Lessons From Scooby Doo?

I’m working from my house today because I have a sick kid, and I missed church yesterday being a bit under-the-weather myself. We’re both on the up-swing, but at least he gets to chill out and watch a little TV. It’s from this activity of his that I found inspiration for my thoughts today.

What is it that we can learn from Scooby Doo? We learn that Fred is an arrogant know-it-all, yet still likeable. We discover that Velma is full of knowledge and would do well on Jeopardy. Daphne follows Fred around and comes across as a prissy drama queen, but is really astute, and often discovers clues that help break the case.

But Scooby and Shaggy seem to be the biggest conundrum of all. They are always hungry, and they are always paranoid. (There are theory conspiracies that abound, but I feel that those are just a bit too “grown up” for a children’s show.) They don’t seem to want to be a part of the mystery solving, and most of the time end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

However, it is through their bumbling and often ridiculous behavior that we learn some things. When they are afraid, which happens often, they run away. But, when they are really against the wall, and are forced to act, they often do what it takes to get away from the situation. For example, in this particular episode, they are being chased by “cursed mummies.” They run and run, but when they finally get chased into a room full of empty sarcophaguses, they are forced to trick the mummy, and actually trap him (her?) in one of the coffins. Then they use a conveniently placed chain and padlock to keep him inside.

When we’re being chased or plagued by fears, whether real or imaginary, how do we deal with them? Are we afraid of being laughed at or mocked? Do we fear for our jobs? Is confrontation like a dreadful disease that we avoid like the plague? There are times in my own life that I do all I can to get away from what scares me. I’ve run away, I’ve hidden, and I’ve even tried to eat enough ice-cream to help me forget about what scares me.

The thing to do is to face what we fear and do what it takes to contain those fears. We may not be able to lock the source of our fear in an empty egyptian casket, but we certainly can learn to face down the central reasons that we are afraid. If we lack confidence, we must remember that we are created in God’s image, and when we find our worth in our Creator, it can make it easier to grow more comfortable with who we are. We avoid confrontation because we don’t like to feel uncomfortable and awkward around other people. But, when we speak and live in Truth, we can approach the ones we must confront in a loving, careful manner, and even if it goes wrong, we can rest in the knowledge that we have done the right thing.

Being afraid is natural. But, we should never let fear get the best of us and make us immobile and cause us not to act. We can never beat fears if we run away from them. Facing them down is the only way to defeat them. Even if we’ve shouted “Zoiks!” and run away before, it’s never to late to face and bury our fears.