"I Give Unto Men WEAKNESS"

In our meetings in the Church, there is a scripture that is often quoted to illustrate that God gives men their weaknesses in the flesh, and therefore our weaknesses are to be expected and in some ways, it seems, even explained away. After all, the reasoning goes, God gave them to us.

I am hoping to help others understand that is not at all what the scripture says. The Lord is offering comfort to Moroni as he compiles the gold plates of the history of his people, and Moroni is worried people will make fun of it because of his weakness in writing:

"If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble." (Ether 12:27).

Please take note: The word is "weakness" and NOT "weaknesses". There is a fundamental difference. As a young man attempting the read The Book of Mormon, I was not far into my studies before discovering I was not alone in my spiritual wrestles with God. I found a soul mate in Nephi, one of my early prophet heroes:

"Notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted. My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep. He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh. He hath confounded mine enemies, unto the causing of them to quake before me. Behold, he hath heard my cry by day, and he hath given me knowledge by visions in the nighttime. And by day have I waxed bold in mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; and angels came down and ministered unto me. And upon the wings of his Spirit hath my body been carried away upon exceedingly high mountains. And mine eyes have beheld great things, yea, even too great for man; therefore I was bidden that I should not write them.
"O then, if I have seen so great things, if the Lord in his condescension unto the children of men hath visited men in so much mercy, why should my heart weep and my soul linger in the valley of sorrow, and my flesh waste away, and my strength slacken, because of mine afflictions? And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy?" (2 Nephi 4:17-27), emphasis mine.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Nephi asked himself what President Uchtdorf asked all men of the priesthood to ask themselves at the last General Conference - "Lord, is it I?" Why do we continue to sin, even when we know better? And how is it our definitions of what constitutes sin become so convoluted as we rationalize away the conditions of our mortal probation? I remember one very bright and intelligent young man who explained his rationalization about pornography this way: "Bishop, I only really have one sin and I'm determined to wear that one out for the rest of my life because everything else is in pretty good shape except for that. Relatively speaking, I'd say I'm doing pretty well." I always wondered what his wife might say if she knew his reasoning. I don't really know what happened to him after that, but I pray he came to view his rationalization more clearly as he matured with a little more wisdom.

To refer once again to Moroni, the Lord declared: "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble." (Ether 12:27), emphasis mine.

The word "weakness" is not plural and so cannot refer to the multitude of sins we all struggle with. Being singular, it most likely would refer to our mortal condition, which indeed, was given to us by our Lord, for He alone is the "light and the life of the world." We sometimes see our mortal flesh referred to in scripture as "the natural man" (see 1 Corinthians 2:14; Mosiah 3:19; Alma 26:21; D&C 67:12) or our "carnal nature" (see D&C 67:12; Mosiah 16:5; Alma 42:10).

By our very mortal, physical natures - our "natural man" - we all have an inherent tendency to commit sin. That tendency, not the multitudes of named weaknesses, as some would have us believe, according to what the Lord told Moroni, was intentionally "given" to us by God. How was it given? Through our inherited genetic traits, conditions under which we are raised, the torments and taunts of Satan's minions, physical and difficult mortal circumstances we are forced to live through, and others. And why are we so weak in the flesh? The scriptural answer seems to be to help keep us humble, penitent, and provide a way for our spirits to overcome as we grow in faith in the Lord's perfection and His power to redeem us from our fallen condition. Without a weak and sin-inclined physical body to provide the means for the opposition needed to sanctify us, the plan of salvation would be thwarted. In the overcoming, in the yielding to the Spirit, in the stretching of our faith, we are made better men and women than we ever could be otherwise. So we see, our mortal weakness is a blessing.

I loved what President Uchtdorf said about it:

"The words of the Apostle James apply to us today:
"God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. . . Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up." (James 4:6,10).
"Brethren, we must put aside our pride, see beyond our vanity, and in humility ask, 'Lord, is it I?'
"And if the Lord's answer happens to be 'Yes, my son, there are things you must improve, things I can help you to overcome,' I pray that we will accept this answer, humbly acknowledge our sins and shortcomings, and then change our ways by becoming better husbands, better fathers, better sons. May we from this time forward seek with all our might to walk steadfastly in the Savior's blessed way - for seeing ourselves clearly is the beginning of wisdom."
"As we do so, our bountiful God will lead us by the hand; we will 'be made strong, and blessed from on high.'" (D&C 1:28). ("Lord, Is It I?", President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Ensign, November 2014, 56-58).

I can bear a solemn and true testimony that when we ask God to show us our weakness and how we may overcome whatever tendencies to sin that impede our path, He will generously answer that humble prayer. There will be no holding back. You will be shown how to improve. When your prayers include how you may bless others through your influence, He also answers quickly and with precision. As you take action on the promptings, you will receive more and more. The cumulative effect can be inspiring and faith-building.

When we recognize tendencies to stray, to do evil, and to otherwise violate the basic operations of our conscience, we are not automatically and therefore evil in all things. Instead, evil only occurs when we submit to the tendencies and the temptations. (Mosiah 3:19). Remember, God has given us our mortal bodies through which these carnal or natural tendencies are presented to us so we may be blessed by "the enticings of the Holy Spirit," and thus become humble, penitent, and filled with faith in Christ. As we wander around in mortality, we may seek to overcome our own "natural man," and that includes being shown and coming to a full understanding of our personal weakness. By understanding that weakness, we will be better armed to completely overcome the temptations of the mortal flesh.

Remember, the grace of Christ is what delivers us as we repent and come unto Him. His perfect love for us is only possible because He paid the full price (no discounts) for our sins. It's what the qualifier, the big word IF means - "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness." He will! He does! He liberates! He redeems! One of the most blessed scriptures I know provides eternal hope for all in these words:

"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. Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me — the fountain of all righteousness" (Ether 12:27-28), emphasis mine.

C. S. Lewis

I loved what C. S. Lewis said about the ongoing nature of our quest for becoming more godlike while we toil here below in mortality:

"When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly. When troubles come along - illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation - he is disappointed. These things, he feels, might have been necessary to rouse him and make him repent in his bad old days; but why now? Because God is forcing him on up, to a higher level: putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of before. It seems to us all unnecessary: but that is because we have not yet not the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us." (Mere Christianity, 174).

There is no end in our quest to be delivered from the struggles of our mortal condition, as Nephi reminds us by exclaiming:

"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 because of mine enemies. Do not slacken my strength because of mine afflictions. Rejoice, O my heart, and cry unto the Lord, and say: O Lord, I will praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation. O Lord, wilt thou redeem my soul? Wilt thou deliver me out of the hands of mine enemies? Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin? May the gates of hell be shut continually before me, because that my heart is broken and my spirit is contrite! O Lord, wilt thou not shut the gates of thy righteousness before me, that I may walk in the path of the low valley, that I may be strict in the plain road! O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies! Wilt thou make my path straight before me! Wilt thou not place a stumbling block in my way — but that thou wouldst clear my way before me, and hedge not up my way, but the ways of mine enemy.
"O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm. Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen." (2 Nephi 4:28-35).

I pray we may reach a little higher, try a little harder, be a little more understanding and patient with others, in short, to be a little more kind and solicitous of the needs of those around us. As we reach upward and outside ourselves, we discover our tendencies to sin because of our mortal weakness become less distracting.

Muda - Jesus Christ Cleans It Up

Taiichi Ohno, 1912 - 1990

In business management studies over the years, beginning with Taiichi Ohno, "muda" became a buzzword for eliminating waste from the enterprise.

Ohno was an executive for the Toyota Motor Company. He was the chief architect of Toyota’s mission, vision and strategy after World War II. Ohno recognized that competing with Ford, GM and Chrysler by applying the principles of mass production would be impossible.

Tiny Toyota was producing fewer cars each year than Ford was each day, so Ohno focused on intimately understanding what customers want and were willing to pay for and then eliminated everything else.

Muda is the Japanese equivalent of "waste" in English, and the term stuck. Books, blogs, management studies and countless symposia have been sponsored and executed worldwide based upon his pioneering concepts. As Americans watched, Toyota slowly but surely overtook its "Big 3" counterparts, management experts began to take notice, and men like James Womack and Daniel Jones in the early 1980s began writing in earnest about the Toyota phenomenon.

The gospel equivalent is easy to illustrate. "More or less" is the Lord's way of reminding us of the precision with which He has laid out the path to salvation for each of us. It is "straight (sometimes strait) and narrow." On either side of the path - too much or too little - there is danger.

Jesus Christ was the premortal Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. He came in the meridian of time to take upon Himself a body of flesh, blood and bones like ours. He was the foreordained Only Begotten Son of the Father. He is and will yet be the Promised Messiah, who will visit the earth again, this time as the glorified and resurrected Being destined to rule and reign up the earth during the Millennium and beyond.

In His role as Savior and Redeemer, He sacrificed Himself as a ransom to pay the price justice demands from each of us whose lives are constantly filled to varying degrees with muda. As we repent and give all our muda to Him, we are cleansed, "leaned out," and we become more productive

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

In the last General Conference, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf presented another classic address, this one titled "The Merciful Obtain Mercy."

In short, it was a two-word exegesis: STOP IT! Said he: "This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it!" 

Under the heading of today's post, all of it and more is muda. He even suggested some bumper sticker wisdom, when he observed, "It was attached to the back of a car whose driver appeared to be a little rough around the edges, but the words on the sticker taught an insightful lesson. It read, 'Don’t judge me because I sin differently than you.'”

When we come unto Christ and obtain mercy, our charge is then to spread it around liberally to everyone else. Those who have obtained mercy through their own repentance process, are in a much better position to extend it to others, and we are reminded by President Uchtdorf that we receive no better than we give. How can we be expected to receive mercy at the judgement seat someday, when we refuse to treat others mercifully?

There is a high gospel standard expected of disciples: “I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive,” but then He said, “… of you it is required to forgive all men.” (D&C 64:10).

Is it easy? No. Is it possible? Of course.

One of the interesting teachings of applying lean principles to the manufacturing process is this: Perfection is sought, but discouraged. As perfection is approached by eliminating waste, lean proponents will advocate going back and starting again to make further improvements to prevent complacency and the false premise that perfection has been obtained, because while perfection is desirable it can be self-deceiving.

And so it is with us. By mentally filling out our checklists and satisfying ourselves that we are near-perfect in our performance in this or that category, we deceive ourselves. There is always room for improvement, and we must constantly guard against believing all is well.

When it comes to removing muda, each of us still has a lot of work to do. And when it comes to the Perfect Practitioner who removes it best, we need look no further than the Redeemer of Israel.

Christmas: What Do You Remember?

Once again, someone sent me a marvelous post for Christmas.  I've protected the identities here for obvious reasons, but the message is more important than the identities:

Isaiah 9:6:   “For unto a child is born, unto us a son is given: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Take a journey with me for a moment.  

Think back to a childhood Christmas…what do you remember?   Where was your focus?   What did your testimony of the Savior consist of?   Did you know what that meant, for Jesus Christ to be your personal Savior?  

As a child, Christmas was a magical time in our home.   My mom would knock herself out to provide a perfect celebration.   We made caramels and toffee, decorated gingerbread houses, picked a different Christmas pillowcase each week of December, she made Christmas pj’s which we opened Christmas Eve, and every night we would gather together as a family and burn our advent candle and read a scripture story about Jesus and his character so we could come to know him better and understand who He is and what He has done for us.

Now move on to your teenage years…what were your Christmases like then?   How did your testimony of the Savior deepen?   What was your foundation - rock or sand?   What trials were you experiencing?   Did that build your faith or tear it down?

As my family continued to grow each year –  I marveled at how my parents continued to uphold the righteous traditions we had started so many years before.   As a child we had a few Santa decorations which we would haul out every year, but as we got older, my parents’ focus shifted more and more to the Savior.   My mom started collecting and putting nativity scenes all over the house, everyone noticed and as all collections –  it grew exponentially.   She now probably has more than 100 nativities ranging from one you can cup in your palm to baby doll size and very diverse from many different countries.  

Our Christmas Eves were amazing experiences as well.   My parents knew that due to the excitement of so many children opening presents on Christmas morning, the true meaning of Christmas might be glossed over or lost completely.   So from a very young age, on Christmas Eve, after a fancy delicious meal, we would act out the nativity.   We always had plenty of people to play the parts and my mom would always find costumes that we could wear to make it seem more real.   I especially remember the years that I played the part of Mary and the angel coming to the shepherds to proclaim “glad tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.   For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord!”  

As a teenager I had read The Book of Mormon and my testimony was being strengthened as I participated in Seminary and Young Women.   I was realizing that it was all real, the Savior had died for me.   That gave me the faith to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.”  

When my youngest sister died a couple of weeks before Christmas, our testimonies were tried and miracles happened and peace came to support and sustain us.   Through that experience, we learned for ourselves that Families are Forever.   It was no longer just a song we sang, or a good idea, it was real.   We understood what Alma meant when he said “whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.”

Now think about Christmas in your early 20s.   Maybe you were on a mission, in college, or a newlywed.   How did your testimony of the Savior grow as you started having children and became more selfless and aware of the needs of others?   How did your perspective change as you were heavy with child or had a new baby during the holiday season?   Did you relate to Mary and Joseph in a new and completely different way?

I remember reading my scriptures diligently, not wanting my missionary friends to come home so ahead of me.   I remember praying for guidance and confirmation to know if this boy I was dating was the “right one.”   And the answer was “YES!”

What a blessing in our lives to be able to receive revelation from our Heavenly Father.   Mary received revelation when the angel Gabriel appeared and said, “Blessed art thou among women, thou hast found favour with God and behold, thou shalt conceive and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.   He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest.”   Joseph received revelation when an angel appeared in a dream and told him “fear not to take unto thee Mary to wife: she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Jennie was born January 11, 2000.   So during December 1999, I was great with child and very uncomfortable.   On Christmas Eve, we drove to my parents an hour away and up a 2 ½ mile ice-rutted dirt road and the last thing I could imagine that night was riding on a donkey for days on end from Galilee to Bethlehem!   As we hold our little ones in our arms and are amazed with each new thing they learn and concept they grasp and master, we get a sense of their potential and realize what it must of meant when it says in Luke that “Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”   What an incredible experience it is to watch as our children “grow and wax strong in the spirit, increase in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” as Mary and Joseph observed in Jesus.

Now think about your life this past year 2010.   What was your Christmas like last year?   What was the best thing you did?   What memories do you have?   What have you learned this year about your Savior?   How has your testimony been strengthened through the experiences you’ve had?   What knowledge have you gained as you study the scriptures, and ponder, and pray?

I have been given a great blessing in my life this past year to teach Gospel Principles in Relief Society.   I have taught lessons on Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Atonement, the Sacrament, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost among others.   It has truly blessed my life as I have studied the scriptures and words of the prophets in preparation for these lessons.   My testimony of simple truths has been strengthened.   My habits in scripture study have been more consistent.   I have received answers to prayers.   I have felt the promptings of the Spirit and been able to act on those more readily.   I have made progress on shortcomings that I have as I strive to make “weak things become strong.”

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I hope that as my little family celebrates Christmas each year the true meaning of Christmas will ring true for each one of them.   President Uchtdorf at the 1st Presidency Christmas Devotional two weeks ago said the Christmas “season ought to be a time of reflection on the birth of the Savior and his generosity.   If we look for the good this time of year, our hearts will change and open up to the miracle of the season.”

One of the best things about life, is if we don’t like how something is going in our lives, we can change it!   If our Christmas season isn’t feeling the way we want it to, change it, do something different.   We can make it more meaningful, more full of the Spirit of Christ.

I want to close with my testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ.   I know he was chosen and we sustained him as our Savior before the foundation of the Earth.   I know Jesus Christ was born King of kings to Mary in a humble stable.   I know he was perfect and set the example for us to look to and follow.   I know he suffered both physically and spiritually in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross at Calvary for me and for you.   I know he arose on the third day as a perfected, glorified, and resurrected being having won the victory over death, both physical and spiritual.   I know that Jesus Christ came, “not to destroy, but to fulfill all righteousness.”   He did everything He promised us He would do.   I know as we apply the Atonement to our lives every day through repentance and diligence and as we worthily partake of the sacrament weekly we will be cleansed and strengthened to be able to fulfill our missions as well.