Scooby Doo and Jesus

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, NIV).

 One of my favorite shows as a kid was Scooby Doo.  Every afternoon at three o’clock I would turn to the Super Station WGN, Channel 13, on my family’s large box television set to join in the adventures of Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Wilma.  On any given afternoon, I would be right there with the gang, riding around in the Mystery Machine (which never ran out of gas) fighting crime and solving mysteries.  Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls couldn’t outsmart ol’ Scooby, who’s only compensation for his work was a handful of Scooby Snacks.  I never ceased to be surprised when, at the end of the show, the culprit’s mask was taken off, and he was Mr. Jenson from the carnival or some other hoodlum.

Masked men and women made Scooby Doo intriguing to this 8-year-old.  Not that I would have committed such heinous acts as the villains on Scooby Doo – I was a pretty good kid after all -, but the idea of being disguised was a bit appealing to me.

As a sinful human being, I sometimes feel like I’m wearing a sort of mask.  Although not a zombie, mummy, or monster, my disguises can be just as scary.  But, as a Christian, I have a different identity.  And I hope, that once the mask is pulled away, my truest self is revealed.

My hope is that, underneath the facade and fake appearances, people would see Jesus living in me.  And my prayer is that I would look more and more like him each day.  By the way, Scooby and Jesus would have made one heck of a duo!