Weak things become strong - Talk

 Good morning brothers and sisters, it’s a pleasure to be here. 

Between you and me I’m a little concerned about how this talk will go. For the last two years I’ve taught early morning seminary to a great group of sophomores and juniors. Teaching seminary and speaking in church are pretty different. 

You’re also dressed significantly better – no basketball shorts, yoga pants.

None of you are trying to shovel in breakfast or are studying for a chemistry test. 

I would not expect any of you to try and leave 20 mins early to get a parking spot. 

And none of you look angry to be here or appear that you want to hurt me. 

And finally none of you are falling asleep – yet. I fully expect that to change and do not blame you one bit. 

I was asked today to talk about how we can gain strength in Christ and was given a wonderful talk by Elder Richard G. Scott titled Personal Strength through the Atonement of Christ

In Ether 12:27, we find a beloved verse that goes like this:

“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”

This scripture highlights an interesting dichotomy of the Gospel that is also a universal sign of God’s presence – that weak, humble, faithful things, through the power of Christ, can become strong. Not just strong, but powerful. 

As we think about this topic, I’m reminded of a joke from one of my favorite comedians. Like a lot of us he tries to read the scriptures to his son, and is always pleased when the scripture lessons sink in. One day asked his Dad if he could earn money by washing his truck. Seeing that her brother was too small to do the job his sister razzed him and said, “You will never be able to reach the top of that truck, it’s too high”. 

To that the boy responded “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me!”

In many ways we are a lot like this little boy. Each day we are confronted with spiritual or physical weaknesses that challenge our faith. As we learn in Ether, these weaknesses are a built in humility engine to drive us to our knees and forward to Christ. Each step closer to God highlights our weaknesses in the light of Christ. But he doesn’t care so much that we have weaknesses, only that we develop the humility and faith necessary to overcome them with Him. Only through His Atonement and Grace can we overcome these weaknesses to become victorious. 

I wanted to share a few examples of real people who have demonstrate this. 

A wonderful example was offered by Elder Richard G. Scott in his October 2013 talk titled Personal Strength through the Atonement of Christ. In this talk he highlights story of the Ammonites and their sons, better known as the 2,000 Stripling Warriors. In this story we’re introduced to a large group of people who have a terrible weakness – they had a massive blood lust and loved to murder and plunder. They were ferocious. If you or I looked on them for a missionary moment, we would think twice. Yet through the Atonement of Christ they experienced a massive change of heart. They were literally transformed from loving to murder to covenanting with God to never take up a weapon again. So committed were they that the buried their weapons in the earth, became pacifists, and were 100% dependent on the Nephites for their protection. In these men and women Christ’s atonement turned their weakness into a strength. 

But years later, as happens to who bear the scars of sin, they were tempted to return. The Nephites were being slaughtered by the Lamanites and needed people to fight. The Ammonites felt a pull in heart to help their brothers and sisters and protectors. The thought entered their collective mind to break the covenant and unleash their fury on the Lamanites.

“Wait”, said Helaman. “What about your sons? They’ve never entered into a covenant. What about them?”

“Our sons”, the parents said. “They’re so young. Untrained. Unproven. They would be slaughtered.”

“Not so” said Helaman. “I will lead them. God will protect them. He knows your weakness. The covenant has promises, and he will provide a lamb. He will be with them.”

In this moment Helaman knew something that no one else knew – that God had prepared for this moment for years. The Book of Mormon tells us quietly that there were many young men – more than there should have been. Just enough to fight and to turn the tide. In this way, God had been preparing for just such an instance.

And what about their youth and inexperience in battle? Any military leader would say it’s a recipe for disaster. But Helaman was no ordinary leader – he knew that the son’s weaknesses are nothing when God in on your side. He specializes in miracles. He loves taking simple, incomplete, weak things and making them powerful, strong, great. He loves doing the impossible. 

To Helaman they were prepared in the most important way. Their mothers had been teaching them from their youth to love and trust God. Was that enough? It was. 

Although the battles were ferocious and deadly, how many died? None. Can you imagine? None. That doesn’t happen – ever. Not the most skilled, trained, prepared army can walk out of such a battle with zero casualties. Yet this is what happened.

As Helaman said in Alma 57: 26 “And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.”

This story is an outstanding example of how Christ’s atonement and grace can be the difference in helping to make weak things become strong. The people of Ammon had a weakness for violence. He showed them that by partnering with God they would be able to overcome and be victorious without lifting a weapon. 

He also demonstrated that although the sons had weaknesses – their inexperience in battle – that God could make them successful in not just spiritual ways but also physically. Generations were blessed by this demonstration of God’s power. 

I want to share a more personal example. When I was called as a seminary teacher two years ago, between you and me, I was over my head. I was overwhelmed and trying to keep it all together. I remember one night after a long day at work I was working on a lesson my daughter Maddie came in and asked me to play. In frustration I replied “I can’t, I’m doing my seminary lesson.” After realizing the hypocrisy of the statement I kicked myself, repented, asked her to forgive me, and went to play. But between work, family, seminary, and the rest of life’s obligations I was in a tough spot. 

I think it was around March or April when I had enough and offered a prayer to God. It went something like this: “Dear God. I’ve done my best to make it all work together and nothing’s giving. Work is crazy. Family obligations are many. Seminary is taking so much time and energy. I’m not doing any of it right. I can’t quit work and my family is the most important thing to me. There’s not a lot of other fluff to cut. So unless I hear from you I’m resigning from Seminary on Friday.” And that was my prayer. 

My team teacher was out on Thursday and he asked me to teach Hebrews 11. If you haven’t read it in a while, it’s a wonderful chapter about how righteous men and overcame incredible challenges by faith. 

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised

By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son

And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong…

Have you ever had a scripture hit you in the stomach? That night it happened to me. I realized, or remembered, that my weaknesses were nothing as long as I was using the Atonement in my life. That through Christ’s Atonement my meager offering was enough. The great bridge builder was able to close the gap between what I could offer and what was needed. God didn’t need me to be the best seminary teacher. But he needed me to be a seminary teacher. It wasn’t about my power, or lack thereof, but about His power and His ability to make me strong. My weakness grew that night in an unexpected way.

A last example is my Mom. My mom is a bit on the nutty side, but I love her - flaws and all. 32 years ago my Dad left her, leaving her to raise 7 young kids, from 14 to six months old. I mean no offense to her when I say that she was way over her head. There isn’t really a happy ending either – she struggled for decades as she raised us. She remained weak as to the things of this world. She never finished college, never had a decent job, never was recognized or rewarded, never had any real luxury, never had a companion to help her, never had it easy. Financially she had no real income other than child support and working at the Dairy Queen slinging ice cream. 

So although she never raised a weapon, every day was a battle. She was weak. 

But my mom had what so many parents don’t – she had faith in Christ. She knew she was not raising us alone. And she smartly engaged God for help. 

I remember as a little kid listening to her prayers. I can hear them now. They were so simple and direct, almost like speaking to revered friend. 

She made sure we never missed church. Ever. Month after month, year after year she piled our motley crew of seven little kids into an old beat up, used missionary reject Ford Escort and drove us to Church. We didn’t even have seat belts – we just piled into on each other’s laps and off we went. Year after year she drove us to early morning seminary. If you think Seattle is depressing in the winter, try the backwaters of Michigan. But, 5 days a week for 20 years she made that journey. 

The lack of worldly knowledge. The overwhelming lack of money and resources. Her utter loneliness in raising our family. All were all major weaknesses. But she knew something that the world doesn’t know - that through Christ and his Atonement her small efforts could produce great results. Weak things became strong. 

There is real power in the Atonement that can become active in your life if we will humbly and faithfully go to Christ. It can help us raise our families. It can help us in our careers. It can help us with our insecurities. It can make our enemies flee. It can elevate us. It can nourish us. It can become transformative.

I’ve shared some examples and want to conclude with one final example.

During WWII there was a woman named Corrie Ten Boom who lived in the Netherlands. She and her family did something brave, courageous, and risky – they helped Jews escape the threat of the Nazis. It was their Christian obligation to do it, and they did so at great risk.

Sadly, an informer alerted the Nazis of their work and Corrie, her sister Betsie, and her father were all sent to concentration camps. The conditions that they underwent were horrendous. They are documented in a book called the Hiding Place. She and her sister had a small Bible that helped them through that dark time, and they learned firsthand of God, his Son, and the power of Christ’s atonement. Of her family only Corrie walked out alive. 

When the war was over she traveled and gave sermons. During one such sermon the following happened. She said, 

“It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, a former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie's pain-blanched face.

He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein.” He said. “To think that, as you say, Jesus has washed my sins away!” His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.

Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I prayed, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.

As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on His. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”

My hope today is that through some of these examples each of us has a renewed hope in the strength that we can receive through the Atonement. And so like any power source, it is not fully active until we plug in. Brothers and Sisters: it is time to Power Up with the Atonement. Only by being 100% charged will we be able to survive the challenges ahead.  

I testify, hope, and pray that this may be the case for each of us in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.