"Is that a nose or a banana?"
I have to chuckle every time I remember the response my father used on
us kids when we would delve into matters that were none of our business.
As soon as he uttered those words my vivid imagination immediately constructed
a yellow banana protruding from the center of my face and I got the picture
of how unbecoming being nosy really was! Are any of you ladies sporting
around a banana today?
1 Peter 4:15
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer,
or as a busybody in other men's matters.
Here are four types of people that God lumps together in one dangerous
group. We may not be guilty of murder, we may not have a problem with
stealing or even purposely seek to perform evil, but many of us are far
too passionate about other men's matters! God says that there are sufferings
inconsistent with the character of Christ and it is a shame for Christians
to have to be admonished for interfering in the business of others. That
means that there is a penalty for meddling, dear lady, and you will not
escape the consequences of your snoopy behavior! Such suffering brings
God's people into ill repute.
Prying, probing, intrusive individuals might think they can conceal the
forward spirit that grips them but they are easy to spot just as a long,
bright yellow banana would be if it were sticking out from the middle
of your face. The trouble is, meddlesome individuals are so obsessed with
spying out everyone else's business they haven't time to look upon their
own! Consequently, they fail to realize how excessive and bad mannered
their conduct has become…
1 Tim. 5:13
And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house;
and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which
they ought not.
How far has your passion for information taken you? What houses have you
driven yourself to in order to get your hands on more data? As a pastor's
wife, I can tell you firsthand that many individuals are naturally curious
about the pastor's family and his life in general. While we understand
that this role puts us in a very public position, nevertheless, it is
astonishing how motivated some folks are toward knowing all our business.
For instance, we have recently purchased a new home and our family has
been repeatedly asked beyond average questions concerning the various
details of our dwelling. Ladies, if this kind of ambition were pointed
in God's direction how useful everyone would be! Unfortunately, God's
people are prone to indulging themselves in the wrong business, attaining
nothing more than lots of experience in "nosey moseying". The apostle
Paul instructed us to attend upon the Lord without distraction… Perhaps
it is not the pastor and his family you are spying out; could there be
another person's affairs you may be assertively investigating? May I ask
a simple question? What do you plan on doing with the information you
gain?? What bearing is it going to have upon your service to the Lord?
2 Thes. 3:11
For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working
not at all, but are busybodies.
Biblically speaking, people who sport around a banana on their face rather
than a God-designed nose live a disorderly life by misusing their idle
time. They are off track - off their own and onto someone else's. So too,
bananas can't smell and they can't breathe; they can't fulfill the role
of a nose and make life-giving oxygen available to the body. Today, plastic
surgeons can do almost anything with a nose, except keep it out of other
people's business! Ladies, the best antidote for a busybody is to put
them to work, for such individuals are overly ambitious and underemployed.
Don't you have to cease working in some area in order to do your snooping
and satisfy your vain curiosity? Well, it only makes sense then that if
you want to be sure your nose is functioning as God intended it to, you
better busy yourself with your own matters and follow His order of living!
A "busy" body is better than a busybody and a nose is much better than
a banana.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2002 Pamela A. Iannello
