Read: Alma 19-20
Mark: Alma 20:17
"Anger is not an expression of strength. It is an indication of one's inability to control his thoughts, words, his emotions...When the weakness of anger takes over, the strength of reason leaves." --President Gordon B. Hinckley
To ponder:
When is it most difficult to control your anger? Why is it important to stay in control of your thoughts, words, and actions?
Several things stand out to me as I read and studied Alma 19-20:
ReplyDeleteFirst, in Alma 19:32, it is a good reminder that even though we may see miracles and hear the words of Christ taught, we still have our free agency to simply ignore these teachings and walk away. This is hard for me to understand and accept, but I know that this is Christ's plan.
Second, in Alma 19:33, we see just the opposite. We see those who have listened and felt of the Spirit and experienced the mighty change of heart that comes when we are taught by the Spirit. This gives me great hope!
And then what stands out to me is the power of love (Alma 20:26), where we see what love can and does do. We see the love Ammon has for God, we see the love Ammon has for King Lamoni and his people, and then we see the mighty change of heart and love that King Lamoni's father has for his son. I can't wait to read the next few chapters because I love what happens next!
Today's question is an interesting one for me! I typically just do not get angry; no idea why, but I just really don't get angry or mad. I may be hurt by someone or something, but I really don't remember just being plain mad. Okay, both of you psychology majors: What does this mean about me?!! :)
It means you're awesome! :) It means you naturally have a clear and eternal perspective on things. I love you and I hope to be just like you some day!
DeleteI think it means that you have a clear mind! That's an amazing and wonderful gift that makes you so very wonderful to be around. You are such a shining example, Patti. I just love you!
DeleteIt's no wonder most of us gradually increase in spirit and knowledge. Too much at once will leave us incapacitated! Line upon line is not some made up idea that allows God to keep things from us - it is for our own protection. There is power in the spirit - greater power than anything else and we must prepare ourselves for every increase.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the hardest people to share our testimony with our the people closest to us. Lamoni is a great example of taking courage and sharing with family. He even stands his ground when seriously challenged. Ammon impresses me (again). He is offered HALF the kingdom this time and instead he asks for the freedom of his brethren and of the OTHER GUY's SON! At first glance, the offer of such a huge thing would seem great, but Ammon has an eternal perspective - he is seeking after an even greater kingdom. If I could keep an eternal perspective I could make the choices that would have the best long term effects for me and my family.
I get angry when I set expectations for people and they aren't met. It's totally not fair and I know that - I'm working on it! My "anger" usually doesn't come out in yelling and violence, but in tears - it's so dramatic. It is as much of an indication of lack of self control and weakness as the yelling kind of anger though. I think inaccurate thoughts and skewed perceptions get us to that place and I think they tend to distort everything else - the words said, feelings felt and thoughts thought - in the middle of the outpouring of intense emotion. It's so important for us (me) to learn to control these intense emotions because one can't think clearly with them. They also change the way other people think about you and act around you. It can be a form of manipulation and that's not fair. Understanding how you behave and what drives you there can help you figure out how to control it - doesn't make it easy, but it's a step in the right direction.
I love President Hinckley's quote for today. It makes me think of my kids, or really of kids in general. Have you ever watched a child get angry? It can be totally out of the blue for no real logical reason. And of course it's ridiculous. It looks, sounds, and feels ridiculous. They have a complete inability to regulate their emotions! It's up to us as parents to teach them coping skills so that they can learn to calm themselves down instead of exploding. It's so insane how many people in our world today react out of anger instead of using these necessary coping skills to help with their emotions. Granted, sometimes mental illness or even physical/emotional illnesses or problems can exacerbate the issue or be the root of the problem. But overall it's still that lack of ability to regulate oneself that gets people in trouble.
ReplyDeleteI find that I get the most angry when I feel helpless or overwhelmed. If something bad happens that was completely out of my control it stresses me out and makes me irritable. I tend to be snappy at times or annoyed that what I want to be done isn't just immediately understood. I've also found that being tired makes everything worse.
I think if we look at ourselves as God's children, in that spiritually we're still very underdeveloped, that we can feel better about our angry outbursts and mishaps and learn that we CAN and WILL improve if we let our Father teach us those skills we need to improve.