Rewind to December 3, 2013. I was sitting in the JSB watching the Tuesday Devotional. This was the first devotional that I got to attend since before practicum. Can I just say that it was that it was perfect timing for me? The person speaking was Brother Gerald Causse, the first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric. His devotional address was entitled "For When I Am Weak, Then Am I Strong."
One thing he said really stood out to me. He said "One reason we may not want to acknowledge our personal limitations is that weakness is perceived by society as a fault or a failure." In a little post-it note on my computer desktop, I put "weakness is perceived by society as a fault." It has been there for the past month just reminding me of this wonderful talk.
Fast forward to yesterday. I was sitting at work when one of by good friends came in. I went over to say hi to him and he asked me for some words of wisdom. This caught me off guard. I told him that I was no wiser than him and thus did not really have any words of wisdom, but then he proceeded to tell me "Amy- we all have weaknesses and strengths. My strengths are different than your strengths and my weaknesses are different than your weaknesses. So of your you have some sort of knowledge to share with me." Okay- maybe that isn't an exact quote, but it was along those lines (Sorry Ben if I completely butchered that). We then went on to have a good conversation because I didn't feel weak anymore. I knew that we were both on equal footing, maybe in different areas, but neither one of us was better than the other.
Now today, I was sitting in class (paying close attention of course) and I saw the quote on my desktop. I read it in my mind, but then I wanted to add a part to it. That is when I added three simple words.
"Society is wrong."
It was exactly what I needed to put everything into perspective. "Weakness is perceived by society as a fault. Society is wrong." We are not weak because of our weaknesses. Doesn't that sound a little strange? Our weaknesses are what bring us experience. They are what allow us to humble ourselves to become closer to our Heavenly Father. Why in the world would this be a fault?
Another quote from Brother Causse:
"Recognizing our personal limitations does not mean that we should put ourselves down and wallow in our weaknesses. Accepting our limitations is not an excuse to limit ourselves....Another important point to remember is that we usually experience our greatest growth when we face difficult, if not impossible, situations."
Society wants us to see these weaknesses as what they are just here on earth, but instead we should look to God for help in our weaknesses. We should look at them as little opportunities to continue to grow and progress.
I know that this is all easier said than done. Society's pull is extremely strong sometimes. It is easy to listen to the voices of the media, friends, and even family members. But when we see that the weaknesses that we have are perceived by society as faults we need to remember society is wrong.
Come What May and Love It!!
One thing he said really stood out to me. He said "One reason we may not want to acknowledge our personal limitations is that weakness is perceived by society as a fault or a failure." In a little post-it note on my computer desktop, I put "weakness is perceived by society as a fault." It has been there for the past month just reminding me of this wonderful talk.
Fast forward to yesterday. I was sitting at work when one of by good friends came in. I went over to say hi to him and he asked me for some words of wisdom. This caught me off guard. I told him that I was no wiser than him and thus did not really have any words of wisdom, but then he proceeded to tell me "Amy- we all have weaknesses and strengths. My strengths are different than your strengths and my weaknesses are different than your weaknesses. So of your you have some sort of knowledge to share with me." Okay- maybe that isn't an exact quote, but it was along those lines (Sorry Ben if I completely butchered that). We then went on to have a good conversation because I didn't feel weak anymore. I knew that we were both on equal footing, maybe in different areas, but neither one of us was better than the other.
Now today, I was sitting in class (paying close attention of course) and I saw the quote on my desktop. I read it in my mind, but then I wanted to add a part to it. That is when I added three simple words.
"Society is wrong."
It was exactly what I needed to put everything into perspective. "Weakness is perceived by society as a fault. Society is wrong." We are not weak because of our weaknesses. Doesn't that sound a little strange? Our weaknesses are what bring us experience. They are what allow us to humble ourselves to become closer to our Heavenly Father. Why in the world would this be a fault?Another quote from Brother Causse:
"Recognizing our personal limitations does not mean that we should put ourselves down and wallow in our weaknesses. Accepting our limitations is not an excuse to limit ourselves....Another important point to remember is that we usually experience our greatest growth when we face difficult, if not impossible, situations."
Society wants us to see these weaknesses as what they are just here on earth, but instead we should look to God for help in our weaknesses. We should look at them as little opportunities to continue to grow and progress.
I know that this is all easier said than done. Society's pull is extremely strong sometimes. It is easy to listen to the voices of the media, friends, and even family members. But when we see that the weaknesses that we have are perceived by society as faults we need to remember society is wrong.
Come What May and Love It!!
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