Sunday, December 23, 2012

"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)

The other day, I showed up at my mom's house to see what I could do to help get my sister-in-law and 10 of her 14 children ready go to the airport. When I arrived I asked what I could do to help and my sister-in-law took me to the laundry room, showed me two boxes that were, in my opinion, already full and then said she needed my help loading the rest of the clothes from the dryer, a laundry basket, and a drying rack. Now, these clothes weren't just socks; they were jeans, and sweaters, and sweater dresses, and bulkier clothes. The thought ran through my head of, "there is no way these things are going to fit", but I didn't verbalize it. I just said, "Okay" and she left the room.

Sometimes, we are asked to do things that seem impossible. They might be minor tasks but are truly life saving for someone else, and we feel completely inadequate, insecure, and unsure of our abilities. Gratefully, the Lord knows better. He always does. The Lord has promised us that He will sustain the righteous. For forty years he sustained the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. "Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not" (Nehemiah 9:21). He not only sustains the righteous, but also will carry their burdens: "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalms 55:22). What great comfort in a world where there is turmoil and challenges to be faced, great and small, on a daily basis.

As I looked at the boxes I knew my sister-in-law needed them filled. I then said out loud, and kind of to myself, "Okay, if the Lord can feed five-thousand and have baskets of food left over, He can definitely help me make these clothes fit. I need a miracle". I then silently prayed for a miracle to make it all fit. I just got to work. I rolled clothes, jeans, shirts, dresses, socks, more jeans, and more dresses. I opened the dryer and was surprised how many clothes there were in there. But I just kept working. My sister-in-law came in and put a hairdryer and a cosmetic bag in of the boxes. She even brought in more socks and undergarments from some where else. All the clothes fit, and more. I called for my nephew to come and help me tape it shut. I call it the miracle of the boxes.

Sometimes I do feel very inadequate, and I am. I am not saying that I don't have talents or that I am not good at things, that's not the point. The point is, He makes up the difference because He is the difference! We all have weaknesses and need the Lord's help no matter who we are and whether or not we recognize it. The pride of man makes us think we can do it all on our own; that we can be perfect, or that we can handle it all without help, even the day to day stuff. Thankfully, we are so loved, that we don't have to, nor are we expected to do it alone. "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). When we are called to serve or do what seems to be an impossible task, He is the One that will fill the already full boxes just as surely as He fed the five thousand with two barley loaves and five fishes and "filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten" (John 6:5-13).

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Beautiful message...thanks for sharing!