Agency & Anger

Do you ever feel as a home school mom that you are being tried and tested on a daily basis by your students?. Well I do,(waving my hand in the air - can I get an AMEN!). Lets just say that yesterday was not the greatest day for me and my oldest child.
It started off a bad day from the very start when My oldest decided she really didn't want to do anything that day. I don't blame her, She had a fun holiday break and had just gotten home from her great Aunts house filled with fun, and missed school Monday and Tuesday , so school was not happening for her.
The thing that bothered me was when she came home Tuesday evening before she went to bed her father and I reminded her that the holiday break was over, but school starts back up tomorrow. She completely understood what was expected. So when she woke up yesterday I could not believe that attitude she had. My children are very well behaved children. And they are very respectful so talking back was not the issue. It was the body language.
She decided to take forever doing anything I asked. School work was horrible. She took 3 hours to complete 1 simple assignment. Not because she didn't understand it, it was because she didn't want to do it correctly.
I tried so hard to be kind and patient with her. But as the attitude grew so did my anger.
I then recalled an article I read from the Marriage & Family relations manual, titled "Agency & Anger".
No one can make you mad or lose your temper. It is our conscious choice, a decision. Something that we choose. At first I was wondering why would I choose to be angry? duh not the first choice on my to do list. But then I started thinking do I allow myself to be offended by others? do I allow myself to choose an outcome of anger?....I mean how often do we seldom lose control when frustrated by a boss or friend, but how often do we get annoyed and angry by a family member?.
Anger in the family is Satan's primary Target, his goal is to damage & destroy families within the walls of their own homes, and stir up anger and contention between family members.
This is one of his devices. But he only stirs it, we are the ones throwing it in the pot boiling it, cooking it and serving it. It is by our own agency that it is accomplished.
Anger a Recipe for disaster:

Put tempers on medium heat, stir in a few choice words, and bring to a boil; continue stirring until thick; cool off; let feelings chill for several hours; serve cold; lots of leftovers.

how often do we bring anger to a boil, my feelings toward my 10 year old changed and humbled me and brought me to repentance. Sure I didn't cause the contention but I allowed my self to be angry with her, and that alone is a sin. Paul asks "Can ye be angry , and not sin?"

"He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another."

So I take it the answer to Paul is "No". Anger is Sin.
As I write this blog I recall the name of my blog and how I was so pleased with it "Love is Spoken here". How easy it is to forget those simple words. This experience taught me a lesson of love, humbleness, repentance, agency and forgiveness.
I look forward to teaching my children the lesson of Agency and Anger and to be able to choose there outcome and avoid the recipe of disaster. May I always remember that I have been lent precious little angels in my care and it is my responsibility to teach them with love and patience and to never raise my voice or my hand to them. May I not allow Satan to sneak behind enemy lines and enter my home and life and destroy me or my family with contention and anger.
This is why I home school. To be able to teach my children lessons that I have just learned myself. To be able to teach them with the doctrine of Jesus Christ and words from his prophets and apostles. It is to teach them to replace Anger with Love.
My feelings of being tried and tested have changed and I feel blessed for the opportunity to be taught these lessons. May we make our home schools a haven, a place of refuge and a house of God. And may we always have our home a place where "Love is Spoken here".