I saw a post on Facebook today that has me thinking. I think that sometimes our weaknesses and trials are also are strengths and visa versa. For instance, as a child I suffered some abuses at the hands of some of my babysitters. I have dealt with this since I was 3 and because of this have many weaknesses. I have a weakness toward discouragement and I lack trust with others. I also have dealt with anger, depression, and social anxiety. Because of the pain I suffered as a child, I also want everybody I meet to feel loved and so I treat everyone with as much love and respect as I can. I try to live my life so that everybody I meet feels loved. The trial that has caused my greatest weakness has also caused my greatest strength, or so I am told. We never know what kind of battles those we meet are fighting and so it is our job to treat everyone with the utmost respect and love. I am not the healthiest person you will ever meet. I am morbidly obese. I have had experiences that have crushed me, because of the judgments of others. One time, I was going to see the lights on Temple Square. I was standing, because there was no sitting room on the train. My nephew and niece were also standing. At one of the stops, my nephew started to fall, so I let go to help him. The people I was standing by made comments and gestures about how the elephant was going to fall on them. Then they laughed and made fun of me for the rest of the trip to Temple Square. My sisters were irate, but I just stared forward trying not to let them know I was broken-hearted. I just sat and watched these BYU shirt-wearing people make fun of me. I was humiliated. I didn't allow myself to cry until later at Temple Square when I knew they weren't around. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. How could I be angry? They were right. I am morbidly obese, despite trying hundreds of diet and exercise programs, I still am. It is part of who I am.  But, how could people judge me so harshly when they didn't even know me? My older sister has a few favorite quotes that have helped me through this process. First is, "People are innately good. They do things for a reason. Before you judge, ask why." Second is, "Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about. Don't judge." I think we need to be mindful of others and their struggles. Our greatest weakness is often our greatest strength! In Ether 12: 27, we read, "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 believe that our weaknesses and our strengths can be the same thing, at the same time. I
am grateful for my strengths and my weaknesses, but I do pray that my weaknesses disappear some day. Thanks for reading!