Agency and Anger

           In Elder Lynn G. Robbins talk “Agency and Anger”, he points out a strategy that Satan uses. He says, “A cunning part of Satan’s strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion we cannot control.” I really liked his opening statement because this is something that I struggle with. I have a hard time controlling my negative emotions and I am stuck in the belief that I will never change, and that these emotions will always control my life and I can’t do anything about it. When we let these negative emotions control our lives, we become more subjective to anger. When it comes to marriage, we need to learn how to control these emotions and turn it into an opportunity to talk things through with our partner.

            Something else that stuck out to me was how he proclaims that there is a war on the family, and it all comes back to Satan. He knows how important and central the family is to God’s plan, and the true happiness that it brings to our lives. One of Satan’s greatest tools to Satan uses to destroy the peace that a family brings, is anger. If we are giving into this anger, we are letting Satan win. We are yielding ourselves to Satan’s influence and straying further from God.

            In Elder Robbins closing remarks, he says “Understanding the connection between agency and anger is the first step in eliminating it from our lives.” Feeling anger is a choice. We can choose whether or not we feel this emotion, and if we do, if we want to overcome it. In raising a family, our priority should be to create an environment that is peaceful, full of love, and as little contention and anger as we can manage. By doing this, we will become closer to our partner, our children, and most importantly, closer to the Lord.