Gò0dNews for Everyone
Fear And Insecurity
H
by Beth Penny
ave you ever thought about why sitcoms
be one of the best songs ever, “The Me You Made.” The
make us laugh? Why are we drawn to watch
chorus says it all: “Hey I don’t wanna spend my life,
episodes over and over? The one-liners are
Wishing I was different, That would be a waste of time,
so repeatable and make sense out of our everyday
Cause I know You love me just as I am, And I know
laughable moments. They bring to light our daily
my God don’t make mistakes, So, I’m just gonna be the
struggles and unite us as a people. Sitcoms allow us
me you made.”
to relate to others on an even level. They show that
That says it all. God doesn’t make mistakes. He
really at the roots, we are all the same. The sarcasm
has made us just the way He wants. Satan will use any
and humor brought from everyday happenings show
weakness he can to chip away at the faith that we have.
us that we have common ground. My all-time favorite sitcom is chockfull of repeatable one-liners. One main character in one episode says it all: “What must it be like not to be crippled with fear and selfloathing?” The second character answers, “Pretty good.” Cue the canned laughter. We laugh, sitting on our couches and recliners. But isn’t that the truth? We can all relate; we all struggle with fear and insecurity on some level. We spend years and sometimes even lifetimes chasing perfection: against what measuring stick? Against societal norms of what is perfect? We can all
1 Samuel 16:7 says, “And the Lord said to Samuel, Do
relate to the deep-seated insecurities that come from
not consider his appearance or his height, for I have
not feeling good enough. Eventually, those insecurities
rejected him. The Lord does not look at things people
and self-doubt not only weaken us but become
look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the
completely paralyzing. The feelings of “not enough”
Lord looks at the heart.” I encourage you to look in the
take over relationships, jobs, daily interactions, and
mirror and repeat the words, “I am enough,” because
continue to chip away at true joy and happiness. This
it’s true. You ARE enough. You don’t have to chase
is a hold that Satan uses over us. This weakens our
perfection by a warped measuring stick.
On Matthew West’s new album, he penned what might
30 // June 2020
About The Author
spirit and makes us only a shell of what we could be. Beth Penny has taught English at Model High School since 1997. There she is also the Yearbook adviser and the Special Education Department Chair. She and her husband, Chad, have four children.