Why are the Angry Birds so Angry?

In case you were wondering, here's why: The birds are angry because the green psycho pigs came to their Island and destroyed their house. The red bird tried to warn the other birds that the pigs were up to no good and stole the birds' eggs and were about to eat them. Sounds like some evil pigs but really they aren't evil. They're stuck on a small island and are hungry and those birds' eggs seemed like a sure way to satisfy their hunger. But, of course the Angry Birds are .....well, angry!

I can't say I blame them. Life and stuff often gets on our last nerve and we do our best to hold it in, but sometimes we just can't help otherselves. But, it's okay! In Ephesians 4:26, St. Paul said: "Be angry. but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil." He is actually telling us that we can get angry. He knows that anger is a natural human emotion which, of itself, isn't bad. What does matter is what we do with the anger. I think we've all seen on social media and TV what unharnessed anger looks like. I think the key to anger is "No peace; no God. Know peace; know God."

It's a true matter of the heart. I'll admit I have triggers that if the right buttons are pushed, I can act like an "angry bird". I have come to recognize an acceptable anger. Even Jesus had anger – remember how he was flipping tables when he was disgusted with the money changers denigrating God’s house of prayer?

I’m a work in progress -- consistently managing my behavior and dealing with the areas that need ongoing self-improvement. I want to be that gal that uses anger the right way – a healthy anger that leads to praying for others and finding ways to help others realize their need for a loving God.

Anger can be destructive if it isn't laced with love and respect. It can destroy families, relationships, and even lives. It, often, goes too far. That's where this scripture comes in: Proverbs 6:16-19 “These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren.” And, we've sure witnessed those seven things, haven't we? Looting, stealing, killing, lying, wicked actions, liars and creators of strife. Those are the things God hates. I sure don't want to be counted in that number so I am constantly giving myself a heart check-up.

Maybe you're like those angry birds today. Injustice, someone stealing from you and mistreating you. I encourage you to ask God to help you work through it. Spend time in prayer asking Him to show you the reasons behind the anger and how to begin to let the anger go to become the best version of yourself that you can be. Be intentional about your words and your thoughts before they spill out and you can't take them back. Ask God to give you peace, calm your heart, and let you speak the truth in love. For those of us who answer to our Father, we can't talk about anger without talking about forgiveness, and that just may be a good place to start.

Rescued by the AMEN

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard about the rescue of two Florida teens in St. Augustine when the ocean’s strong currents pulled them two miles away from shore. Their faith in “God saves” was reassured when the captain of the yacht called “Amen” spotted them in the water when he was simply scanning the ocean for waves through his binoculars and heard their cries for help. High school senior, Tyler Smith, said, “We were just going to swim out to a small island we saw in the inlet. We thought, ‘That’s not far’. We’re athletes. No problem. We’re young teenagers. We don’t think about currents or anything like that. We’re like, ‘oh we can do this easy’, so we just swam out.”

The pair were stranded in the ocean for two hours (without life jackets) and were losing hope as the waves became rougher and the red buoy they were relying on as a point of reference and potential safety mark became out of reach. Tyler’s legs were cramping from swimming and treading water. Tyler said, “I started crying out to God, please send something, please send someone or some miracle to save us because I still want to see my family again.” That’s when it felt like a miracle occurred for the teens as a yacht, the AMEN, emerged about 200 yards from the desperate pair.

“At some point, it felt like it came out of nowhere. When I looked up I saw this big boat, I just had this feeling that I knew we were getting out of there,” Heather Brown said. She waved a stick she found in the water and started screaming as loud as she could. The Captain of the boat said, “Over the wind, waves, and engines, we thought we heard a desperate scream,” and we saw them.” Tyler said, recalling the memory, “"From us crying out to God, for Him to send someone for us to keep living and a boat named 'Amen,' there's no way that it wasn't Him," Tyler said.

Fear gripped the hearts of Christ’s disciples when the storms, the winds, and the waves came to them on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus saw them from afar and walked on the water to save them. (Matthew 14:22-33). Though this happened over 2,000 years ago, it is still relevant to us today, and particularly to those who need to be rescued. Maybe you are one of those who is paralyzed by fear that grips your heart about what tomorrow holds. That same fear may also be gripping those who are about to give up because matters have gotten worse and they fear for the loss of their marriage or their job or from a debilitating habit or illness or relationship breakdown.

Jesus still saves. Jesus – the same – yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) has the ability and wants to come walking on the water into all of our lives. His grace. His love. His mercy. He’s reaching out even now to RESCUE you and me from whatever fear or situation we are facing today. We're crying out for help, Lord Jesus. As you are reaching out to us with your arms of love, we are reaching out to you. Jesus saves. AMEN!