what it does to you and what it does in you

"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name" (Malachi 3:16). 

Every problem has two dimensions of impact - what it does to you and what it does in you. What it does to you is external, physical and easily noticeable. The external is what you easily relate to and what other people see. But the more terrible dimension is what a problem does in you internally. No one sees that, and sometimes you don’t even see it yourself. By the time people begin to see the internal effects of the problem externally, the harm is concluded and you are already finished. 

This is where you have to be careful because what you bottle up inside may eventually blow you up. This is where finding a godly, reliable, spiritually matured person to share your emotional burdens with becomes important. As they say, a problem shared is half solved. I guess sharing your emotional burdens with another helps a lot in releasing the tension within, helping you to minimize the negative internal effects of life's challenges. A problem shared is half solved because you are lightening the weight within by sharing with another person - an appropriate person. 

The Bible tells us to keep speaking to one another, using psalms and hymns to encourage each other because no one is created and empowered by God to carry emotional burdens all alone (Ephesians 5:19). Again, the Bible says that we should bear one another's burden (Galatians 6:2). Even Jesus Christ got to a point that He had to share the burdens of His emotions with Peter, James and John, although He already knew they would not be helpful. But sharing was nonetheless helpful because it sort of lessened the weight of the sorrow in the heart. 

Nehemiah had a burden that weighed down heavily on his heart. It was concerning the house of God and the city of Jerusalem. Having prayed to God and encouraged by the clemency of the king, Nehemiah went on to share his burden with the king, the queen also being present. The king responded by granting Nehemiah leave of absence to travel to Jerusalem to resolve the issues that troubled his mind. But he even got much more than he bargained for because the king also ordered that Nehemiah's expenses be fully borne by the royal treasury. 

I know that finding reliable people who won't backstab you to confide in is getting more and more difficult nowadays. But prayerfully finding one or two people you could be comfortable with won't be a bad idea. I'm not saying that talking with somebody will automatically solve your problems. However, it does help your internal health. And who knows, you never can tell what positive ideas could come out of such discussions. Above all, the Bible confirms that when two or more people who fear the Lord share with one another, heavenly scribes take note and compile a book of remembrance to be placed before God for executive divine attention. When that happens my friend, all things are possible.