Following the will of the Lord.

Three Key element to Following the will of the Lord

1.       Keeping ourselves worthy

2.       Listening to and recognizing the Spirit

3.       Acting on the words of the Lord

Keeping our selves worthy

As I thought over the message that I wanted to share with you today, one figure found in the scriptures kept coming to my mind over and over again.  It is a little known character who is only mentioned one time in the Book of Mormon.  It may seem to be a minor role in a greater story, yet there is much we can learn from this faithful follower of Christ.

The sons of Mosiah had been working against the church, they had been actively seeking to destroy the church by preaching against it, along with Alma the younger.   Through the visitation of an angel of Light they were brought to a knowledge of the truthfulness of the gospel. They then dedicated their lives to sharing this gospel with all within their influence. 

We read in the book of Alma how the sons of Mosiah left their home and went among their enemies the Lamanites. One of the Sons of Mosiah, Ammon was captured by the Lamanites, but because of his willingness to serve, his faith, and his boldness in declaring the word of God he helped to convert the King of the Lamanites in that part of the land.  The king became overcome and “he fell unto the earth, as if he were dead.” (Alma 18:42) “And it came to pass that his servants took him and carried him in unto his wife, and laid him upon a bed; and he lay as if he were dead for the space of two days and two nights; and his wife, and his sons, and his daughters mourned over him, after the manner of the Lamanites, greatly lamenting his loss. (v. 43) On the third day the queen came to Ammon, because she did not believe that her husband was dead, and Ammon seeing her great faith told her that on the morrow the King would arise.  As Ammon had prophesied the King arose and testified of Christ.  The King and Queen were both so overcome that they sank to the earth.  Ammon also was overcome with the Spirit, as well as the servants of the King who had witnessed all that Ammon had done.  All that is but one, her name was Abish.  Among the few women in the scriptures to be mentioned by name Abish is the character in this story that is the most relatable to me.  We have in this story royalty and prophets, but mentioned in these few scriptures is an everyday person.  One who remarkably had learned of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and had been converted previously. 

“Thus, having been converted to the Lord, and never having made it known, therefore, when she saw that all the servants of Lamoni had fallen to the earth, and also her mistress, the queen, and the king, and Ammon lay prostrate upon the earth, she knew that it was the power of God…” (Alma 19:17)  Abish had kept herself worthy, despite her situation.  I imagine it may have been difficult for her to maintain her testimony of faith.  I imagine her struggle to “stand in holy places and be not moved” but she was where she needed to be and was worthy to recognize the power of God.

Of course the ultimate example of worthiness for us to follow is the Savior.  Each day he followed the will of his father in heaven.  Even as a young man, when he was found in the temple teaching and discussing he said, “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)  He kept himself worthy by keeping all of the commandments. “Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” (Mattew 3:13-15)

 As we strive to follow his example we should not be discouraged if we are not constantly obtaining perfection, but as we turn our will over to the Lord we can know that we are becoming more and more like the Savior.

Listening and Recognizing the whisperings of the Spirit.

As we find ourselves worthy to receive direction from the Spirit our next step is to learn to listen and recognize that Spirit.

One example from the Old Testament from the book of 1 Samuel teaches us of the importance of listening to and recognizing the Spirit.   The boy Samuel was born by a miracle to his mother Hannah and was subsequently given to the service of the Lord in the temple.  After Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli, he lay down to sleep and heard a voice calling him by name.  Three times he answers the voice thinking it is Eli, but when Eli tells Samuel that the voice is that of the Lords he lays down again and hears the voice a fourth time.  “And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.” (Samuel 3:10)  Samuel was worthy and heard the voice of the Lord speaking to him, just as we can hear the whisperings of the Spirit of the Lord speaking to us.  And how shall we respond.  Shall we say as Samuel did “Speak for thy servant heareth”?

So, how can we recognize the whisperings of the Spirit. Again we find an example in the Old Testament. In the book of 1 Kings, the story of Elijah in the wilderness when he is visited by Spirit of the Lord. “ And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (vs. 11, 12)  We too can recognize the Spirit as it speaks to our hearts and minds if we will listen

Again, we are recalling the stories of the great prophets, so let us revisit our everyday faithful servant of Christ from the Book of Mormon, Abish.  After witnessing the miraculous recovery of the King, the conversion of her mistress, and the overpowering of Ammon and the other Servants, Abish witnesses that this is indeed the Power of God. She has kept herself worthy to hear the whisperings of the Spirit. We read, “She knew that it was the power of God; and supposing that this opportunity, by making known unto the people what had happened among them, that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God. “  So now we see that the Spirit has revealed to Abish the opportunity to share the Gospel that she has been holding in her heart.

Acting on the promptings of the Spirit.

So, once we have worthily received the Spirit of God speaking to our heart and our minds the most important thing that we can do is to ACT! Act on that knowledge and prompting. 

I am reminded of the story of Jonah who, though a worthy servant of the Lord, does not act on the Word of the Lord as it is given to him.  Who not only doesn’t act but runs away!

Contrast this with another servant of the Lord whom we read about in the Book of Mormon.  Alma who has been sent by the Lord to the city of Ammonihah, is rejected, despite his efforts to preach the word of God, and he is cast out of the city.  “And it came to pass that while he was journeying thither, being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah. It came to pass while Alma was thus weighed down with sorrow, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying:.. And behold, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city; yea, preach unto them. Yea, say unto them, except they repent the Lord God will destroy them…Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah.”  He not only returns but returns speedily!  As Alma follows through with the command that has been given him of the Lord his is continually blest.  He meets Amulek who takes him into his home, they are then able to preach to the people with success and despite difficulties that they face later on, because of their faithfulness to the Word of God they are protected and go on to teach the Gospel to many more.  So we see that as we act on the promptings given to us from the Lord we are blessed with greater and greater opportunies because He knows that he can rely on us.

So, let’s return to  Abish.  How does she react when prompted by the Spirit?  After realizing the great opportunity for her people, “that by beholding this scene it would cause them to believe in the power of God,?  She acts! “ Therefore she ran forth from house to house, making it known unto the people.” (vs. 17)  As the people assemble, unfortunately they do not respond in the way that Abish was hoping.  The people begin to argue and quarrel concerning Ammon until the contention becomes “exceedingly sharp”.  “And while they were thus contending, the woman servant who had caused the multitude to be gathered together came, and when she saw the contention which was among the multitude she was exceedingly sorrowful, even unto tears.”  (vs. 28)  Abish has acted on her prompting but it has not gone how she expected, we can all probably think of a time when we have felt propmpted to do or say something and despite our best effort it did not turn out how we imaginged.  But we must remember that we are striving to turn our will to the Lord, so we must trust that the outcome will be his will.  So what do we do in these circumstances?  Are we willing to continue to follow the promptings that come.  Let’s look at what Abish does.

 “And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice” She has the faith to act again! By following through with the prompting that comes she raises the queen, who raises the King, who then teaches the people and eventually thousands are converted to the Lord.  This group of people even make up part of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s who “were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.” (Alma 27:27)

 This is the last time that we hear of Abish.  We do not know what becomes of her next because her part in this story is over.  Although we only see a small glimpse into the events of her life we can see how her faith, and willingness to act on that faith helped in converting many of her brethren and in influencing all of us.  It may seem strange to highlight such a seemingly small character who is only mentioned once by name and alluded to in only a few scriptures.  Understand that I am not crediting her with the conversion of all the Lamanites.  But I think we can all appreciate how one person’s willingness to listen to and act on the promptings of the Spirit can have a trickle down effect that can influence countless people. 

Again we can look to the Savior for the greatest example of following our Fathers will.  He gave the ultimate sacrifice, He gave His life, His perfect and pure life.  He descended below all things, turning His will to the Father so that we might be given a chance. A chance that we could not be given based on our own merits.  We are not perfect, but He is.  He is perfect because He is one with the Father.  Because He gave His will to the Father.  He said if you have seen me, ye have seen the Father. We have also been told to be ye perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect.  But how can we? We are told that we can be one with Christ like he is one with the Father? But how? By giving our will to him, by keeping ourselves worthy, listening to and recognizing the Spirit, and then acting.  I know that when we give up our will for the will of the Father we are blessed with greater light and knowledge as well as peace and joy in our lives and the lives of other.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior, and that He gave all that He had for me, and what I can do to show my love and appreciation is to give my life and my will to Him

A whole new world

I guess when I started this experiment with blogging I considered it a form a therapy.  I would occasionally log on and start to write something because it felt therapeutic to get everything out in the open and air it out.  I was really struggling at the time and each time I wrote it helped to aleviate the feeling and confusion that was all pent up inside.  Only on a minor scale did I consider it a form of a journal. 

Well here I am over a year later...what happened, why have I not written anything?  The answer is simple.  The therapy is over.  Thanks to miraculous intervention I have been healed.  I am not trying to be sarcastic, it really is true.  I will not claim to not have had tough times or rough days during the last year and a half, but there has been so much progress internally (figuratively and literally, he he) that the intense purging that seemed so necessary is not needed. 

What brought on such a great change?  And what has prompted this return to the blog?  The answer is one in the same.  I have never been fearless in declaring my faith, but the time is past for timidity.  The change in my life and heart has been brought about because of the Savior.  Wow, this is going to be difficult.  The fear of ridicule is growing stronger everyday and the world seems to falling deeper and deeper into confusion, darkness, and doubt. It seems  that to openly express faith in God or in miracles is to invite ridicule today more than in any other time in the history of the world.  Where then is my faith?  Should I be content to stay safe and comfortable in my daily routine, safe with people who share my beliefs and values, comfortable only thinking what I feel instead of expressing it.  The time is past for fear.  The time is past for doubt.  We need to try our faith.  If it fails it was not sufficiently strong, but if not, then we will bring to pass the greatest work that the world has seen.  We will hasten the coming of the Lord.  But there are many, many who are not prepared. Our friends and neighbors who have not had the full opportunity to learn, to feel, to understand, and to know.  And what kind of example are we setting for these.  When I read the accounts of those who have come to the gospel from situations far beyond my own, from poverty, from third-world countries, from despair and sin, I wonder "where is my faith".  Their faith to act, to follow, and speak out, puts my own to shame, because I have not needed to make the difficult decisions that they have had to make.  I have not needed to sacrifice for my faith and beliefs.  So now is the time to act! Now is the time to speak and to speak boldly.  And I know that if I can find the strength to do it I will be given even greater strength and greater faith.  I just need to start.

So here is my beginning.  I will try this new experiment.  I will try my faith.  I will try to be bold and honest about the feeling of my heart. And I can only pray that it may make a difference to someone, and if I can make a difference in just one persons life, then I will know that it has been worth something.

Depression Part 1

Wow, I haven't written anything in quite a while. Probably for a few reasons. Interesting though that the last post that I did write is so closely related to the one that I am attempting today. By the way, as an addendum to my last, apparently a therapist cost 90 dollars an hour, not 80.

So this is what I was thinking about yesterday. If you asked me 12 years ago, when I was still pulling myself out of adolescence, if you asked me if I had had a tough childhood, I would have said "no". However if you asked if I had had a happy childhood I would have "no" as well. It was interesting to me, the difference in perspective and also the difference between the two questions.
I by no means had a horrible childhood. As far as I knew, we always had the essentials. Food, Home, Clothing, a Loving Family. I knew, even as a young child that I was blessed, we were blessed. I knew that many others had terrible trials: divorce, abuse, homelessness, death, sickness. We didn't have any of those things. I may have, at times, noticed that we didn't have as much as other families around us; but I never felt that I would have been considered a charity case.
On the other hand, when I considered the question of whether or not I was happy, I was always so sure that I wasn't. I remembered feeling lonely, outcast, forgotten, under-appreciated. I am not sure that I would ever have assigned these feelings to associations with people like my parents and my siblings. I knew my parents loved me, and I had so many siblings that I never felt totally unloved by them either. So why was this feeling of unhappiness so prominent in my memory?
What were the things that I remembered from childhood that led me to these conclusions? I could compile a sizable list of all of the woes and embarrasments that my have occured. I could brood over the many snubs and neglects that I could recall. But then I think to myself, "how it this any different than any other childhood?" The answers, perhaps, are found more in my mind and how I viewed these events, than in what actually took place.
Now, and even to some extent at a teenager, when thinking over this quandry I would at times say "wait, why do I feel this way". I knew that despite my melancholy attitude I did have times when I was happy. I could remember just as many, if not more, happy moments from my childhood than the depressing ones, so why was I so sure that I wasn't a happy person. I remember being very aware of my sadness, and loneliness. Perhaps that is nothing out of the ordinary.
I vaguely remember in elementary school at a young age being sent to the school counselor. I don't remember if I knew why at the time. I do remember her asking me to draw a picture of my family. I then proceeded to draw the 8 stick figures that represented my family at the time. Taking care to draw them in order and in different heights. I remember a distinct impression of disappointment from the counselor. I remember, afterwards, going over in my mind what I could have done to make her more pleased with my picture. She obviously was hoping that I would show her what a terrible family I'd had. I thought, "I should have drawn my dad in an airplane because he was always away traveling. I should have shown my sister off with her friends smoking, I should have drawn my other sister and brother fighting, and my baby crying. I was upset that I hadn't done that at the time, to make the counselor happy, but not because that was how I really felt.
I also have a clear memory of constantly being at the nurse's office. There was rarely anything wrong with me. I just didn't feel well. I would go to her office, have my temperature taken, and sometimes lie down on the cot before being sent back to class. I cannot remember how old I was or how often I went, but I know that it was probably often enough to draw attention to myself. I was always secretly hoping that something would be wrong with me. I wanted to be sick, I wanted to have something wrong with me that would explain...I don't know, something, anything. I wanted the attention. I wanted to be pitied.
I remember, in my more dramatic moments, more morbid thoughts. What if I died? What if something terrible happened and I was dead, and they would send my coffin off to "so and so"and then they would realize how wonderful I had been. To see the people that would cry over me now that I was gone.
I often remember playing alone, the same game over and over. Trying to escape the evil witch that held me captive in a tower. At recess, by myself. As Anne Shirley would have said, I often mourned for a real "bosom friend". I often played alone, and did it quite well. I did develop the habit of enjoying long walks by myself, especially in the slow drizzling rain of the Northwest. I would find the nearest trees to walk in and just enjoy the time I spent by myself. I might have described those times as my most pleasant, if not my happiest. I would wake early on a Saturday, before anyone else was awake and sneak out of the house in a sweater and just walk for an hour or more. No noise, no people, no cars; it helped to be alone sometimes.

So, why am I saying all of this, where is this leading besides a trip down memory lane that doesn't mean anything to anyone but myself? I am not entirely sure. I know that all of these things are apart of a puzzle, to helping me understand myself now. I have a secret for you, times don't really change, people don't change, at least in our essence. We may change our habits, our location, our opinion, our strengths and weaknesses. But there is always apart of us that is innate. A part of our nature that has been there from the beginning, and will be with us forever. It is that part of our souls that defines us as individuals and not just one more to be counted and manipulated. And if we can find that part of us, know it, search it, and understand it then we can truly understand who we are. We won't be afraid of it, and try to run away from it, but we can embrace it to our good. To strengthen who we are, to continue to overcome our weaknesses and to enhance our better qualities. Until the time when we can truly become the people that we are meant to be.

Not Caring...

I try not to be too vain, you know, like in a bad way, but I suppose it is a fault that I have. I have been reluctant to put very many posts lately, not because I haven't had a lot on my mind, quite the opposite. I have had so many things on my mind, and most of a very personal nature. I suppose I was nervous about writing some very personal things on a public blog, and I still had a small hope that there were some people who might make an occasional peak at the blog. I have to remind myself that this is not for them. The purpose of this blog is a personal one. I write to understand myself better and to put into words all of the things that I have been thinking and feeling, without having to pay 80 dollars and hour for a therapist - however and therapist would at least talk back to me. I need to stop caring and just write. So here I am writing, to who, for what purpose? I don't have some wonderful purpose, I don't have any amazing insights, I don't even have any cute anecdotes or witty comments. I am just me, writing for me. I just need to write what I am thinking and what I am feeling... So here goes... I am tired. I am tired and sad and discouraged. Everyday I feel like I am not living up to the expectation that I have for myself. I feel let down and like I am letting other people down. I feel like I haven't fulfilled my responsibilities with the strength that I should have. Everyday I feel worth less and less, I feel that I know less, feel less and have less control over my life. So that is how I feel. Now I know that anybody reading this, if anyone is reading this, can think "So what, everyone feels like that sometimes" or maybe "Wow, she is crazy." or perhaps "Someone's feeling sorry for themselves" I would even accept "You know they have medications for that sort of thing." But guess what, I don't care! What I feel is real, what I feel effects me and my family everyday. If it was just me, it wouldn't even be such a big deal, but all of these things combined make for a bad day for my kids. It isn't fair for them! They shouldn't have to deal with me like this! However, I am not looking for excuses, I am not looking for an excuse to continue feeling like this, to justify it. I just want to be happy, I want to get over it. Okay, I really am tired. I am going to bed now

Shame on You!

Okay, so how often have you been at the grocery store (or some other very public place) when your four-year-old suddenly starts singing (loudly) "Search, Ponder, and Pray" or "I am a Child of God"? And how often are you suddenly prodded with the desire to push your cart much quicker or even shush your child? I had one such experience this week. We were waiting patiently at the pharmacy for my prescription to be filled when my two year old asked my four year old to tell her a "holy story". What followed was a loud recital of some of the miracles of Jesus Christ. I know what you are thinking, every mothers dream. The two older children passing away the time, without arguing, and reciting gospel lessons, who wouldn't be thrilled right! So why was I suddenly very aware of the lady who stood up a moved over one aisle. Why was I so aware of just how loud the four-year-old was sounding. Why was I so concerned that the whole thing may appear to an outside subject as a put-on orchestrated by me! Paranoia? No! I was just embarrassed! Embarrassed; not because my daughters knew these stories or even that they wanted to hear them...with that aspect I couldn't be more pleased. I was just embarrassed with the attention that they were drawing and, and, wow...do I even have a good reason? I quickly reassessed the situation. I am a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a Christian, I believe in Christ as my Savior. I know that the scriptures are true (just like my four-year-old who likes to sing about it in the middle of the grocery store). Why, Why should I be embarrassed? Answer, I shouldn't. Time and time over again the world would have us be ashamed of our beliefs and feel guilty for making people feel "uncomfortable". After all, I don't want to feel uncomfortable when other people do awkward things in public, right? Matthew 18:3 says "..Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Everyday I watch my children, they are such a miracle to me, and they teach me humility. They teach me to live my life according to what I know to be true and to not be ashamed. Because when I feel ashamed of the things that my children say and do that shows their innocence and faith, I am fearing man and not God. But unless I can look toward the Lord and realize that it is only Him whom I should fear to shame, I cannot be truly converted. It is not the opinion of the world that should concern me, but of the Lord God Almighty. When I go into my daughters' bedroom each night and look upon their angel faces and see the purity and love and sweetness that they hold, I thank the Lord that I have been blessed with a daily reminder of eternity. Do not forget; do all that you can each day to recommit yourselves to the Lord and be not afraid to let your light shine before men. Don't you dare hide it in a bushel.

Times and Seasons

I love the Springtime! It is so beautiful. Flowers and trees are in bloom, grasses grow and the world just seems more alive. The weather begins to warm, but there are still cool, pleasant showers. All is working together to help life begin again and to flourish. I do love the springtime. It seems silly to say "It is one of my favorite seasons" since there are only four (or three if you live in Utah). Actually, my favorite season is the fall. Which, coincidentally, is the exact opposite of the springtime. The Fall seems so peaceful to me; the changing of the leaves, the cool frosty mornings, the quiet stillness as things seem to fall asleep. It is so beautiful despite the fact that it is a time of ending, decay, and death (that sounds a little grim). It isn't exactly a time of death though, but more of a time of hibernation. And yet, if it weren't for springtime it would be grim. If the fall came, and we knew that the springtime wouldn't come to renew all of nature that was dying, could it be beautiful? It would seem oppressive, depressing, all consuming. We do have a spring though; we know that in a few months time we will begin to see all that has passed return. Beauty, life, glory restored! So is it our faith in the spring that makes the fall beautiful? The Fall lends glory to and brings the true power of spring to our understanding... (I think you all can easily take this next step with me.)
We have just been privileged to celebrate the single greatest event that has happened in the history of the world (and beyond). The Atonement of the Son of Man. When Jesus Christ performed the acts that made him our Savior. He created this world, it's times and it's seasons. He organized them in a way so as to teach us and to help our understanding of the great sacrifice that he has made for us. Just as the Fall is an ending of life, all must come to the end of their own immortal life on earth. If there is no hope of a Spring than Fall is only an ending. And so if all mankind died and that was the end, then it would indeed be oppressive, depressing, and all consuming. However, we have all been given a Spring, a time of life again. That is the gift that He has given to us all. Life Again! And it isn't only for a chosen few, but for all men. Just as we watch in wonder at the beauty of the passing away of life in the fall, we can find joy in the passing of all life that has fulfilled the measure of it's creation.
Yet, the symbol does not end there. In our own lives we may see the beauty of this "new life" over and over again. We have been given the hope of a Spring not only for our bodies, but for our very souls. We may each, at different times, feel a falling away, a dying inside. We may feel that the hope of Spring is gone for us; that we have truly died and that in this we come to a dead end. Do not lose hope in Spring too soon. Life, like hope, Springs Eternal! We are given the hope of Spring over and over again, but our Spiritual Spring requires something from us (unlike the physical spring that we will all be given freely). Just like the seed cannot become the mustard tree by staying a seed forever; it must be nourished and fed, and then the seed itself needs to open and push itself upward towards the light. So, too, we must be fed and nourished, and push ourselves toward the Light of the Son that warms the Earth and brings forth new life. I know that death is not the end of this life. I know that our spiritual falling away can be turned into an opportunity for new life, if we are nourished by the word and warmed by the love of God. Hope "Springs" Eternal, do not despair of the Fall, and He will raise us up through His Love and our Faith to an Eternal Spring.

Catch and Release

What is it about 5:30pm with a crying baby, dinner half made, cupcakes half made, laundry half done, Family Home Evening Lesson to give, two hyper-active children and a husband to feed that just makes a person want to grab their head in both hands and scream...Perhaps we'll never know. However, as I was folding the first half of the laundry while the fed, FHE-ed, and sugared children argued in the bath I started to think about how my day had gone from pleasant to Camp Frustration in about 5 minutes. It wasn't the crying baby (I am all too good at tuning that one out), it wasn't the fact that the baking soda was in clumps in the cupcakes (they all floated to the top to be pulled off), it was the fact that I was angry at me for allowing myself to become so frustrated. The problem with this situation is that no matter how much you know that the real person you are mad at is yourself, nobody else knows! So now you just seem like the mean grumpy mom who is mad at everyone, and short-tempered. It really isn't fair! Sometimes you just need to be upset all by yourself for a few minutes, work through what-ever-it-is that got you to this point, and then you can go back to being the nice, happy, patient mom that everyone knows and loves.
So what do you do to work through all the garbage? If I could have my own personal listener (someone who doesn't require anything from me, who doesn't try to fix me, who doesn't have any other obligations at the moment, someone who isn't going to feel attacked, and who is going to immediately forget everything I just complained about ) I could just sit and talk through everything. Unfortunately, there is only one such person, and I don't have the opportunity to talk to him face to face. So, I could just internalize everything and let it fester, focus on it continually until I feel so misused by the world that I am always bitter and angry, or... I could use that release. For most things, like the little day to day annoyances, it isn't important enough to hold on to, but it is important enough to let it go. In the 22nd chapter of Alma, in the Book of Mormon, Aaron is teaching the King of the Lamanites about the plan of salvation and the King, with the intent of repenting and obtaining peace, prays thus "...wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee..." I love that he phrases it that way, as if his sins had before been his treasures, and that he would offer them to God in order to be clean again.
It isn't enough to just take hold of all that is alienating you from peace, or causing frustration, but you need to give it all away, let it go...
Catch and Release.