“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 is one of my favorite scriptures and has helped me in times of struggle, so I really enjoyed this past week’s lecture from Vernon Heperi on utilizing strengths and weaknesses.  The concept that through the Atonement, we can overcome our weaknesses has always been a comfort to me, but there is another side to this: strengthening our strengths and using them to do the Lord’s will.  We learned in the lecture that it is important to be conscious of our strengths and weaknesses and to not compare them to anyone else’s.  Instead, we need to thank the Lord for the strengths and weaknesses He has given us because He gave them to us for specific reasons.  We need to have faith that He will bless us through our strengths and weaknesses if we seek to follow His commandments.   I have definitely experienced this in my life and come to realize that our weaknesses and challenges are a perfect opportunity to grow closer to the Lord.

      Heperi also pointed out that we need to be careful not to mistake a lack of confidence for humility.  Of course, we also have to be careful not to be prideful, but a healthy dose of confidence through the Lord is a very powerful thing and can greatly increase our ability to serve Him and build up His kingdom.  He gave us our strengths on purpose and expects us to identify what they are so we can use them for good.

      This week we all did a personal “SWOT” analysis—we identified our strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats to becoming better leaders.  It was interesting to see that all of my lists correlated with each other and they told me a lot about who I am as a leader and where I need to make improvements.  I realized that I am a lead by example and through service type of leader and I am very good one on one and in small groups, but I need to be a more vocal leader in larger groups.  It helps to identify your strength so you can figure out how to apply them to benefit those around you.

      In the lab on Monday, we talked further about strengths and weaknesses and talked in our project groups about our personal strengths and weaknesses.  It’s important to know our teammates strengths and weaknesses so that you can help them utilize them correctly.  When everybody knows their strengths, they can call on the right strength at the right time and it will strengthen the group as a whole.  Like the ingredients of a cookie, different members bring different things to the table.  One person may have the ability hold everyone together and often go unnoticed, like eggs in a cookie, and one person may have a bolder personality that more noticeably benefits the group, like the chocolate chips.  Every person can contribute in their own way, and through this unison and collaboration, as well as through a reliance on the Lord, the group will always find more success and individuals will have more growth.