Weaknesses have a tendency to overpower our thoughts and take us down a very scary path of feeling worthless and powerless. And yet, despite working with a world full of imperfect humans, God can still get so much done through us!
As a mom of three children, losing patience is something I am DEFINITELY familiar with (and I sure hope I am not the only one!). However, on this day, it was beyond the norm. The kids had been fighting non-stop, which felt like nails on a chalkboard to my will power. The toddler had taken sharpie marker to the walls, which still hadn’t been cleaned up. Dinner wasn’t done on time, so everyone was hungry. My husband got stuck at work, so he would be home much later than normal. The odds were stacked against me for making it through the day as the “perfect mom”. I finally lost it with my kids in the ultimate blow-up of the century and sent them all to their rooms until dinner was done and Dad got home. When the anger and frustration started to subside, it was replaced with guilt and shame. How can I be a mother and lose my patience all the time?
It is on days like these that my weaknesses as a human are very apparent and it can be incredibly frustrating to deal with. Have you ever had one of these days?:
- When you have mountains of things to do, but you sit on the couch and watch Netflix all day. Suddenly, you feel lazy.
- You wake up one morning with your house looking like a bomb went off in every room. Suddenly, you feel like a terrible housekeeper.
- When you say something to a good friend that hurts her feelings. Suddenly, you think you are the worst friend in the whole world and wonder if you are worthy of having people love you.
- You were going to not eat sugar this week…which you remember as you pop a lil bite sized Snickers into your mouth. You never have resolve.
- You catch your kids nagging and yelling at each other. You think, “Where do they come up with this stuff?”…and then you remember all of your conversations with them the day previous. Ugh. You feel like the world’s worst role model.
Weaknesses have a tendency to overpower our thoughts and take us down a very scary path of feeling worthless and powerless. And yet, despite working with a world full of imperfect humans, God can still get so much done through us!
I love what Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a profound leader in the LDS church from Germany, shared on this subject in 2017:
“Perhaps you don’t consider yourself all that useful; perhaps you don’t consider yourself a blessing in somebody’s life. Often, when we look at ourselves, we see only our limitations and deficiencies. We might think we have to be “more” of something for God to use us—more intelligent, more wealthy, more charismatic, more talented, more spiritual. Blessings will come not so much because of your abilities but because of your choices. And the God of the universe will work within and through you, magnifying your humble efforts for His purposes.” (from his talk, “A Yearning for Home”)
This idea is powerful, especially for women, because we can be so hard on ourselves! We think that because of our weaknesses, we can’t do ANYTHING, and that they keep us from doing any good. Reality is that God uses us DESPITE our weaknesses. And maybe our weaknesses are a way to get closer to God and for Him to humble us so He can continue to use us.
During an especially difficult time in my life, I found myself dwelling way too much on my weaknesses. So much so, that there were many days I struggled with getting the basic necessities of being a wife and a mother done. During this time, I was challenged to take some time to write a letter from God to myself. I was supposed to think about and pray about what God would say to me when I was being so hard on myself. I am not going to lie, this activity actually took me months to complete…not because I couldn’t find the time, but because I literally did not feel like I wanted to hear what He would say to me. I felt like He would be disappointed, frustrated, and upset because I had not been able to overcome my weaknesses.
After a few months went by, I finally found myself able to start writing. Not only were the words filled with peace and joy, but I was also surprised by these words:
“Stephanie, you are a special daughter of mine that has so much potential. I am so proud of how hard you are working to do the right thing. You are heading in the right direction. I want to encourage you to KEEP DOING WHAT YOU ARE DOING!! You are on your perfect journey and I am there with you, guiding you, helping you, loving you. I see your potential and I know you are doing exactly what you need to be doing in order to get there.”
God is not only aware of our weaknesses, but He also knows WHY WE HAVE THEM! He also knows how best to use us as instruments in His hands even with our weaknesses! Again from Dieter Uchtdorf’s talk: “The history of God’s work is filled with people who considered themselves inadequate. But they humbly served, relying on the grace of God and His promise: ‘Their arm shall be my arm, and I will be their shield … , and they shall fight manfully for me; and … I [will] preserve them.’” (“A Yearning for Home”, 2017)
On those days that my weaknesses want to take over, I now get on my knees and simply pray for one thing: to be reminded that God loves me no matter how much I mess up. I have found that this simple prayer ALWAYS brings me a little taste of peace through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I can then move forward with hope, joy, and love. No, my weaknesses do not go away, but my worth as a daughter of God stays in the front of my mind and I can more fully be ready to serve God however He sees fit.
Take time to think about what God would say to you during your hard days. If you feel so inclined, write it down in letter form. If you feel so inclined, we would love to hear about your experience by sending a message to A Voice of Gladness here.
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