Study guide
hey are the words we keep in our minds and hearts, and they help shape who we are and how we interact with our world. Proverbs, adages, maxims, words of
wisdom—these help form the background of our lives. They amuse us, they teach us, they inspire us, they con- nect us to higher truths, or they can steer us in the wrong direction.
By Robert C. Blezard
Adages: What’s the attraction? T
Exercise 1: Favorites • What’s your favorite adage, maxim, proverb—whatever term you use to describe a phrase of wisdom?
• Where did you learn it? • What does it mean to you? • How has it shaped who you are, how you engage the world and others?
• Why do adages have this effect on us? • Why, then, is it important that we be careful about which adages we bring into our lives?
Exercise 2: Bible adages “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and
the knowledge of the Holy One is insight,” declares Prov- erbs 9:10. • What is true about this adage? • How does it guide us in faithful living? • How will its teachings enrich our lives? For it to do so, what must we do?
• The Bible is replete with wise sayings. Which ones guide your life? Why? For in-depth exploration, study the book of Proverbs and learn what the Bible says that can guide you.
Exercise 3: Negative adages A modern adage, Murphy’s law, asserts: “If something
can go wrong, it will.” • Are all adages positive, able to enrich and empower your life?
• If you live by Murphy’s law, how will that affect your thinking, your interactions and your success?
• What are other negative adages? Why are they so prev- alent in our culture? Which should you excise from your life?
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Exercise 4: Hurtful adages “There are plenty of fish in the sea,” a well-meaning person may say to a friend undergoing a romantic breakup. But what does that adage say, and would it comfort you if you were going through a breakup or divorce from someone you loved? Why do some adages hurt? The article lifts up other adages that have undesirable
consequences. Can you think of others? What rule or guideline would keep us from unintentionally using adages that hurt?
Exercise 5: Mugs, T-shirts Invite members of your study group to make a complete
inventory of the adages found on their belongings: coffee mugs, T-shirts, bumper stickers, computer screens, Face- book memes, etc. Bring the lists to class and share them. • What truths do they speak? • How do they reflect your attitudes and beliefs? • How do these expressions shape a person’s encounter with life?
Exercise 6: Advertising adages “A day without orange juice is like a day without sun-
shine,” according to a 1970s commercial from the Florida citrus industry. Advertising works to bring adages like these into our consciousnesses, with hopes that we will then bring their clients’ products or services into our lives. • How many commercial adages can your group recall from today or years past?
• What’s your favorite? • What’s the oldest one you can think of? • What does it say about their power that we can remem- ber them years after the advertising campaign has ceased?
• How do they work on us? • For further discus- sion, invite study group members to make a list of every “advertis- ing adage” they encounter dur- ing the week and then report back at your next meeting.
Author bio: Blezard is an assistant to the bishop of the Lower Susquehanna Synod. He has a master of divinity degree from Boston University and did subsequent study at the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.) and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.
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