React Better.

I LOVE mantras.  They motivate me and keep me moving in the right direction.  One of my favorite books, called Magic Words, is a fun read that is all about compiling your own key phrases that work like magic to get you through difficult situations.  Today in church, I picked up a fantastic new set of magic words:  React better.

Our speaker told us how her mother always responded to her siblings' squabbles by saying simply "React better."  She said that we have countless opportunities every day to choose how we will react to situations and to other people.  

The speaker then quoted Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, who said, "The way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy or successful we can be in life.  Have you ever seen an angry driver who, when someone else makes a mistake, reacts as though that person has insulted his honor, his family, his dog, and his ancestors all the way back to Adam?  There is an antedote for times such as these: learn to laugh."

Of course, there are more serious altercations in life than traffic faux pas that are a bit harder to simply shrug off--but shrug we must if we want to turn the potential thunderstorms of life into mere passing rainclouds.  Remember that, no matter how intense the offense, the scriptures tell us that God expects us to "forgive all men."

Quoting Elder Lionel Kendrick, our speaker said, "In this life...even if personal freedoms are restricted or taken away, [we] can choose how to feel and how to react."  The choice is always ours.

This wonderful speaker continued, "Of course with the freedom of our agency comes risks and the inevitable mistakes we will make on our path through life.  That is why agency is intertwined with the Atonement--Through the Atonement [of Jesus Christ] we can be cleansed from sin."  --allowing us to learn from our missteps and choose to react better next time.