Before going into Ether 12-15, please note that I posted an extra topic last week and then posted my lesson thoughts later on in the afternoon so you may have missed "Prayer and Gratitude" from the three previously posted thoughts from the book of Ether:
Faith through Trials: A Brief Recap
I love the theme of Faith we see in Ether 12-15. We see how important this is because Ether 12-15 covers 28 generations of men, starting with the son of Jared who became the first king of the land, and was a good king. Jared's descendants led to seven good kings in a row from the seven generations of sons, BUT unfortunately, during those seven generations, wicked sons and son-in-laws overthrew those good kings multiple times, and the land was frequently in turmoil. Throughout the next 21 generations, there was a mix of good sons and bad sons, and when the sons were bad, they were really bad. They threw their fathers into captivity, one threw his own son into prison and ensured he starved to death. Incredibly, by the end, there were only two wicked leaders left, and they killed each other, thus finishing off a people that had been sent to the Promised Land and had had so much ... promise. Yet, despite this disturbing end, we learn that throughout those pockets of greed and wickedness, there were faithful followers of God that were truly tested and were blessed for their faith.
Ether Taught about Faith
In Ether 12, Ether cried unto the people "from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled." (Ether 12:3).
How many times in the history of the world, including right now as we struggle through a pandemic and in the U.S., great political turmoil, have these words spoken to you? "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world?" (Ether 12:4).
Ether teaches that faith:
1) Is "an anchor to the souls of men" (Ether 12: 4)
2) Is "things which are hoped for and not seen" (Ether 12:6)
3) Leads to the gift of hope, "if ye will but have faith" (Ether 12:9)
4) Is needed for the Lord to perform miracles. (Ether 12:12, 16, 18)
In Weakness We are Made Strong
I have always been moved by this scripture:
"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." (Ether 12:27)
I want to share three perspectives on this scripture:
1. Moroni's inadequacy. Moroni, the son of Mormon, who abridged Ether's records, shared his fear with the Lord that he was not "mighty in writing like unto the brother of Jared." Who else does this remind you of? How about Moses, who told the Lord that he feared his inability to speak well before the people? (Exodus 4:10–12; 14:31) How about modern day general authorities that have shared the inadequacy they felt to take on these roles and help lead and guide faithful followers of Christ? Although these are the examples that immediately came to my mind, the Come Follow Me guide for Sunday School also lists Enoch (Moses 6:31–34; 7:13), Gideon (Judges 6:12–16; 8:22–23), Peter (Luke 5:8–10; 22:55–62; Acts 4:13–21), and Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith—History 1:28; Doctrine and Covenants 35:17; 135:3). I'm thankful that these records were protected and shared with us in this modern day, that we could see and learn that even some of the greatest and most faithful people to have ever walked this earth had weaknesses and felt inadequate at times. I'm grateful for the reassurance that the Lord will "make weak things become strong unto them."
2. The story of Tom Holdman. I've shared this story in the past, but I had the opportunity to hear Tom speak at a local meeting many years ago. He really made a big impression on me during a year where I was battered on all sides by a difficult work environment. Tom is a stained glass artist that has created many of the beautiful stained glass works in many of the temples throughout the world. Tom is not defined by his impairment, which appears to be a fairly severe case of Tourette syndrome that interrupts his own speech. He is defined by his faith in the Lord and what he has been able to accomplish because of his faith. You can see some of his incredible stained glass work for temples around the world here. When Tom spoke at this meeting, he started with Ether 12:27 that I quoted above. I did not know he had a speech impediment at the beginning of this talk but it soon became apparent. In a 2015 issue of Friend magazine, Tom said, "I was born with a speech impediment, which means I stutter. When I was a child, I was often treated unkindly. But it actually blessed me because I had to find other ways to express myself. Through my art, people can feel my love for the Savior."
I doubt that impediment felt like a blessing to Tom for a great many years but Tom was faithful, and the Lord made weak things become strong. He has a beautiful wife and family and has done much to bring beauty and light into the world mostly through his stained glass work but even in speech, where the place where he inspired me was speaking in front of a group when I needed to hear his words.
3. My own weaknesses. Personally, I've never liked being the center of the attention in a room full of people, raising my hand, or speaking before a group. Through high school and college, I always tried to sit behind someone bigger than me, or with large hair, so I could disappear into the room. I'm no longer shy as an adult but I prefer 1:1 interactions over group interactions, and I have to really push myself to raise my hand and speak up in groups. I "fake it" really well as I can be quite social in smaller groups, so this isn't a known thing. However, speaking up in large groups has been a weakness for me and impacted my schooling and careers, as both in school and work, in American culture, being loud and confident in front of others is often equated with intelligence and awarded accordingly.
Today, I'm an adult Sunday School teacher, and that means leading the discussion and teaching the lesson in front of a large group of adults. I always felt that one day I would be asked to do this in church, in fact, I quite strongly felt that this was coming. However, by the time it happened, the Lord had prepared me and made weak things become strong. I had faithfully tried to do my best with all of my previous church callings, including one of my first ones, where I stood up when the Relief Society met on Sundays, and gave a brief music appreciation highlight each Sunday. I learned what worked best for me to prepare to speak before a group. I learned to rely on the Lord. I learned to become more comfortable in myself as I taught with conviction and faith in the things the Spirit had inspired me to consider and teach. Every calling I took in church, as well as every task I had to do in my full-time job as a Product Manager in technology, forced me to learn skills that allow me to teach in front of adults.
Trust in the Lord in All Things
I want to end with a quote from David A. Bednar, in the October General Conference talk, "We Will Prove them Herewith," said, "Faithfulness is not foolishness or fanaticism. Rather, it is trusting and placing our confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior, on His name, and in His promises. As we 'press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men,' we are blessed with an eternal perspective and vision that stretches far beyond our limited mortal capacity."
I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Christ and the sure knowledge I have that through Him, weak things can be made strong, that we can overcome the trials in this world.
