Ether 12:27 reads, “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weaknesses. 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.”
When I first read this scripture, my impressions of it were that if we ever feel lonely or afraid, we can depend on the lord to help reinforce us and to make us feel stronger and have more confidence. I looked further into this scripture for context and it took place while Moroni was commanded to continue the record of the Book of Mormon but feared the Gentiles would mock God’s great things. His response was the scripture that I just read.
Just like Moroni we all experience fear and weakness and struggle to overcome it. The first step to overcoming weakness is recognizing what our weaknesses actually are. In a talk given by Elder Neal A. Maxwell, he says, “It is not an easy thing to be shown one’s weaknesses. Nevertheless, this is part of coming unto Christ, and it is a vital, if painful, part of God’s plan of happiness.”
Personally, it’s difficult for me to point out my errors when I play baseball. When I make an error my coach will always ask me what I did wrong. Most of the time I’d just make up some kind of excuse by saying the sun was in my eyes or something like that. But when I actually tell him what I did wrong I get a stern talking to for a couple of minutes. That talking to results in a good learning experience for me as I get strengthened in my ability to play good baseball.
I can relate this back to how Moroni was being mocked by the Gentiles because if he didn’t come unto Christ, we might not have the Book of Mormon today. Like me, some people feel defeated by their personal weaknesses and fall into despair or unhappiness. Similarly to how I came up with my excuses after making an error people will try to hide, ignore, or cover up their weaknesses with plenty of excuses. But like the Lord said to Moroni, acknowledging our weaknesses is completely necessary to overcoming them. Later in Ether chapter 12, Moroni’s hardship is resolved because in verse 37 it says, “Because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong.”