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Whitney Houston Wondered, "Am I Good Enough?"

Whitney Houston was the most-awarded female recording artists of all time. She seemed to have it all, and yet her friend and costar Kevin Costner shared that she struggled with a common problem—insecurity and anxiety about measuring up. When Costner asked her to star in The Bodyguard, she had her doubts. Costner shares what happened on her first day on the set after her hair and makeup were ready:

Whitney was scared. Arguably, the biggest pop star in the world wasn't sure if she was good enough. She didn't think she looked right. There were a thousand things to her that seemed wrong. I held her hand and told her that she looked beautiful … but I could still feel the doubt.

Whitney asked for twenty minutes to collect herself, and then she came to the set. After only four lines they had to stop. Costner took her back to the dressing room so he could show her what he had seen. Costner said:

I turned her around so that she could see herself in the mirror and she gasped. All of the makeup on Whitney's face was … streaking down her face and she was devastated. She didn't feel like the makeup we put on her was enough so she'd wiped it off and put on [her own makeup]. It was much thicker and the hot lights had melted it! She asked if anyone had seen … I said I didn't think so. It happened so quick …
The Whitney I knew, despite her success and worldwide fame, still wondered Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Will they like me? It was the burden that made her great, and the part that caused her to stumble in the end.

Possible Preaching Angles: (1) Insecurity; Security; Acceptance—Many of us struggle to find our security and identity and acceptance in Christ's love for us; (2) Justification by Faith—When we know what Christ has done for us, that we are loved and saved by him, it gives us a foundation to deal with our insecurities.

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