A couple of weeks ago, I saw an episode of Star Trek that was pretty interesting. A 17-year-old boy, Charlie, ended up on the Enterprise ship (I’m not sure how because I didn’t see the beginning of the episode). He started using his powers to impress Yeomen, a woman he liked; for instance, he made her face appear on a deck of cards. Charlie also used his powers to control situations and when things didn’t go his way. For example, Uhura, one of the crew members, was singing and Charlie used his powers to silence her. Other examples include:

• When Charlie lost a chess game to Spok, he used his powers to melt the white chess pieces.

Read more: Stop Acting Like a Spoiled Brat When You Can’t Get What You Want

• Charlie was in a defense class with Captain Kirk and another male crew member. Kirk encouraged Charlie to learn various defense maneuvers, but Charlie refused. Kirk suggested Charlie practice a defense move with the crew member, and Charlie ended up getting body slammed. The crew member laughed and Charlie didn’t like being laughed at, so he made the crew member disappear. Kirk demanded that Charlie return to his quarters with two security guards, but Charlie made their ray guns disappear; he kept saying that the men would hurt him, but he eventually left.

• Because he didn’t want to return to his planet/ship that he originally came from, Charlie took control of the Enterprise. He caused the signal/communication from the other ship to cease and when Uhura was using a control panel on the Enterprise, Charlie used his power to briefly electrocute her. 

• Charlie entered Yeomen’s room, told her that he loved her, and he could give her anything she wanted. She slapped him and told him it was rude to enter her room without knocking. Charlie became angry and made Yeomen disappear. 

• In order to maintain his control over the Enterprise, Charlie caused Spok and Kirk to freeze; he also caused Kirk to writhe in pain. He also broke Spok’s legs but restored them at Kirk’s command.

• In his anger, Charlie turned a young woman into a lizard, turned another young woman into an older woman, and silenced a group of people who were laughing. 

Kirk and his crew regained control over the Enterprise and before Charlie was removed, he begged Kirk not to allow the other ship to take him. He promised that he would be nice and mentioned how the crew said they were his friends. The captain of the other ship informed Kirk that everything had been restored as it was, including the people who had disappeared. 

Here’s some lessons and biblical principles that can be applied to this episode:

• Charlie abusing his power is similar to political figures or judges who misuse their power to get money (they may accept bribes, steal taxpayers’ money, etc.), give criminals lighter prison sentences, and establish control so they can remain in their position.  They only care about their greedy and selfish desires and don’t care about the people they are supposed to help. “How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:2-4, KJV). People who are in positions of power should focus less on themselves and more on the people they promised to serve.

• Every time Charlie couldn’t have his way or if he felt embarrassed, he would use his powers to hurt others or make them disappear. Charlie was selfish, acted like a spoiled child with a temper tantrum, and was only concerned about his own interests. He didn’t care about other people’s feelings, and he certainly didn’t care about what happened to them when he made them disappear, turned a woman into a lizard, etc. Proverbs 14:17 states, “People with a hot temper do foolish things…” (GNB). I found it interesting that Charlie told Yeomen that he loved her and when she didn’t feel the same way, he made her disappear. “Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable…” (1 Corinthians 13:4, GNB). The love that Charlie claimed he had for Yeoman was not true love; it may have be infatuation or lust.

• The scene where Charlie begged Kirk to stay on the Enterprise reminded me of how someone may mistreat you and do terrible things, but when they see you’re enforcing boundaries or ending the relationship, they may beg you not to leave them; they may promise to change, stop a particular action, etc. The bible says we should forgive those who wrong us (Matthew 5:44) but we should not continue to be around them (Romans 16:17). We don’t need to stay in toxic relationships, continue to confide in those who spread gossip, or repeatedly lend money to those who didn’t pay us back the first time. 

Imagine if we had the power to zap people into another dimension, silence them, or turn them into an animal if they made us angry. We would definitely abuse that power, and we would wreck havoc on the world. We would also be demonstrating a lack of self-control and immaturity. How many times have we had a temper tantrum when God didn’t give that new car, job, or spouse what we wanted? It’s understandable to get frustrated, disappointed, or angry when things don’t go our way. However, God wants us to be mature, not driven by our emotions, and treat others fairly; we should pray, talk to God about how we’re feeling, and ask Him to give us strength to deal with the situation. Power belongs only to God; He is the one who handles our enemies, works things out for our good, and restores us. Sometimes the things we want may not be beneficial for our lives.