Thanks for sharing.

I think here the Lord gives a wonderful promise. Oliver was one those whose every enterprise seems to prosper. However, the Lord saw fit to remind the Saints that his sacrifice was more sacred for him than his increase.

We’re left wondering what the “fall” was that the Lord was referring to, but that’s just a reminder that not all failures are equally visible. We all fail; if by nothing else, then by never daring to try things that look difficult.

In that early spring I had a week long hospital stay. I came out pretty weak and pitiful. My coach still chose to place me in the 3200 race within a week of that stay. I told him that I wasn’t really in a position to compete and he replied that we don’t just run the race only when we have a chance of winning -I needed the experience. At the time it seemed cruel. I raced in a blizzard, not only did I place last-I was also lapped (so humiliating), and I didn’t feel well.

But I did need that race, I think about it all the time. I’m a better person for getting lapped:) I don’t necessarily have to be a competitor in order to take something on, it still may be worth my while. And, 3 years later, in a tornado (seriously), I won a huge 3200 race.

JenJ, sending love your direction. Thanks for sharing your experience here.

Blue, I love that scripture and the many layers of that passage. I think sometimes our weaknesses become our strengths because we work hard to make them so. Lately I’ve realized that sometimes what we perceive as weaknesses were strengths all along, just needing to be viewed with a different lens.

rk, Bravo on turning those lessons into strengths!

I’ve reflected a lot on this experience over the years. I became a mother and started reading some very good discipline books. As I started reading one book in particular one piece of advice really struck me hard. Immediately I thought, “That’s what I did wrong!!! That was one of my main mistakes!” It happened to be a common mistake among parents and teachers. I’ve also figured out other tricks that could have helped me avoid that catastrophic teaching experience. Because of this experience, I am a much better parent. While student teaching I prayed for it to magically get better, but I learned that there are no shortcuts in gaining experience.

– 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 think of weaknesses like failures; as “opportunities” for us to grow and evolve in ways that will ultimately lead us back to God if we keep perspective and hang in there with faith.

I also look at my weaknesses and take heart that someday those very things that have held me back and caused me anguish will apparently someday become defining strengths(!)

Based on my history, this means I’m set to be ultra rockin’ awesome one of these…well, let’s just say eventually. ♥

And now I want to correct my grammar, because good people don’t mess up that way. HA.

I’m SO sorry.

“Your children will learn more from watching you pick yourself up and try again, than if you never made a mistake.”

That brings something my therapist has been talking about with regard to all the weakness I deal with (chronic illness, etc). It’s been so hard not to focus on how much I miss as a mom because of my health; she’s been trying to help me see that there is more to my mothering than just what I can or can’t DO.

Another friend said something along these lines, “I don’t want my headstone to say, ‘She was a human doing’ — I want to be a human being.”

Hard when you have spent so much of your life defining self by the DOs.

I also struggle with helping my children be goal-oriented and working hard, but not letting the checklists, grades, etc. define them. I want them to be more wise than I have been.