Find God in Mayberry, the fictional town in the Andy Griffith Show
Photo of Andy Griffith and Julie Adams from Wikimedia Commons
On July 3, Americans were saddened by the loss of one of our most beloved and iconic entertainment figures. Andy Griffith enjoyed a career that spanned decades, earning awards as a recording artist, storyteller, and television and movie actor.
However, most people identify him with his role as Sheriff Andy Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show, a TV series that ran from 1960 to 1968. The popular show about a fictional town in North Carolina was a wholesome, family-friendly comedy. What’s more, regular viewers of the original show or reruns surely noticed how easy it was to find God in Mayberry.
Attending Sunday church services was clearly a part of life in Mayberry; some episodes had Sheriff Andy and Deputy Barney Fife humming or singing old gospel hymns as they relaxed on the front porch or did paperwork in their office. The weekly themes and the folksy wisdom that Andy regularly dispensed on the show were drawn from biblical principles. Storylines during the eight seasons focused on the importance of love, family, commitment, and forgiveness; the dangers of gossip, jealousy, lying, and arrogance; the necessity of disciplining children; and the need to put others’ best interests ahead of our own.
Many of the especially touching scenes developed as Andy lovingly trained his son Opie to be a man of integrity and strong character. The one instance that sticks in my mind most clearly involved Andy giving Opie a piece of advice that consisted of four words. Although I don’t remember the prior conversation that had taken place, I can still hear Andy’s parting words as his son walked out the door: “Act like you’re somebody!”
What wonderful words to pass on to your child! Even more wonderful is the fact that we hear those words from our heavenly Father when we read His Word. The Bible is the story of how God loves us so much that He took on human form and died to pay the penalty for our sin. That’s how much He values us; He took our shame and suffering upon Himself so that He could offer us the chance to become His dearly loved, adopted child. If we accept His gift of forgiveness and salvation, we will enjoy eternity with Him after our earthly life ends. Just think, the Creator of our world and all the universes in space thought we were worth dying for. If that doesn’t make us want to “act like somebody”, then whatever will?
This brief video gives a quick overview of Andy Griffith’s career:
For a more in-depth look at Andy’s life, you can read this article: Andy Griffith at Biography.com
©Dianne Neal Matthews. Dianne is a freelance writer and the author of four daily devotional books. Visit her at her website, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
Dianne
Such a beautiful well written article.
It brought tears to my eyes, mostly because I can remember how simple life used to be and how people used to value each other more than today. The morals and values it taught were gift of the time.
Thank you
Alexia
PS miss you
Alexia, I think you brought out 2 of the reasons that old shows like this one still resonate with us today. We long for a time when life seemed simpler–a time when at least most of us could agree on what was right and good, and what was wrong. And who wouldn’t want to live in a place where every single person is valued regardless of their quirks, shortcomings, and failures? As for myself, I wouldn’t mind living in a town like Mayberrry.
Such a far cry from what we see on TV today. I don’t remember the last time I saw a show promoting good values that was made within the past few years. Quite the opposite, Christians and church-goers are usually under attack in the media. What’s the agenda? A good number of Americans go to church. Why alienate that segment of TV viewers?
What you need to remember is that the show seemed sentimental and nostalgic even when it was running — not just now. It provided an escape from the “moral decline” etc. etc. that people saw all around them.
Bottom line, every generation for thousands of years has thought that times were simpler “a few years ago.” Times were never simpler. People were never kinder, better, or more moral. We just view the past through a sentimental filter.
Think about what the American South was really like in the early 60′s. Would YOU want to live there – even if you are white? I’m guessing the answer is “no.”
Great comment, Kitty! It’s so true. I sure wouldn’t have wanted to live in the South in the 60s. On the other hand, do you find that sometimes it’s nice to watch shows with clean humor and reflecting good morals, even if they only show the ideal Vs the norm, or only focus on one healthier slice of life? Shows that reveal the messiness of real life are important–we talk about some pretty serious issues here at Finding God Daily. And in recent years Christian books have been addressing serious, messy issues that were rarely addressed in older Christian books (sexual abuse, for example) but of course that didn’t mean it wasn’t happening.
With all the gratuitous crudity or violence in most TV shows today, I confess that I like at times to escape into the oldies, via Netflix. I got on a Dick Van Dyke show kick for awhile. Of course those times weren’t ideal (and I’m glad women now are more independent). But I do enjoy the clean humor–in fact it’s nice to watch shows from back when TV in general was cleaner and even mentioned God without taking His name in vain and to not worry about seeing or hearing something that my kids shouldn’t watch–or me either!