Brittany Spears and Jill Duggar: The Same Story

Romance novelists often write using a trope. You know, enemies to lovers, May-December, secret baby or marriage of convenience. Every novel has its own characters with their own wounds and problems, it's own setting, and plenty of unique twists and turns, but the structure remains the same. After reading Brittany Spears and Jill Duggar's autobiography almost back to back I realized, it's the same story. A trope, if you will, of a rural father whose family finds fame and money and he ruins his family trying to save it.

You can go back and read my reviews of both Brittany Spears's The Woman in Me and Jill Duggar's Counting the Cost. Here's where things go sideways for both of them: their fathers lose control.

Brittany's father grew up in rural Mississippi and Louisiana while Jill's father grew up in rural Northwest Arkansas. Both raised their families without a massive amount of income. That's perhaps where their lives separate for a while. Jim Bob Duggar found and followed a very religious, conservative leader. Jamie Spears spent most of his daughter's young childhood in a bottle.

It was Brittany who brought in the money for the Spears family, while on the Duggar side, the entire family participated in the show.

But this is where the similarities start again. Both men enjoyed a taste of fame and fortune, that their children created.

When they realized their children's actions (Brittany Spears and Josh Duggars) could jeopardize their lifestyle, both fathers circled the wagons. Jamie took control of Brittany's career and money while Jim Bob pushed his daughters to salvage the show.

Both Brittany and Jill now have fraught relationships with their fathers and a lot of trauma to overcome.

1 Timothy 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

I have nothing against people who have money. As a general rule, a sufficient or even generous amount of money makes life easier. The problem is that often when we get a taste of what money can bring, we'll do anything to preserve it. Even if it means sacrificing our family and walking away from our God.

God won't be second. If we're willing to choose to preserve our finances over serving Him, then He's not our number one priority. And I'm not talking about giving all your money to a tele-evangelist. But what if God called me to walk away from my work to do something else for Him or because that work didn't glorify Him? Would I do it? Would I be willing to allow a profitable business to die because it prevented me from worshipping Him fully?

Both Jamie Spears and Jim Bob Duggar were blinded by fame and money. At least Jamie didn't try to hide behind religion to mask his intentions.