When there is Anger, Choose Peace

You know, I am grateful to read the posts that people make when they are angry.

Largely, such posts are passive-aggressive ("Thank you to whoever did this to me"), sometimes openly aggressive ("This happened, and so the person who did it is bad and a liar and did me wrong!"), and sometimes even hostile and threatening.

In all cases, they blame someone for making them angry. They are the victim who has been wronged, and rarely do they have any interest in finding solutions to solve the situation. They want the world to know what happened, and to either feel sorry for them, or be angry along with them (misery loves company).

In my experience, when people post while angry, it is a knee-jerk reaction. They post angry words and accusations based on the limited amount of information they have, and express that information, and their perception of it, as absolute truth.

When I read posts like those, I choose to be reminded that I have absolute control over the most important part of any situation - ME!

If someone does something, and I feel angry, I remember that I am always at choice.

I choose how I react. I choose to take responsibility for my part in the situation. I choose to remember that the other person involved is as human and imperfect as me. I choose to take responsibility for finding the TRUE reason for my anger. I choose to change that anger into an emotion that serves me in finding answers and solutions.

I choose to be a positive force for change, in every situation.

I invite you all to do the same, the next time you feel angry. Remember that NO ONE has the power to make you feel anything.

Emotions don't just happen to you. You choose every single one.

And because you do, you can choose to be at peace.

Why Everything Happens for a Reason

This morning I received the news that a close friend of mine, and her son, were shot and killed. I didn't know how to react, as my mind flashed back to April 2014, when I received a similar call about my brother dying in a head-on collision. "Wait, what? No way. That doesn't happen in my life, not this close."  It was surreal -  I heard the words, and they didn't fit.

And then someone posted a short message about her, with a song. And as I listened to the words, I pictured my friends face, I heard her voice. I remembered sitting next to her as we learned about sharing our message with the world, about opening ourselves and being vulnerable. I remembered being blown away when she stood on stage, trembling and scared, and presented her message of Being True to herself, of Standing in Her Power at all times, and thinking "Wow! She is going to change so many lives with this message!"

And I cried. As the words of the song spoke of resting high on that mountain, and showering down the love of the Father and the Son, I cried because I know while she is still here, still living in that higher plane, we don't get her here. I haven't heard her finished presentation, and now I have even longer to wait before I do. Her smile, her laugh, her gentle way of seeing and loving every person, are gone from the earth, and there is no one, no thing, that can replace her.

There is a phrase that is said at times like these, and I believe it whole-heartedly, though many people misunderstand it.

Everything happens for a reason.


There is reason, there is purpose, and there is learning in every tragedy - even the murder of my dear friend, or the accident that took my brothers life. There is reason for every single thing that happens on this earth, especially those tragedies that are committed by our fellow man. There IS inherent good in every situation. Today, I address specifically the tragedy caused directly by one person against another.

Our Heavenly Father created us, each one of us, in His likeness. And, in His infinite love and wisdom, He gave each of us the gift of choice, the ability to choose what we do, every moment of every day. Every person on this earth made the choice to come here, to have the human experience, and to do their best to follow God's plan, be obedient to His teachings, and return to live with him.

The Reason behind tragedy is this: Each son and daughter of God has the freedom to choose their own actions, and some of them choose to hurt others. Some choose to ignore the promptings of His Spirit and do things that bring pain, sadness, and death. Some choose to allow their emotions to rule over them, driving them to seek the destruction of others.

Why does God allow these tragedies to occur? If He loves us, why does he allow some of His children to bring pain and death to others?

God allows these things to happen so that we can more powerfully choose to return to Him. How can we be obedient to what He wants for us, if there were no temptation to do otherwise? How can we choose into unconditional love, if there is no reason to hate? How can we choose to forgive, if there is crime to be forgiven?

God does not create the evil in this world. God allows the evil in this world to occur, because without opposition, there is no choice. Without choice, there is no growth, there is no progression.

Goodness grows in proportion to the evil it overcomes. 

And remember, there is inherent good in every situation. EVERY situation.

Why?

Every tragedy contains inherent good, because YOU ARE the good! As a child of a Father in Heaven, you are inherently good - Light and Life are your birthright, and they live inside every person. If you are looking for the good in a situation, look no further than yourself. YOU ARE the good.

And your power grows in proportion to the evil you choose to overcome.

I am grateful for this lesson. I forgive the man who chose to kill my friend and her son. I extend my love to him, as well as my friends family, because I trust my Savior, who told me to "Love God, and love thy neighbor as thyself."