Reading is a remarkable joy, particularly when one can learn a spiritual lesson from the oddest of places. I’ve learned a spiritual lesson from reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. That might very well sound quite silly. How can one learn a lesson from that? Well, even though I am only a little over a hundred pages through the book, I have, nonetheless, learned to remember the importance of not listening to gossip.
I can already see that things will not be as they appear for Darcy and Elizabeth. I do not believe Wickham. I think that he is lying. If I am right, then that is a grand moral lesson. Too often in life, we all gossip and talk about other people. What does this do for us that is profitable? Nothing. Does it ever result in good? No. Either we are wrong, or we push people further into a bad situation, or we hurt people. Sometimes, we do all three of these.
In the book, I hope that Elizabeth chooses Darcy in the end. Even though he is a bit of a pompous oaf, he has many good qualities that peek out from below the surface, sort of like a Diamond in the Rough, as they say. If she were to choose Wickham, who I believe to be lying, then that would be a tragedy. It would be her deluding herself into believing gossip,which is against her rational nature to believe, but all too sadly in line with human nature to entertain and engage in.
In real life, how many people have we hurt by gossip and idle words? The Bible states that gossip divides people. (Proverbs 16:28) and is one of the worst sins listed in the Bible. (Romans 1:29-32) Gossip can ruin lives, and end relationships, often before they can really begin. I learned a great spiritual lesson from Jane Austen through a practical example of the dangers of gossip. Jane Austen, Apologist. Who’d have thought it?
