Gossip vs Facts

I've always been a little unclear about the 8th Commandment, about bearing false witness against our neighbor. Usually, I take that to mean gossip or lies.

I've just finished a stressful few days with some neighbors and stories and my sharing what I thought were the facts and then finding out they were not true. I was asked for an update on a situation, several times, and had received the "facts" from a relative of the neighbor, and thought the info was reliable. Turns out today that it is totally untrue.

Now I'm in a position where I am very embarrassed, and I feel as though I have been spreading false rumors about this neighbor. I am very uncomfortable.

It doesn't matter that I was asked to help as a go-between. What matters is that perhaps I should have stepped out of the way and encouraged the two (the one who wanted the info and the one who was giving it to me) to deal directly with each other.

I might be a slow learner, but eventually I do catch on and learn some lessons in life, even at 70.

So, I will try harder in the future to avoid being the one to share or spread any stories, true or not, as much as possible.

Dear Lord, I need a lot of help on this one; my nature is to want to help, but my nature is also to be a bit naive at times, street-wise though I might be in other areas of life. Please guide me when I need it, and fill me with the grace to ask you for advice, first, before I speak about others.