What I read for my class this week really can help me in all of my relationships, not just my marriage. One talk we were asked to read is called “Agency and Anger” given by Elder Lynn G. Robbins in April 1998. The part that stood out to me was this:
A cunning part of [Satan’s] strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion that we cannot control. We hear, “I lost my temper.” Losing one’s temper is an interesting choice of words that has become a widely used idiom. To “lose something” implies “not meaning to, ”“accidental,” “involuntary,” “not responsible”—careless perhaps but “not responsible.” “He made me mad.” This is another phrase we hear, also implying lack of control or agency. This is a myth that must be debunked. 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!
One of the reasons we came to this earth was to learn to act for ourselves. We have been given agency. We can choose to act or to be acted upon. Just because somebody does or says something we don’t particularly appreciate, does not mean that we have to be angry. We can choose higher ground and react with patience and love, much like our Savior.
This talk reminded me of the talk Elder Bednar gave in General Conference several years ago. Here is a clip from that talk:
Another concept from this week that I love was the application of the law of consecration. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we are asked to give of our time, talents, and resources to the building up of the kingdom of God. Does this not include our marriages and families? We should be living self-lessly and devoting our time, talents, and resources to our spouse and family. I had never thought of applying the law of consecration in this way.
No comments:
Post a Comment