In her fascinating book THE WAY TO THE RAINBOW, Marjory Bell Alexander shares a number of exciting episodes in her own life, and in the lives of those of her family and friends. Mrs. Bell now lives in Kansas City, MO., and she and my daughter Dee Blau attend the same Baptist church.
She was introduced to some of the tragic realities of life in her early years. She begins her book with quite a graphic description of world conditions that prevailed when she was a young child.
“October 1929 – even I, an eleven-year-old, knew the stock market had crashed! Herbert Hoover, president of the United States, ruled a country in chaos. In one day my Uncle Paul lost a $100,000 fortune. Men with huge debts jumped from tall buildings. Banks closed, wiping out life savings. My parents lost the nest egg planned for their dream home.
“The Great Depression followed the crash. Factories and mills shut down. Unemployment skyrocketed to more than 10 million. Mortgages on homes and farms foreclosed. Men sold apples and begged on the sidewalks. A worldwide depression left a countless number of people without a nickel to buy a loaf of bread. Doctor bills went unpaid. Knowing people had no money, my parents never pressed for payment. I remember patients “paying” with cookies to say thank you, while others stopped seeing a doctor altogether.
“One afternoon, while coming home from school, my little brother Barclay and I reached our corner. In horror I watched his second grade teacher run in front of a stopped streetcar – right into the path of a fast moving truck! Seeing her sprawled on the street in a pool of blood – I screamed and ran upstairs calling my father.
“My brother did not see the accident, but saw a familiar dress covered with blood on the street. Not having observed the one wearing the dress, he thought the truck had killed our mother. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He, too, ran upstairs hoping to find Mama alive. Not finding her, he found what he thought was the dress. Confused and emotionally spent, he huddled in the closet clinging to the dress.
“In the meantime, my father ran with me back to the scene of the accident. He could do nothing for the teacher, who had died instantly. He put his arm around me and comforted me as we waited for the police. When the police arrived, my dad spoke to them and then encouraged me to identify the woman and tell them what had happened.
“Later, my dad found my brother in tears in the closet still clinging to my mother’s dress. Kneeling down he put his arms around him and comforted him.
“Only a week later, I looked out the living room window and saw a speeding car hit a dog. I screamed hysterically, ‘I can’t stand it! I can’t stand it! There’s killing all over the place.’
“Hearing my screams, my gentle father ran into the room. He grabbed my arms and in a loud stern voice commanded, “Stop that! Immediately!”
“His voice shocked me, like a slap in the face. I quieted down. Dad put his loving arms around me and explained how accidents do happen. “You must learn to control your emotions.” He said, “Not only for your own good, but so you can help others.
“My father’s counsel about emotional control benefited me in crises all my life.”
-- by Marjory Bell Alexander, THE WAY TO THE RAINBOW, (WinePress Publishing c 2002) pages 25,26.
WE ARE ALL EMOTIONAL BY NATURE
Everyone has to learn to deal with his or her emotions. Some emotions such as love, joy and contentment are good and should be encouraged. But we all have our weaknesses. Anger, wrath, and hysterical reactions must either be controlled, or they will control us. Adverse circumstances challenge our self-control, but we must learn to say with Paul, “None of these things move me (Acts 20:24).
HOW ABOUT ANGER?
“Anger is an emotion with which many, and perhaps most of us struggle. . . Consider the following suggestions:
1. Admit your anger. Anger that is repressed or denied will never be eliminated. As a matter of fact, the longer you hold on to your anger, the more destructive its effects will be in your life.
2. Evaluate your anger. Ask some questions of yourself. What is really making me angry? Why do I feel anger and not some other emotion? Am I overreacting to this situation? Am I angry because I’m not getting my way?
3. Practice forgiveness. When anger is directed toward another, ask God for power to forgive that person. When it is directed toward yourself for some mistake you have made, forgive yourself. Forgiveness is a great remedy in overcoming anger.
4. Avoid any angry mind-set. Admit it. . . . Some of us only look for the worst in almost every situation. When a person is perpetually critical, consistently negative, he and she will invariably be hostile.
5. Focus on the Lord, Keep “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Ask God to create in you Christ’s image. Consciously consider how Jesus would react to this situation. Persistently ask Him to control you . . . your anger.
-- Pulpit Helps, FREE PRESS, January, February 2002, p 7
|