And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. - John 2:13-16.
Growing up I had a horrible temper. I had no control over it. I often struck out physically at those who upset me. My mother counseled me to follow the Savior's example. I then used Christ's example of cleansing the temple to justify my anger as "righteous indignation."
During my sophomore year in seminary we studied the New Testament. As we studied the cleansing of the temple, my teacher and the Spirit taught me a lesson that was the answer to my prayers.
The seminary teacher told us that Christ had made a scourge, or whip, and that took time. Time that the Savior could use to think about what was happening. He acted to change something, not reacted. The teacher showed that Christ was in control. The Savior drove the larger beasts out of the temple, yet he had the doves taken out. The doves could have been hurt or killed in the commotion. If Jesus had reacted as I did, He would not have showed such compassion.
The Holy Ghost confirmed these truths and taught me what to do. I use spiritual and physical "time outs" to help dictate my actions. I am in control and I thank my Heavenly Father for helping me to gain control of my temper.
