"My Grace is Sufficient..."

Ether 12:27 - "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."

I have a really big problem with perfectionism. I have been thinking in a certain way for so long that it's wired deep into my brain, and I have a habit of feeling like a "bad" person when I fall short of the unrealistic standards that I set for myself. If I wake up too late, if I don't read my scriptures for long enough, if I don't finish my homework or study for a test, if I don't exercise, etc., I feel so inadequate. I feel that falling short makes me a "bad" person. I've tried to think my way out of it, and sometimes I'm able to. But like I said, it's something that I feel deep down so I'm constantly working on it.

I didn't do my homework yesterday. I haven't read my scriptures as much as I wish I would have this week. I woke up late today and I'm feeling tired, anxious, and scared about what these next couple days are going to bring. Because of all of that, I'm having a hard time not feeling really bad about myself right now. This is why I chose this scripture to write about today.

It's ok that I fall short. It's ok that I don't do all that I plan to. I am human, therefore I am weak. And the Lord isn't mad at me for that. What He cares about is that I keep trying when I fail. This verse says that weakness makes us humble. Notice it doesn't say, "You are weak so you're a horrible person and you need to feel awful and shape up." We're shown our weakness so that we can work on it and become better. The grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient for everyone.

"Don't you quit. You keep walking, you keep trying, there is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some come late. Some don't come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come." -Jeffrey R. Holland