This spring--again!--I have loved seeing the tulips and pansies that David planted. I suppose I can look forward to having them every spring, at least the tulips, for awhile. I plan to plant some daffodils in the fall. Then I'll be very happy next year! However, you may notice a big leafy plant in the background in the second photo. David planted rhubarb in our front planter. I wasn't terribly happy to have it planted there, and had no idea how big it would get! I hate to encourage it by using it, and besides, how much rhubarb can one person use!!? I guess I'll wait until the community landscape watchdogs tell me to pull it out, and in the meantime treat myself to occasional strawberry-rhubarb pie. (Major YUM!!)
David's sister Alice died last week and I went with Doug to S. Utah for her funeral on Monday. All agreed that as difficult as it was to lose Alice, we are all quite excited that she has been able to join her mother, whom she never knew. And of course David must have been waiting, too. Apparently she mentioned to her family that he had come to her on 2 different occasions as she was dying, and she also saw her mother. David's family has been very sweet to me. It has been a pleasure to be part of them for a little while.
I am now quilting Marina's quilt. It's very bright and cheery. I hope to have it finished before she goes to Florida to work at Disney World.
I have had occasion recently to contemplate the difference between a "weakness" and a "sin". My cousin Debbie came over for lunch today and we discussed it a little bit. It helped me to think of a weakness in terms of the Lord's giving it to me, whereas, a sin is something I willfully choose to do. But I think they can get a little muddied, so that a sin may also be a weakness, but a weakness isn't necessarily a sin. Sin requires repentance, but a weakness will be made strong through the Lord's grace. Thoughts, anyone?
As it's related to sin, a weakness indicates a state of being particularly vulnerable to a certain type of temptation. A sin is actually giving in to that temptation. That type of weakness is, of course, never a valid excuse for violating a commandment, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe type of weakness that would be viewed as excusing violation of a law of God, in a sense, is essentially limited to the physical inability to differentiate between good and evil. This would be limited mostly to small children and individuals with brain damage (including the various types of intellectual handicap).
There are other weaknesses, of course, that are unrelated to sin, such as poor eyesight and other handicaps, or the physical deterioration that comes naturally (at least to a certain) extent with age.
All three of these are capable of being "made strong" as indicated in Ether 12, the first type, of course, being the most important, since it is a determining factor in our salvation.
When you write "Sin requires repentance, but a weakness will be made strong through the Lord's grace" you are (possibly inadvertently) setting up a false dichotomy. Sin requires repentance specifically so that it CAN be made into a strength. (In fact, any type of lasting strength is made possible only through our repentance and the subsequent grace that we receive.) If we find ourselves succumbing to the same temptation (weakness) over and over again, it is merely a sign that we have never fully repented of it.
In general, we don't need to repent of a weakness, because we choose whether or not we allow that weakness to become an action. Only when the weakness becomes an action does it become a sin, and require repentance. In other words, we haven't sinned if we are tempted. We only sin when we choose to give in to that temptation. (And we can always choose.) Jesus was tempted, but he chose to resist.
For a person with normal brain function, "weakness" is never, under any circumstances, an excuse for violating a law of God. Ultimately, of course, the Lord will determine whether or not we have normal brain function.
That's what I was gonna say. And that I NEVER want ANY of your rhubarb in ANY form.
ReplyDeleteYes, I inadvertently implied a dichotomy. Obviously grace is essential in anything that brings us to Christ. I should have mentioned that I was thinking of this issue in terms of the context of Ether 12 and Ether's fear for his weakness in writing. I think we all have such things, such as lack in confidence, difficulty handling money, tendency to become angry, lack of interpersonal communication skills, etc. that aren't in and of themselves "sins" nor do they necessarily lead to sin. One could make the case that they violate principles of the gospel in some cases, and could lead to sin as discussed above, but could cause a person much sorrow simply as weaknesses. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteMy take on it is that whether it's a sin or weakness, it is an imperfection that prevents of from being truly complete and Christlike. The remedy is also the same for both--coming to Christ and allowing Him to heal you. So, honestly, I don't really try to differentiate between the two anymore because both bring me unhappiness. I agree that sins are more intentional, a willful rebellion. Weaknesses, however, are still imperfections that can and should be made into strengths whether or not we are going to be held accountable for actually having them.
ReplyDeleteWhen we see the results of our weaknesses, we often realize that we need to make restitution even though the original act was not intentionally sinful. But, again, both sins and weaknesses can only be turned into strengths through submitting ourselves completely to the Lord and seeking his healing power. I think the outcome is the same--being healed through Christ--but the methods for getting there--trials, sins, shortcomings--differ. I never think of weaknesses as coming from the Lord; I think of them as simply effects of an imperfect and fallen state of mortality. But once we recognize these weaknesses, we are responsible for bringing them to the Lord and doing all we can to get rid of them because they are, indeed, imperfections.
I am still mulling over my thoughts on weakness/sin. It was interesting to read these! But I got a little teary thinking about my Grandpa's birthday, the tulips, and Alice's words.
ReplyDeleteYour recent quilt is really beautiful.
Sorry, random comments. Lots of love to you!
Mother, I am hoping you'll have some fresh strawberry-rhubarb pie tonight! OR ELSE. Or else I will let the weakness that makes me prone to murderous temptations overcome me. HA HA, probably not funny.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I figured y'all would give great responses here. Reed, you are so thorough and concise!
I like teaching the CTR A class because it's laid out so simply. Temptation is a dare to do something wrong. But we must always DARE TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT! To me, it's about giving my life, my desires over to the Lord, choosing the right no matter what. And I'm very thankful for the Atonement.
BTW, the quilt looks great! Did you borrow it from Aunt Leah? Har har. And that's so cool that Marina will be working at Disney World!
Dare to do right. Dare to be true. Dare to do what no other can do. Dare to...whatever the rest of the song is!
ReplyDeleteI was just reading Ether 12:27 again and how it says the Lord gives us weaknesses to make us humble. I think he knows exactly what situations to place us in that will lead us to have certain weaknesses because he knows what we need to work on. At least I've seen that in my own life.
Yes, Exactly! I think our whole genetic make-up and environment, including our families of origin, have been orchestrated for us in such a way that we will have those weaknesses which we most need to overcome to become "perfected" in Christ. I think this differentiation is very important, and although it is a very big contrast to "sin" our Heavenly Father will turn literally everything to our good, (with conditions, of course)so it can be true to a certain extent for our sinful choices, as well. But I think that is the signature characteristic of "weaknesses." They have, in a very real sense, been selected for us by a loving Heavenly Father who knows what we need to overcome in this mortal experience. I think there is scriptural basis for this, but I also testify of its truth based on my own spiritual experiences. Maybe it isn't true for everyone--we are, after all, on very individual, customized learning paths, bu I know it is true for me. Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDelete