How do we learn how to cope in life? Do we model our lives after our favorite TV shows? Star Trek seems like a pretty good one. After all, the lives of the crew of the Enterprise are exciting, purpose-driven and full of hope. Yes, most of the settings for the movies and TV episodes takes place in outer space or on other planets, but surely we can apply what the crew live to our own lives. When the crew encounter a new culture, people, way of doing things, they have learned to adapt according to the “Prime Directive,” and in the end everything turns out all right, with only the occasional death of a minor character.
However, when we turn the TV off, we are forced to deal with our own family members, some of which may belittle us and never support our own dreams, the bills piling up on the kitchen table and the endless list of chores around the house – the mundane. We look in the mirror and ask, “Where is my exciting life, purpose and hope? How am I supposed to deal with my colleagues at work, some of whom I don’t really like, my family and my finances of which there are never enough? I just want to be happy.” And that is the bottom line, isn’t it? How to get along with others and be happy. There are many self-help books out there toting the how-to’s of success and happiness. But the original book of success was written about 3,000 years ago, mostly by King Solomon-often known as the wisest man who ever lived.
This series is a study in Proverbs, God’s original plan to teach us how to live long and prosper. Many readers of the Bible don’t really like to spend much time in Proverbs. They feel it is a book that tells us mostly what not to do. It tells us how we should live our lives, and no one really wants to be told what to do. However, while studying Proverbs, it is all about attitude. Do we want to live a happy life? Do we want to be the one person who doesn’t lose his/her head when calamity strikes? Do we want to know the secret of how to deal with difficult people? Do we want know how to successfully manage our finances? God has given us the answers through this collection of proverbs by King Solomon.
Come join me as we travel through the galaxy of life here on earth and navigate the drama that enters the episodes of our lives. As we learn more about God and His mission for our lives, we will live lives of joy, peace and excitement. In other words, we will “live long and prosper.”
