Agency & Anger

I found this amazing talk, I know I say that a lot but it truly was. It talked about anger and understanding why people might be prone to choose this way to solve problems. I will freely admit that I broke my goal of not yelling at my children today. The situation that led to this failed goal today was daylight savings, potty-training an almost 3 year old, and three kids hungry and tired. 

I felt so bad after because I had done so well for so long. And poor little Samuel was the lucky recipient of my yelling. His eyes swelled with big tears as I ranted and when I saw them I was reminded why I made this New Years resolutions. 

I will continue to work harder as a parent and as a person to not be upset because I know it is wrong. I read this talk by Lynn G. Robbins (Agency & Anger), earlier this week and found it would make a great FHE lesson. My boys tend to get angry and yell sometimes and I think explaining to them why this behavior is wrong will help them grow to be better people. This especially important to me because one day they will be fathers and husbands.

 I appreciate that Matt so early in our marriage made it clear to me that I was ridiculous and way out of line when I yelled at him. We have made it a point to never yell at each other since that first incident. I have the best husband! 

Here are just some highlights from the talk. 

"Satan is the “father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another” (3 Ne. 11:29; emphasis added). The verb stir sounds like a recipe for disaster: Put tempers on medium heat, stir in a few choice words, and bring to a boil; continue stirring until thick; cool off; let feelings chill for several days; serve cold; lots of leftovers." 

"No one makes us mad. Others don’t make us angry. There is no force involved. Becoming angry is a conscious choice, a decision; therefore, we can make the choice not to become angry. We choose!"

"The Lord expects us to make the choice not to become angry. "

"Anger is a yielding to Satan’s influence by surrendering our self-control. "