Getting along with people... What advice or examples do we find in Scripture?

Aren't all of your relationships perfect? Did you think that making a decision to follow Christ would be all puppy dogs, butterflies, and unicorns? Do you find that you still have to deal with people's attitudes, and worst of all... your own?

“I'd like this job, if it wasn't for all the people!”...Anonymous Senior Pastor of a large church.

Even the “professional” Christians have to work at it, have to bite their tongue, and have to apologize for saying the wrong things. We all do. It's part of the experience of riding on this dirt ball we call Earth.

So, how do we get along with other people? And, can we find any advice or examples in Scripture that can help us travel the bumpy emotional highway to more successful relationships? The type of relationship doesn't change the way we get along with people, only the importance and urgency that we understand and learn how to get along with people.

If you've been married for 73 years, your marriage needs you to understand this. If you are a Business Woman, your career needs you to understand this. If you are a teenager, you desperately need to understand this. If you don't see yourself in any of this, hang on, because our last subject is just for you.

Over the next several days, we will take a look at different types of relationships, uncover some hidden landmines that could disrupt our lives, find valuable lessons we can apply from the wisdom of Scripture, and talk about the smart and stupid things the people in Scripture did in their own relationships.

We will look at:

• How men relate with other men. Shoulder to Shoulder
• How women relate with other women. Face to Face
• How women can learn to understand men. Turning away.
• How men can learn to relate to women. Turning towards.
• What to do when these patterns just don't fit you or the person you want to understand. Making it up on the fly.

So, check back. Each day we will open up a new topic, and see if we can learn this dance, even if you feel like you were born with two emotional left feet.

...Christopher Levi

picture provided by stacydebord@yahoo.com