Control

Recently I got in a fight with someone that started out small and quickly blew out of proportion. And now that it is over, it has left me thinking.

A lot of times people (myself included) claim that we can't control our emotions. That sometimes when we act angry or do something stupid, it wasn't our fault and we "couldn't help it." I use that excuse myself quite a few times when I explode over something, or when I am feeling extremely upset or emotional about something.

The truth is, however, that we can help it. That can be a very challenging task at times. It is so much easier to just give in to our emotions, but it is also dangerous and sometimes just plain stupid.

I have discovered that anger, frustration, depression, peace...all the emotions we feel that sometimes over-power us (in a positive or negative sense) can be controlled. It takes a very conscious effort, but it is possible. Sometimes, when we feel ourselves slipping into an emotion that is out of place and we don't think we can stop...we need help. That, my friends, is when we turn to Heavenly Father and Jesus, who will send us the spirit to help us control our emotions.

This is something I can testify about from experience. We are in control. We choose how to respond when something happens to us. When we feel out of control, we should know where to turn. And we should turn there. Because the feeling of forgiveness, although it is sweet, is not as sweet as the feeling of peace and control.

I've also discovered that I am in charge of feeling peace in my life. I cannot control the way people act. I cannot control most of the trials I will face (some of them I could avoid based on choices I make...). But I can control how I respond to how others act, or to the trials I am faced with. If I control my emotions, I will feel peace. And that's a good feeling.