Angry Birds is a Finnish-based video game launched in 2009 that focuses on a flock of angry birds who try to save their eggs from green-colored pigs. It is the most popular video game in history. Since these birds are seemingly everywhere, I turn them into “WORRY BIRDS” to remind me of God’s promise to help us turn our back on worry.
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:26-27
This verse–Matthew’s poignant plea to be like the birds and STOP WORRYING–comes alive in my HEART and is activated in my LIFE through association with something specific. In this case, the Angry Birds video game.
I have many other examples of doing this “trigger to Scripture.” I’ll bet you could call up one yourself right now. Give it a try.
OK…back to that pesky habit of worrying.
Early in my faith walk I thought: “Birds are not worrying because they don’t have anything to worry about!”
Once I realized God uses language like this to make compelling points about life, Matthew 6:26-27 became one of my life verses and it drove me straight to Wal-Mart to buy:
- BIRD SEED—Several types for all sizes of birds.
- BIRD FEEDER–A mansion feeding station with room for all.
- BIRD SOCKS—Several mesh socks with small seeds for tiny birds.
Just minutes after setting everything up outside my home office, dozens of birds—all sizes and colors—descended on my banquet. It’s been a spectacular show ever since. Every day delivers another fascinating and frenetic blur of activity. Robins. Bluejays. Doves. Finches. Sparrows. And too many more to name join me every day and put on a grand show.
And I can clearly see that they do NOT worry! But it gets better. Since they are worry-free, they are able to:
- Be full of joy (man does it look like they’re having fun).
- Be purpose-driven, always doing something important.
- Be in constant fellowship with all of their tribe members.
- Be perpetual worshipers through their magnificent singing.
- And, most importantly, they can be FREE.
I want that. So I thank God for his promise to help me tame worry and pray that I never stop calling on his Word and power to live freely like the birds I see every day.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Can you think of something that could trigger you to recall and claim a verse in the Bible like my example of Angry Birds pushes me to Matthew 6:26-27?
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26-27
