School thy Feelings, O My Brother

My thoughts on President Monson's talk "School thy Feelings, Oh, My Brother"

I know this talk was given in Priesthood session but I swear he was talking to me personally.

Anger has been my constant companion these many years. I don't like it. I really don't, but he seems to follow me around all the time. He will come out at the wrong times and I hate it. Hence I need this talk. I need to reread it over and over every day.

"If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry."

I love the uses the word "choose". It is a choice. I choose to be angry or I choose NOT to be angry. It is up to me.

He quotes: "Anger doesn't solve anything. It builds nothing, but it can destroy everything."

So true a statement. I know that when I'm angry everything goes a whole lot worse. I've had so much to deal with as of late that I tend to get angry at the drop of a hate. I need to learn to let things go that aren't important and hold on to that which is important.

"We’ve all felt anger. It can come when things don’t turn out the way we want. It might be a reaction to something which is said of us or to us. We may experience it when people don’t behave the way we want them to behave. Perhaps it comes when we have to wait for something longer than we expected. We might feel angry when others can’t see things from our perspective. There seem to be countless possible reasons for anger."

I love how admits we are human--we've all felt anger. We are human.

I think most of the time my anger is because I take offence when none is intended. As President Monson quoted, "a Man's a fool who takes an insult that isn't intended." I think I'm a fool a lot of the time. I take offense way to often. I will have to work on that one--a LOT!

Funny how he quotes one of my favorite scripture found in 3 Nephi.
"“There shall be no disputations among you. . . .

“For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

“Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.”
I often quote this scripture when my children start to get angry. Maybe this mom needs to take her own medicine. Physician heal thyself.

I think he really hit the nail on the head when he said,
"To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible."

Here I am trying to distance myself from Satan and yet I'm inviting him when I get angry. I am the one who is opening the door to my soul to the Master of Mahan himself when I CHOOSE to get angry.

"May we make a conscious decision, each time such a decision must be made, to refrain from anger and to leave unsaid the harsh and hurtful things we may be tempted to say."

When I was a young girl I practiced what words I would say when someone asked me if I wanted drugs or a drink. Why not rehearse what my reaction should be when things aren't going well.

Getting angry is a choice that I'm going to try so hard this week (and forever) to NOT make. Wish me luck.