A few months ago, I wrote about my inability to deal with stressful and frustrating situations. I ended on a hopeful note that I’d try to work on that character flaw, even though I didn’t know how to measure my success.

Well, I recently had a major breakthrough that I’d like to share. Maybe my experience can help someone who’s also struggling with this.

A Heated Conversation

I often feel the Holy Spirit rebuke me during conversations in which I begin to feel frustrated. It’s telling me to hold my tongue and forget whatever angry words I had been about to pronounce. Most of the time I follow it because I’ve learned that I tend to get in less trouble when I do.

But something even better happened recently during a heated conversation I shared with an associate of mine. I’ll have to leave out a lot of details and make this as general as possible, but hopefully I’ll still be able to get the point across.

Anyway, one of my associates started to take umbrage at my words during a conversation in which I didn’t intend to offend anyone. I could tell that he was getting frustrated with me, and a misunderstanding was brewing. The more the conversation progressed, the more heated it got on his side.

How I Responded

Instead of getting angry because of his words, I felt a genuine love for my associate. He was trying to understand what I was saying, and it wasn’t going well. So I simply kept my cool and defused the situation in a professional manner. I conceded his point and explained my reasoning in a tone of mutual respect. Looking back on the conversation, I managed to come across as perfectly calm and reasonable.

For once, I felt no spiritual rebuke; I just felt charity. I’ve been doing my best to take my own advice by avoiding temptation and other negative influences in my life. Reading the scriptures has been an invaluable tool in this cause. So has controlling my thoughts and thinking the best of others.

Changing for the Better

I have found that when I’m free of guilt, I’m much happier. It’s worth whatever price you have to pay to free yourself from any and every vice that plagues you. Old temptations give way to a positive outlook. Rudeness gives way to friendliness. Frustration gives way to patience.

As a result, I’m much more easygoing now when things go wrong. I’m not so tightly wound. Whenever I made mistakes in the past, I was eager to make amends, admit my fault, and repair damaged relationships. At least I was good enough to take those steps.

It seems like I’ve reached a critical turning point where I will no longer need to do that quite so often. Perhaps now I’m becoming the man I’ve always wanted to be. Long-suffering, meek, kind, and patient. I’m certainly not perfect, but I’m coming closer to Godly qualities that have long felt beyond my reach.

On an Upward Journey

This journey isn’t complete, but I’m making progress. And I just wanted to share that. Pretty soon I might even be ready to watch a once-frustrating movie like My Cousin Vinny again and simply enjoy it. That will be the ultimate test.

This is the Deja Reviewer bidding you farewell until we meet again.

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