all twitchy and wild,
Came sprinting up shouting, “You’ve been reviled!
Chirpy the Bird’s been squawking all day,
Spreading mean stories in a nasty old way!”
Bumble looked up, scratched his chin real slow,
“Oh really? That so? Hmm. I’ll let it go.”
But the next day, Zips came bounding again,
With gossip and rumors that fell like rain.
“He’s called you a doofus! A log-headed lump!
He says you’re too slow, a big, lazy clump!”
Bumble blinked twice, then gave a small grin,
“Time to do something,” he said with a spin.
“Bring me a rake, a hoe, and a pail.
We’ll fix this for good without going to jail.”
Zips zoomed off and brought tools in a sack—
Expecting a showdown or fierce counterattack.
But Bumble just waddled to his garden with pride,
And started to weed with Zips at his side.
“Wait… that’s it?” Zips squeaked with dismay.
“You’re not gonna yell or throw mud his way?”
Bumble looked up with a smile and a shrug,
“Nah, let him chirp. Let him flutter and bug.
See, I’ve got tomatoes to plant, dreams to grow,
And I won’t waste time on a bird and his show.”
A soft answer turneth away wrath: But grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1.
“Some folks are born to squawk and complain,
To ruffle your feathers and peck at your brain.
But me? I’m a builder. I sow and I reap.
And I sleep like a baby when I go to sleep.”
Moral of the Glen:
There’ll always be Chirpys, loud in the air,
Flapping about with rumors to share.
But be like Bumble—calm, wise, and stout.
Let your work speak loud and tune nonsense out.
You’re not here to battle every bird on a wire—
You’re here to grow gardens and climb something higher.
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9.
Quotes
What you think of me is none of my business. Terry Cole Whitaker
Don’t wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it. George Bernard Shaw
Never waste your time trying to explain who you are to people who are committed to misunderstanding you. Shannon L. Alder
Pay no attention to toxic words. What people say is often a reflection of themselves, not you. Christian Baloga
Rumors are carried by haters, spread by fools, and accepted by idiots. Ziad K. Abdelnour
Let the refining and improving of your own life keep you so busy that you have little time to criticize others. H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
Eleanor Roosevelt
The best revenge is not to be like your enemy. Marcus Aurelius
Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
Don’t waste your energy trying to change opinions. Do your thing, and don’t care if they like it. Tina Fey