One of my weaknesses that Heavenly Father has blessed me with is a poor sense of direction. I get lost in hotels trying to find my hotel room and coming out of grocery stores trying to find a car. Unless I've taken a route about a hundred times and know exactly where I'm going, I'm always directional confused. Thanks to modern technology and GPS, I get lost a little bit less.
Late one night this week, Elder Kiser and I were out in the streets of Yakima knocking doors. I felt impressed to go up a couple streets and try and find a former investigator that I taught a couple of months ago who was on date and progressing towards baptism. As we were walking out in the dark, cold night air, I realized after a block of so that we had been walking in the complete opposite direction that we needed to be going. I looked at Elder Kiser and started to laugh, and told him that we are nowhere near close where we were supposed to be going, however there must be some reason why Heavenly Father gave me this weakness. Perhaps it is so that I could be more easily lead to where He truly needed us to be.
We stopped on the street corner we were at and saw a house with lights on across the road. Like moths to the flame, we flew over to knock the door. A shorter gentleman opened right up and said, "Dios les bendiga, pasanse." He welcomed us right in and had us talk with his wife and his children and sat us down. We asked him a couple questions about his religious beliefs and background, and learned that he is very good friends with some recent-converts up in Tieton and has spoken with missionaries a while back before he moved. Since the move, they haven't been back since. As we shared the Restoration with him and his family, as he said the closing prayer tears filled the eyes of him and his wife. The Spirit was strong, and they knew we were sent from God.
As I've reflected upon this experience, along with many others, I have learned to view weaknesses as blessings from a loving Heavenly Father. It is very very easy to have a perspective that our weaknesses are what are holding us back from what our Heavenly Father needs us to be. I used to view them in this manner, but I no longer view them as burdens, rather as blessings. Heavenly Father gives us our weaknesses so that we can humble ourselves and turn ourselves to Him. If we turn to Him and humbly offer ourselves and work with faith and patience, we can turn our weaknesses into strengths.
"Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things." (Jacob 4:7)
Con Mucho Amor,
Elder King
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