Angry Birds Addiction

I have just wasted an hour of time on what many people would classify as an addiction. No it’s not drugs or alcohol or anything of that nature, but a game. It started as a harmless attempt to see what everyone was talking about, but became an obsession. With over 42 million downloads, Angry Birds is the most downloaded application, so I am not alone in playing the game. Kids of all ages are playing it, including my 3 year old granddaughter who can manipulate the application, my 5 year old grandson who is an expert and my 21 year old nephew who has conquered 20 stages of 12 levels. 

In the game, birds are catapulted to try and destroy a group of evil pigs who have stolen their eggs. If you have ever played the game, you might understand the addiction. You will either want to keep playing until you master the level, or until you get a higher score and then once that has been accomplished, your desire is to check out the next level and the new capabilities of the birds as they explode or multiply. Let me advise you—do not get started playing the game; it might be hazardous to your time. 

There is nothing wrong with the game itself, unless you think killing fake birds and pigs is a crime. (And I do find it a bit interesting that the birds end up dying when they are trying to rescue their eggs in order to preserve their flock.) But the thing that I do find disturbing is that most people complain that they don’t have enough time, yet will spend hour upon hour playing a game that doesn’t provide exercise for your body or your mind. It does nothing to help other people and I doubt that many people can justify its ability to further the kingdom of God. 

Now that I have probably successfully made some of you mad, I will say play the game, but don’t let it consume you and your valuable time. We all need some form of recreation and release, but we have to be careful what we allow to be our “god.”

I have mastered the first level of the game and have decided that it is time to be freed from the addiction. With you as my witness, I vow not to download any other version of the game. I am going to quit cold turkey.

Do you have any thing that you need to say goodbye to, so that it does not consume your valuable time and energy? Let me encourage you to take the step and quit. I thing you will find freedom if you do.

1 Corinthians 6:12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

www.hearthope.org