BEING WEAK PART 1

 

Ether 12:27 must be the most important scripture in the book of Ether. It is widely known and widely quoted. It deals with weakness.

I don't know of anyone who sees weakness as a positive thing. None of us want to be weak. We don't want to be seen as weak and we don't want to feel that we are weak.

The world tells us we need to be super achievers and excel in all we do and that it is up to us to make ourselves successful.  For this reason we persist in making goals and sometimes tackling that which is beyond our capacity to overcome, relying solely on our motivation and willpower. 

Both motivation and willpower are incredibly difficult to maintain and so we beat ourselves up when we fall short. And in the process we allow our weaknesses to define us.

Consider alcoholism. The weakness of drinking has now become the weakness of disease. I do not agree with Alcoholics Anonymous who define people as 'alcoholics'. What's worse, they tell people they are alcoholics for life.

I get it, they want people to be vigilant but what happens when you label yourself? You act and behave according to that label. If you think you are an alcoholic, you will always struggle with the temptation to drink. Even some who abstain from drink for years fall off the wagon because in the end what does an alcoholic do? An alcoholic drinks.

The danger comes in saying 'I am'. I AM is highly declarative. Once declared, it becomes a reality you live by. Obviously, the importance lies in recognising that what we do is not who we are. It is better to say, "I have a weakness for drink" than to say "I am an alcoholic". This gives one hope that he or she can become free from drinking through the help of the higher power. One thing Alcoholics Anonymous got right.

The Saviour’s explanation of weakness in Ether 12 would have us know that our weaknesses need not define us. According to the Bible Dictionary, weakness is the primary condition of mortality and a state of being in this fallen world. It is unavoidable because mortality means weakness. Weakness means being human.

The weakness of mortality is manifest in individual weaknesses and frailties that each person has.  In Ether 12:27, Christ told Moroni: "If men come unto me I will show unto them their 'weakness."  Notice the word of 'weakness' is singular here. This is the condition of being weak.

What the Saviour is referring to here is the weakness of mortality, not our individual weaknesses, of which He speaks in the latter part of the scripture when He says: "...for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them". The weak things He speaks of are in reference to individual 'weaknesses'.

So being weak is not our fault. Being weak means being human and a condition of living in a fallen world. This does not, however, mean that we are to remain in this condition. Christ’s main purpose is to lift us out of the fallen world and restore us to the Father through His Atonement.

There is so much more to this scripture in Ether which I am eager to expound on in more posts. This is but an introduction to this important subject. In the meantime, remember there is hope:

The Saviour 'descended below all things' so that He might comprehend all things (D&C 88:6), meaning all our sins and our weaknesses. In the words of Elder Tad Callister: "....you cannot sink farther than the light and sweeping intelligence of Jesus Christ can reach.....as long as there is one spark of the will to repent and to reach, He is there....." (The Atonement of Jesus Christ, April 2019).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Sanctify Them by Chris Brazelton)

UNDERSTANDING OUR WEAKNESS

I don't know of anyone who sees weakness as a positive thing. None of us want to be weak. We don't want to be seen as weak and we don't want to feel that we are weak. The world tells us we need to be super achievers and excel in all we do and that it is up to us to make ourselves successful.  For this reason we persist in making goals and tackling that which is beyond our capacity to overcome, relying solely on our motivation and willpower.  Both motivation and willpower are incredibly difficult to maintain and so we beat ourselves up when we fall short. And in the process we allow our weaknesses to define us.

Consider alcoholism. The weakness of drinking has now become the weakness of disease. I consider the mental aspect of alcoholism to be the most dangerous one. I do not agree with Alcoholics Anonymous who define people as 'alcoholics'. What's worse is that they tell people they are alcoholics for life. I get it, they want people to be vigilant but what happens when you label yourself? You act and behave according to that label. If you think you are an alcoholic you will always struggle with the temptation to drink. Even some who abstain from drink for years fall off the wagon because in the end what does an alcoholic do? An alcoholic drinks.

The danger comes in saying 'I am'. I AM is highly declarative. Once declared, it becomes a reality you live by. The Saviour declared himself to be The Bread of Life, The Fountain of Living Water, Alpha and Omega, The Great I AM, because that's who He is. It is important that we recognise that what we do is not who we are. In my opinion, It is better to say, "I am dealing with the issue of alcoholism" than to say "I am an alcoholic". This gives one hope that he or she can become free from the weakness of drinking. The world, however, does not offer this hope.

This is where it becomes important to understand 'weakness'. According to the Bible Dictionary, weakness is the primary condition of mortality and a state of being in this fallen world. It is unavoidable because mortality means weakness. Weakness means being human. The weakness of mortality is manifest in individual weaknesses and frailties that each person has.  In Ether 12:27, Christ told Moroni: "If men come unto me I will show unto them their 'weakness'. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble...."  Notice the word of 'weakness' is singular here. This is the condition of being weak. What the Saviour is referring to here is the weakness of mortality, not our individual weaknesses, of which He speaks in the latter part of the scripture when He says: "...for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them". The weak things He speaks of are in reference to 'weaknesses'.

The latter part of this scripture is where the hope of freedom lies. This is where Alcoholics Anonymous get it partly right. They acknowledge their powerlessness and turn their will over to their 'higher power'. This is where their success comes from, not from drumming into people that they are alcoholics. Herein lies the importance of recognising our weak condition of mortality and thereby acknowledging that we cannot rise above it without the divine power. This is the conviction which propelled us to accept Christ as our Saviour in the beginning. The weakness of mortality was given to us to bring us to the source of all power, that source being Christ. Discovering this truth in mortality is like stepping back in time behind the veil.

Unless we understand on a deeper level that we need the Saviour to enlarge our capacity, we will not be able to overcome our mortal shortcomings and navigate our mortal journey successfully long term. What is in reality this deeper level of understanding? It is a consistent appeal to Christ, in faith, to endow us with His atoning power so we can permanently overcome the weaknesses of this life and become free.

The Saviour 'descended below all things' for a purpose, so that He might comprehend all things (D&C 88:6), meaning all our sins and our weaknesses. In the words of Elder Tad Callister: "....you cannot sink farther than the light and sweeping intelligence of Jesus Christ can reach.....as long as there is one spark of the will to repent and to reach, He is there....." (The Atonement of Jesus Christ, April 2019). 

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures?

published 2021 by amazon.com

ADDICTIONS AND THE ATONEMENT

So many of us have addictive natures and just about all of us can become addicted to something at some point in our lives.  Addictions range from eating chocolate, to compulsive shopping to pornography.  Some are not so destructive and some can destroy us and keep us in chains for years.  What is the worst addiction?  The one that plagues you.  What is the worst aspect of an addiction?  Being stripped of one's power.  An addiction is inverted faith in something outside of ourselves which takes us away from God and his power to save.  If you have been using an addiction as a way of coping with your life, you have more faith in your addiction to get you by than you do in  the Saviour of the world and His power to succor you from day to day. And if you believe that it is impossible for you to overcome your addiction, you are denying the power of the Atonement.

Addictions are so prevalent in our society that they have become one of the greatest tools the adversary has to disempower us.  He wants us to believe that our addictions are who we are, that they are our true nature.  This is a craft very easily accomplished by the world which convinces us that we are what our behaviour labels us to be.  The world tells you that you are an alcoholic, a sex addict, a compulsive eater, a drug addict, a gambler.  The world uses labels and Satan uses the world. 

Satan seeks to confuse us as to our identity by undermining our spiritual origin.  Consider the encounter that Moses had with both God and Satan.  When God the Father appeared to Moses he proclaimed Himself to be "the Lord God Almighty" and he reiterated to him a number of times that He was His father by calling him "Moses, my son".  This stands out in stark contrast to Lucifer who appeared immediately after the Father withdrew and addressed him as "Moses, son of man".  (Moses 1:4,6,12)  When we label ourselves with worldly labels we forget that we are a son or daughter of God.

There is another reason why labelling ourselves is dangerous. If you believe that you are for instance an alcoholic, you will act as an alcoholic because what does an alcoholic do?  He drinks.  If you believe you are an alcoholic and will always be an alcoholic, even if you are on the wagon, you will eventually return to drink to confirm that inner belief, the belief that says that's who you are.  A good example of this is Robin Williams who after 23 years of being sober went back to drinking.  If you are constantly attending meetings that are constantly telling you you are an alcoholic, you will feel there is never escaping this addiction. This can be incredibly discouraging, disheartening and disempowering.  As you can tell, I do not agree with AA.  I am not undermining the seriousness of alcohol addiction but am rather trying to give you hope that there is a better way if you want it.  You are not an alcoholic but a son or daughter or God.  Alcoholism is an addiction, it is not a definition of who you are or of your self worth.  Therefore, it is better to say "I am a son or daughter of God with an addiction to alcohol".  It is not who you are, but what you are when you are drinking. You might want to contend with me here and say that going to meetings and being told that you are an alcoholic all the time keeps you in remembrance of your addiction and thus ensures success in abstinence.  I am of the opinion that suffering the consequences of our addictions keeps us in remembrance better. And there are always consequences.  I have been a witness to this through someone close to me. 

We should be extremely careful when we speak the words "I am" because what you say you are, you will believe and you will act according to that belief.  When we say "I am", we own that definition.  This is why it is important for us to understand our spiritual origin, to know ourselves, our gifts, talents, our character, our weaknesses and our strengths.  It is also important to understand our purpose and our destiny.  And what is our destiny?  We are destined to become gods.  It also goes without saying that we need to have a relationship with God and know Him as our Father.

Consider the Saviour and how well He knows Himself.   In several instances in the scriptures He calls himself "The Great I Am".  What He is saying is, this is who I am:

"I am the bread of life" (John 6:35)
"I am the good shepherd" (John 10:14)
"I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25)
"I am the light of the world" (John 8:12)
"I am the way, the truth, the life" (John 14:6)
"I am the true vine"  (John 15:1)
"I am the first and I am also the last" (Isaiah 44:6)

No wonder He is The Great I Am! How many of us speak so positively of ourselves?  How many of us proclaim ourselves to be scriptoreans, servants, forgivers, hard workers, believers, healers, people lovers, helpers, peacemakers, good mothers?  We are more likely to hear such negatives as:

I am a procrastinator
I am a glutton
I am an addict
I am uncaring
I am unthoughtful
I am dumb
I am stupid
I am weak
I am fat
I am unlovable

The scriptures say that our words and our thoughts will condemn us (Alma 12:14).  This does not mean only the bad things we say about and to others.  This also means that what we think and say about ourselves corrodes our spirits, damages our self-esteem and distances us from our spiritual identity. 

I believe God who says He can change the inner man and make out of us new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16a(footnote),17).  Once you allow Him to change you through the power of the Atonement,  you will turn to Him to help you handle life's difficulties rather than your addictive behaviour.  Such is the power of the Atonement.  It can purify us and refine us and cause all imperfections to fall away as dross.  Our addictions can then become something positive, a vehicle which has enabled us to come unto Christ. And this is where we want to be, in His safety and in His care.