“Making Weak Things Strong,” Liahona, Feb. 2024.
Making Weak Things Strong
Nephi shows us how to act upon the Lord’s promise that He will “make weak things become strong unto [us]” (Ether 12:27).
Illustration by Dan Burr
Like many of us, I sometimes struggle to know that I have worth and that the Lord can—and does—love me. I wonder about my future and whether promised blessings will be fulfilled. I worry about whether I can overcome my weaknesses to become the person God wants me to be. At times, life seems disheartening, and the weak things in my life impair the happiness I can find through my Savior.
However, in reading the scriptures, I learn about prophets who struggled with knowing their worth in preaching the gospel (see Moses 6:31), feeling loved and remembered (see Mosiah 24:10–12; Doctrine and Covenants 121:1, 6), rising above sorrows (see Mosiah 24:15–16; Doctrine and Covenants 3:1–3, 9–10), and seeing their purpose in Heavenly Father’s plan (see Moses 1:19–20; Abraham 1:4, 16–19; Joseph Smith—History 1:10–20). Through their stories I find hope. As I seek the Lord, I can prepare for and overcome all challenges. I know I might experience setbacks and sorrow, but I can learn, do, and become more through my Savior.
Weaknesses
Although mortality is a gift, we experience many weaknesses in this life. If we recognize our weaknesses and humble ourselves, then our “weakness”—which often manifests itself in the form of pride, laziness, or perhaps being unrepentant—can be overcome through the Lord and can bring us closer to Him (see Ether 12:27–28). As Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “God will show us our flaws and failings, but He will also help us turn weakness into strength.”1
It grieved Nephi when his family gave in to their weak mortal nature (see 1 Nephi 2:18; 15:4; 2 Nephi 4:13; 5:1). But Nephi also lamented his own weaknesses. Though he loved the Lord, Nephi spoke of “the sins which do so easily beset me” (2 Nephi 4:18), causing him to groan, weep, and droop in sin (see verses 19, 26, 28). He felt encompassed by the reminders of his sins and thus felt pain (see verses 17–19).
But he didn’t “linger in the valley of sorrow” and allow his “flesh [to] waste away” or his “strength [to] slacken” (verse 26). He chose to trust in the Lord and become better. When Nephi chose to forsake sin and the pain it caused, he found new strength: delight, trust, knowledge, rejoicing, redemption, and deliverance (see verses 15–20, 26–34). Nephi found joy in Jesus Christ. I know we can all find joy in the Savior. As we live His gospel, “weak things [will] become strong” in our lives (Ether 12:27).
Strengths
Learning who we are as children of God will allow us to see our worth and bring the Spirit into our lives. Nephi understood this. After he expounded on all the things he had done wrong, he discerned that he was loved, known, and important. This realization empowered him to make and act upon these resolutions:
“Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.
“Do not anger again. … Do not slacken my strength. …
“Rejoice … and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever. …
“O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul [and] deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies [and] make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin? …
“O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever” (2 Nephi 4:28–31, 34).
“I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God. …
“And we did observe to keep the judgments, and the statutes, and the commandments of the Lord in all things. …
“And the Lord was with us” (2 Nephi 5:1, 10–11).
Like Nephi, we can do more through Jesus Christ. President Henry B. Eyring, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, summarized this process: “Those who do not see their weaknesses do not progress. Your awareness of your weakness is a blessing as it helps you remain humble and keeps you turning to the Savior. The Spirit not only comforts you, but He is also the agent by which the Atonement works a change in your very nature. Then weak things become strong.”2
We can choose today to become a more committed disciple of Jesus Christ, to become new through Him. Like Nephi, recognizing our weaknesses leads us to humbly petition Heavenly Father for help in overcoming those weaknesses. Through the Lord, weaknesses and doubts are overcome, worth is found, and our understanding grows. While I may not have all of the answers and might still struggle, I trust that the Lord will help me through, that He will help me overcome my weaknesses and develop strengths.
The author lives in Idaho, USA.