Ok,
guys how many of you have heard of or have played the game called Angry
Birds? It is
a simple game based on a story- a group of pigs steals the eggs from a group of
birds. In the game your job is to help the birds strike back at the pigs. Often
our words become very similar to the birds in the game. Some words can hurt just a little which is like the red
bird. Some words can cut which is like
the yellow bird. Some words can
hurt a group of people which is like the blue bird. And other words hurt a lot and they hurt everyone around us which is like the
black bird.
Let
me tell you a little about bullies. Back in the old days, bullies were usually
big kids who picked on little kids, pushing them around, calling them names,
and making life miserable. Ask your mom or dad or grandparents, my guess is all
of them have a story about a bully in their past.
But
thankfully, we live in a better time when there are no bullies, no one being
called names, right? Wrong! In fact, bullying is a bigger problem than ever. It
used to be kids were bullied face to face in school and on the playground. But
now, the same devices that brought you Angry Birds and other games have given
kids unlimited access to bully one another.
When
you’re not face to face with someone, people tend to be much meaner than they
would ever be in person. And just like angry birds flying into a pig barricade,
the angry words you say can do a lot of damage. But the Bible has something to
say about the way we use our words.
The
Book of James has some powerful words for us today about the tongue – the
instrument that we use to make those angry words. Let’s take a look at what
James has to say about the tongue
Here James uses
all sorts of different images to describe our tongues. He mentions the steering
on a boat, the bit of a horse, taming animals, and a spark in a forest. Have
you ever thought about your tongue being a fire? The tongue is a sensitive part
of the body that tells us when food is sweet, bitter, salty, or spicy. But the
tongue is also our primary instrument for our words, and as such, James is
warning us that we need to keep our tongues in line.
Most of the time
when we say things we regret, we say them without thinking. Someone does
something that offends us, and what do we do? We yell. We call names. We want
to defend ourselves, but in doing
so, we throw out terrible words that most of the time, we don’t really mean.
The problem is,
we can’t take those mean words back. We can’t erase them. Even online or on the
phone, we can’t clear the words that our fingers type or say. While we can delete
a text or an email, but once it’s been read by someone else, we can never erase
the hurt we put on someone.
That’s why James
urges us to tame and control our words. If we learn to be people who think
before we speak, we can stop the arguments and hurt feelings and broken friendships.
We can stop bullying and stop the depression and pain that comes from being
bullied. Can you imagine how different the hallways at school and at homes
would be like? So how can we stamp out angry words? Well King Solomon, the
writer of Proverbs has the answer for us.
According to
Solomon, if we answer angry words with more angry words, we’re just going to
create more anger, hurt feelings, and problems. Instead, Solomon says we should
answer harsh words with gentleness. In fact, in Proverbs 25:22, Solomon says if
we answer angry words with love, it’s like dumping burning coals on our enemy’s
head.
Is Solomon saying
that revenge, hurting someone is the answer? No! He is saying that love is
stronger than hate, and if we answer angry words with love, love will win. It
won’t erase the angry words. It may not stop them right away. But love is the
only way to overcome hate.
Angry Birds is a
fun game, but Angry Words aren’t fun for anyone. They’re certainly not anything
that followers of Christ should play with. We need to tame our tongues, think
before we speak, and learn to overcome angry words with love. If we can set an
example for others by overcoming evil with good, we can put an end to bullies,
and an end to the pain caused by angry words.
Will you exchange your angry words with kind words?
By a show of hands again
how many of you have played the game? I love this game. You may not realize
this; But Angry Birds is a puzzle game. In each level, the pigs are arranged in
a different pattern with different obstacle to protect them. You are given a
certain number of birds, which you don’t get to choose, and you have only those
birds to use in breaking down the obstacles and make the pigs disappear. The makers of the game designed each level
like a puzzle. They’ve given you just the right number and combination of birds
to take down the pigs. Sometimes you can luck out and do it with less, but
every level can be defeated with the birds you are given. If you have ever
played the game you know the importance of not wasting a shot. If you
accidentally overshoot or undershoot the pigs... You
may well ruin your chances of defeating that level.
But this is why I love
this game. There’s a replay button that lets you start over. If you waste a
bird, you can pause, hit replay, and try again. You can do it over and over and
over until you get the shot you want. Wouldn’t it be nice if words worked the
same way? I wish it did, but it doesn’t. When that word flies out of your mouth
it is gone forever- and its impact can last a life time. For example you call a
friend a name, say the wrong thing to a teacher, say something mean to mom and
dad, you can’t it back. You can’t hit the replay button. We know time can heal
all wounds, and time can the damage done by careless words. But those words can
never truly be taken back or forgotten. That’s why it is so important we learn
to control our words. Don’t let emotion and anger get the best of you. Stop.
Think. Pray. Then remember what Bible says angry words: if someone says something
cruel to you, answer them love, and will heap burning coals on their head.
