Word of the Week: Bugaboo

Bugaboo (noun)

Pronunciation

buhg-uh-boo

Definition

An imaginary object of fear; something that causes fear or distress out of proportion to its importance

Example Sentence

Sarah’s worry about meeting her boyfriend’s parents was a bugaboo she could not shake, even though he told her not to worry.

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If you’ve ever babysat or parented a young child, you probably have been woken up in the middle of the night by a bad dream you didn’t have. The familiar call of your name comes down the hallway and you know the child in your care has been deeply disturbed — even though there’s nothing of which to be afraid.

Of course, children aren’t the only ones with irrational fears. Far too often, we adults are also paralyzed by worries about things like work, bills, school or the kids.

When we start to worry about decisions we have to make, or situations that feel too big for us, it is easy to lose faith and feel like we’re in the dark by ourselves. The key is remembering that God is on our side.

In Romans 8:31, Paul reminds us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

God also commands Joshua twice in the first nine verses of Joshua 1 to “be strong and courageous.”

Romans 12:1-2 points out that if we allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewing power of God, we can test and approve his will, which is “good, pleasing, and perfect.” If God’s plan for our lives is good and perfect, we can’t let our fears get the best of us, no matter what we’re going through.

As our favorite singing vegetables summed it up, “God is bigger than the boogie man” (or in this case, the bugaboo).

When all is said and done, after we see how God came through, we will clearly see that the monster under our bed was nothing to be frightened about at all.

Definition and pronunciation taken from dictionary.reference.com