A couple of experiences recently caused me to think about weaknesses. Yesterday a young missionary came to my office because she had headaches the week before and felt weak and dizzy, which we determined to be low blood sugar. Upon questioning, I found that she had many other problems since starting the mission: weight gain, acne, bloating, sleep problems, depression, fatigue, and irregular, painful, menses. We discussed how all of these point to an adrenal hormone imbalance, and how it happened from all of the changes of being a missionary. She had lots of stress, poor diet, and many other changes that brought on this weakness. I explained that she would struggle with this all of her life, which she could control only by maintaining a strict diet, and stress-reduction techniques. If not, she would have all of the same problems she was experiencing, and would gradually get worse.
The other was a friend who called me the other day because she needed help with her faith in God. "I have never had a prayer answered," she sobbed. I have known her long enough to know that isn't true so I told her some things where she had a witness, but she said, "I don't see it." Immediately I understood that she had a spiritual blindness and deafness. She couldn't see the hand of the Lord in her life, nor could she hear His voice. I asked her about it, and she said this has been a problem since childhood. "I want it to be true, but I don't believe it," she said. "As a child I prayed, but the answers never came." She didn't have evidence in her mind, or rather, didn't see the evidence she had. She just couldn't see that every prayer she ever prayed was answered.
A blind person will always be missing experiences that are common to those who see. Color, light, and the ability to sense distant objects are not going to be a part of their lives. They must live without them, and rely on others to help them through life. The concept of a rainbow will not have a lot of meaning, no matter which metaphors or language is used. In the same sense, one who is spiritually blind requires the help of those around them to keep them going, but they may never actually have a personal experience and therefore may never really understand.
We need weaknesses
The Lord said, "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)
The first part of this scripture is interesting. It is about "why bad things happen to good people," or why we have weaknesses. The conditional statement reads: "...if men come unto me [then] I will show unto them their weakness." Before we come to the Lord, we are ignorant of any weakness. This is why when people turn to the Lord they get more hardship, trauma, and problems in their lives. Humility is a requirement for salvation so when people begin to seek the Lord, He first gives them situations that brings out their weaknesses. He shows them what they already have, but weren't aware of.
Some people have so much pride they quit. They cannot bear to see the truth of what they are. They need to feel like they are in power. They say it's too hard, and God isn't answering prayers, feeling they are worse off since coming to the Lord. It was better to be ignorant because you get a "pass" and don't have to suffer through a broken heart. While this is not exactly true, many use this reasoning to reject the help of God.
Others turn to the Lord in word only, and assume God will make them strong so they will have no weakness -- every ill will be healed by Him. They feel they can do no wrong, keeping their pride, and remaining ignorant of their weaknesses. They don't really want to know God so He doesn't show them their weaknesses.
Clearly, our weaknesses are a gift from a loving, kind, and perfect Father in Heaven to help us to come to Him. He gives them to us for our benefit, and shows them to those who desire to know Him. Without weakness, we may not have the humility to seek His help in our lives.
Healing our weaknesses
The last part of the Scripture above explains that we may never, in this life, overcome our weaknesses, but persist in trying anyway. Moroni, the prophet who wrote it, saw his weakness in writing and was worried that we would mock him because he was not a good writer. He knew he could speak with power that would carry the words to the heart of all who hear, but he could not write because the language he was using had odd word placement. He saw his weakness in writing and complained to the Lord.
The amazing thing about this is that Moroni continued to see his weakness throughout his life. God did not make him mighty in writing, or heal the weakness in him. What I find most interesting is that his writing is some of the most powerful and easily understood in all of scripture! He kept the weakness, but God turned it into a strength when the language was translated into English.
I had assumed that God helps us to overcome our weaknesses and makes us strong. However, that is not the case with all infirmities. I thought that if I was humble, then God would make me strong where I was weak. That's not what He says: "...then will I make weak things become strong unto them." In fact, the Apostle Paul says he was trying to overcome a "thorn in his side" and was told that it would keep him humble so the Lord could save him. Moses never overcame a speech impediment, but his writings are powerful. Some weaknesses are to be maintained for our good. Perhaps my weakness, my blindness, my issues, my problems, and the things I lack will not be healed or resolved, but rather I will persist in spite of them, and trust in the Lord that He will make up for what is missing.
Repenting of sins
One bumper sticker reads, "Christians are not perfect, just forgiven." Christians, and others who believe in a loving God, often believe that the persistence of weakness throughout life includes sins. We are told that Christ suffered for our sins, and that we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We then believe that since Christ can forgive sins that we will continue to sin all of our lives. We even lump them together in prayers: "...forgive our sins and weaknesses." Many feel that they will always be sinners, assuming that Christ will forgive them of their continuing sinfulness. However, this is not the truth.
While He makes weaknesses strong, He most assuredly does not make sins into strengths. We can be forgiven of sins, but only as fast as we repent, or change, and give up the sin entirely. "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them." (D&C 58:43) We actually have to repent of all our sins and have a mighty change of heart so that we no longer have any disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. Sins are acts of disobedience to the Holy Ghost. We cannot be saved in sin. We cannot return to God in our disobedient state. Repentance is a requirement. We must repent of all our sins until our "garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white." (Alma 5:24) There is no pass for sins.
While we have to give up all sins, the weaknesses we may have to keep. Moses, Paul, and Moroni repented of all their sins, but still had weaknesses in the flesh. The missionary will need to repent of all her sins, and still may have an abnormal adrenal gland. My friend must turn from her sinful ways, but she may still be spiritually deaf and blind, needing others to tell her when her prayers are answered. When we repent, our sins are forgiven, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18) However, the weaknesses of the flesh may persist throughout our lives to keep us humble. Humility brings salvation. Salvation is strength. So, strength comes from humility. This is how the Lord makes our weaknesses into strengths.
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