Taking out the Rumination

                 

Taking out the Rumination.

                If you look for it...it's everywhere.  You'll find it littered in almost every conversation, in all different scenarios. Whether it be a walk through the mall or in your own home...most times... out of our own tongues. It's like clouds in the air, it's their all the time but most of the time we don't even notice them. What am I alluding to?

                 Rumination. (I get my vocabulary point for the day!) Rumination in simple terms is either conversating about or mentally dwelling on our problems. Ahh But it doesn't stop their...not only is rumination dwelling on your problems either socially or mentally but it's dwelling WITHOUT moving into problem solving. Rumination is a cancer of a happy soul and life. It's such a counter productive way of thinking but we do it pretty much all of the time.

                How many times a day do we think about our problems? For each time you think about your problems do you also tie a solution with that thought? (If you're sometimes like me, you dont) Step back and think about that...how crazy is that?! Imagine your cable going out on your T.V. and just sitting for days..weeks...months... and just thinking about how much you hate not having cable, how horrible the situation is, how sad you are because you don't have cable....yet...you never call the cable company? That seems like pure insanity to most of us...however we do it often in our personal lives. We immediately stew and visually reproduce our problems over and over again in our mind until we feel like dirt, but we take our time in moving into the realm of thought such as "Well, what should I do to fix this?"

                Their's an excellent example of this in the Book of Mormon: 

18 And it came to pass that as I, Nephi, went forth to slay food, behold, I did break my bow, which was made of fine ^asteel; and after I did break my bow, behold, my brethren were angry with me because of the loss of my bow, for we did obtain no food.

 19 And it came to pass that we did return without food to our families, and being much fatigued, because of their journeying, they did suffer much for the want of food.

 20 And it came to pass that Laman and Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael did begin to murmur exceedingly, because of their sufferings and afflictions in the wilderness; and also my father began to murmur against the Lord his God; yea, and they were all exceedingly sorrowful, even that they did ^amurmur against the Lord.

I love how Nephi responds to all of this:

23 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, did ^amake out of wood a bow, and out of a straight stick, an arrow; wherefore, I did arm myself with a bow and an arrow, with a sling and with stones. And I said unto my ^bfather: Whither shall I go to obtain food?

              So..the whole family is breaking down due to the bow and arrow being broken, even Lehi, the prophet, begins to murmur against God. Here in the woods...across the ocean...thousands of years ago...what do we find lurking in this Book of Mormon story...Rumination. Everyone is sitting around thinking about how bad their circumstances are, without moving into problem solving. And what does Nephi do?...He goes and just makes another bow out of wood. problem solved. Nephi was a problem solver, he never delved into the land of self pity or made a small journey to despair, he simply solved problems.

             The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about solving problems. About looking our problems square in the eye, humbling ourselves, and with the help of the Lord overcoming our problems. As we go about moving into problem solving in Christ's way, he will make us into the happiest person we ever conjure up in our imagination. Joseph Smiths said the whole object of our existence is to be happy...so let's decide to fix those things that are stopping us from being so! If you don't like something about yourself, your environment, your life, you can fix it!...We are children of God and powerful beyond measure. I hope we can all stop complaining, fixating, dwelling, and ruminating on our problems. Let's fix them. I love the Gospel because it is the blue print of how to solve problems correctly and be happy in life! Let's determine to be more like Nephi in 2013 and Change those things that are keeping us from living the life we want to live!