Dear Father, The Psalmist speaks about You, saying, “Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, You will put to silence.” I looked up the meaning of slander and found it to be making false and damaging statements about someone, or spreading rumors about them behind their back. I agree with You—this is wrong. But what about situations where the statements made are true, though not in their favor, and are still spoken behind their back? I have found myself in situations where I was treated poorly by a superior, and sometimes the only way I can unwind such emotions is by talking about them. Oftentimes, this “speaking” happens within a group of people who have suffered the same fate as I have. I cannot deny the feeling of guilt that sometimes rises within me, even when what we say is true. Is this also wrong? I once heard a preacher speak about fruit as a measure of source—that to know the source of a thing, one should look at the fruit it produces. Perhaps this feeling of guilt is tied to an inner sense of wrongdoing, suggesting that we are not entirely right when we speak behind people’s backs, even when what we say is true—except when the purpose is counsel rather than slander. Father, You tell me. #LettertoGod