Vulture Vandalism

(Photo:Tampa Bay. com)

Check out this link .http://www.tampabay.com/components/video/vultures-are-vandals-at-myakka-river-state-park/750592958001/2652468001 to see video of these rather unattractive birds and what they are doing.

The newspaper article said Nissans was their car of choice. But they also like roof shingles, seat cushions on boats, and vehicles. Oh, and screens and pool covers seem to attract them. They really don't know why.

Vultures are not attractive to me, but I know God made them for a specific purpose. To clean up the dead animals. Now that I think of it, a nice dainty white feathered bird would look really gross eating a dead thing.

Diana Donaghy, a park biologist at Myakka River State Park has never touched one. Besides being mean and big, they smell. She states the Turkey vultures have a unique defense, they projectile vomit. OH YUK! Can you imagine dead stuff vomit??? Okay enough of that.

But I couldn't get over the question of  "why," why were they acting out?

"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends; Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage." James 1:19-21 (MSG)

How many times have I acted out in anger, only to make as much sense as these vulture vandals? Do my words stink? I probably look just as ugly, too.

Father don't let me dig in the garbage.

Ever Wanted to Yell at the World?

People. Sometimes they astound me.

On my way home from work the other day, I stopped at a red light. The lane next to me was the right hand turn lane. (Here in Florida, unless otherwise noted, you can stop, look and if no cars are coming you can turn right on red.)

A horn blasted behind me, and I looked to see what was going on. A truck, second in line in the right turn, started honking at the car in front of him. The little lady in front appeared to be in her late sixties or seventies, I couldn't tell. She was hesitant to turn right on red with the cars traveling so fast.

But, yep, that dude in the truck, kept honking. He stuck his hand out the window and motioned for her to go. Of course everyone knows, that only serves to rattle a person more.

Then cars around me started honking at the impatient guy. To my surprise, the dude got out of his truck, went and knocked on her window, cussing at her to move. (You just don't do that here either, too dangerous.)

A man in another car said, "Hey man, leave the lady alone!"

To which he responded, "Kiss........" His face was as red as a beet with anger. If anyone was going to have a wreck or heart attack that day, he sure was a candidate.

The light turned green and off we all went. But what a lasting impression that made. Hope the little lady is okay.

"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city." Proverbs 16:32

I drove away angry at the man, like, I wished I was a cop and could follow and ticket him. Was my anger justified? Maybe. No one was hurt, it was just senseless. But as I stewed in my disgust on the way home, I started to wonder, maybe the guy just got laid off work, or someone was ill in the hospital, or ......

Before I hand down judgement, the biggest question is, can I control myself?

Photo: Melissa Evans