The Most Important Things: A Letter to My Children

Quite a few years ago during church, a speaker asked a question similar to this: "What do you think is the most important thing for your children to learn?" I have thought a lot about that question. What are the most important things to me? If I were to die, what are the things that I would have wanted to have passed on to my children? This post is an attempt to answer that question. I have limited myself to 5 principles. I feel like if my children know and understand these 5 things that I will have done a good job and I would be confident in their ability to face any challenge that they may encounter in life.

God loves you

Implicit in that statement is the knowledge that God exists. He is your Heavenly Father, the father of your spirit. He knows you personally and loves you individually. He listens to your prayers and answers them.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
(1 John 4:8)

I consider this the most important thing to know in life. A knowledge of God and His relationship to you provides you with perspective on life and its challenges. You can get through any trial if you know that God is on your side.

22 And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.
(1 Ne 11:22)

Jesus Christ is your Savior

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. His atonement can bless your life by giving you strength to overcome your weaknesses and by washing away the guilt of your mistakes.

18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
(Isa 1:18)

If you are struggling with some temptation, pray for strength and it will be given to you. If you are struggling with sadness or despair, turn towards the Savior and He will bring you peace.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
(Alma 7:11-12)

Faith in Jesus Christ is what will give you the hope to keep going when it seems like you are doomed to fail.

16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.
(Alma 22:16)

Obedience is the first law of heaven

20 There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

21 And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.
(D&C 130:20-21)

God will keep His promises to you. You can rely on Him. If you will keep the commandments He has given you, He will bless you. God may bless any of His children regardless of their righteousness or wickedness, but if you want to be able to call upon God in confidence that He will hear you, you must be living according to the commandments that He has given you.

9 Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.
(Isa 58:9)

It is from doing the small things every day that great spiritual strength is developed.

6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. (Alma 37:6)

By studying the scriptures every day, by saying prayers morning and night, by attending church every week with an attitude of worship, and by serving in the temple regularly, you will have a firm foundation of faith built on the bedrock of Jesus Christ that will help you to weather any storm.

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
(Hel 5:12)

Kindness is the first law of the gospel

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
(Matt 22:37-39)

To love your neighbors means to treat them with kindness and respect.

12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
(Matt 7:12)

I am convinced that the essence of the gospel is to be kind. If you want to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, be kind to everyone you meet.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
(James 1:27)

I love you and our family

I consider myself to be blessed beyond measure to have been given such a wonderful family. Mom is my best friend and the love of my life. I believe that I have been blessed with my very own happily ever after. Mom and I have been blessed with amazingly talented and beautiful children.

4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
(3 John 1:4)

I am proud of how each of you have worked to develop your many talents. Always remember that God has blessed you with talents so you can bless the lives of others.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
(Matt 5:14-16)

You are the light of my world. You bring me great joy and happiness. After this life is over, I look forward to reuniting with all of you in the Kingdom of God.

Love,
Dad

Pyrrhic Victory

There was a Greek general named Pyrrhus who was preparing to wage war against Italy in order to conquer it. He had a very wise advisor who was a philosopher named Kineas. Kineas said, "The Romans are said to be good soldiers. If heaven grants us victory over them, what use shall we make of that?" 

Pyrrhus answered, "If we can conquer the Romans, there is no city, Greek or barbarian, that can resist us, and we shall take over all of Italy."

Kineas then asked, "O king, when we have taken Italy, what shall we do then?"

"From there, Sicily will be very easy to conquer."

"Will we be done after we control Sicily?"

"Oh, no," Pyrrhus said. "We will then be so close to Carthage and Libya that we might as well conquer them also."

Kineas then said, "We will then certainly be able to also conquer Macedonia and all of Greece, too. And after we have made all these conquests, what shall we do then?"

Pyrrhus laughing answered, "We will take our ease and enjoy drinking and having pleasant conversations with one another every day."

Kineas then asked, "But what prevents us from drinking and taking our ease now, since we already have the means to do so, instead of after so much blood-shed, and causing so much suffering for ourselves and others?"

What Kineas was hoping to teach Pyrrhus was that the king already had enough wealth to do the very thing that he claimed was the goal of his campaign. Unfortunately, Kineas was unable to dissuade Pyrrhus from attacking Italy. Although his campaign to conquer Italy was successful, his army suffered severe losses and Pyrrhus is recorded to have said, "If we are victorious in one more battle with the Romans, we shall be utterly ruined." It is from this that we get the term "Pyrrhic victory," meaning a victory that was so costly it is almost the same thing as a defeat.

When I first heard this story it made me realize that we should question and review the stated goals for our actions. Sometimes we may find that we are engaging in some task which is not necessary and may even be damaging.

Source: Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans by Plutarch

The Revealed Word and Modern Revelation

This is a story from the Talmud I came across while listening to some lectures on Philosophy and Religion in the West. It was being used to illustrate the extent to which Jewish scholars revere the Torah.

The Rabbis of the first century considered the status of an oven invented by an entrepreneur named Achnai. Rabbi Eliezer, the patrician elder statesman of the academy, declared the oven pure. But his colleagues demurred and overruled him.

Rabbi Eliezer offered every argument. But his colleagues would not budge. The oven was declared impure.

Enraged that neither his stature nor his argument could sway the debate, Rabbi Eliezer produced a miracle: "Let the carob tree prove it!" he thundered. The earth shuddered and the carob uprooted itself and rocketed into the air.

"No proof can be brought from a carob tree," the scholars retorted.

"Let the stream of water prove it!" Whereupon the stream flowed backward.

"No proof can be brought from a stream."

Rabbi Eliezer, now boiling with frustration, turned to the walls of the Academy and commanded them to fall in upon the assembled scholars. But his counterpart, Rabbi Joshua, arose and addressed the walls: "When scholars are in debate, what right have you to interfere?" And so, the walls did not fall.

Finally, beyond all restraint, Rabbi Eliezer invokes the highest authority. "If I am right, let it be proved by Heaven." Whereupon, reports the Talmud, a Heavenly Voice called out: "Why do you dispute Rabbi Eliezer? In all things, the law agrees with him!"

At that moment, Rabbi Joshua arose again, and quoted a verse from the Torah: "It [the Torah] is not in heaven!" (Deut 30:12). What did he mean by this? Rabbi Yermiah explained: "The Torah has already been given on Mt. Sinai. Therefore we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice."

Rabbi Edward Feinstein explains that according to Jewish tradition, "Once the Torah was given, God is no longer revealed in miracles and voices, but in human intelligence and conscience."

As a person who believes in personal revelation this seems like a strange stance to take. God revealed His words once and then was completely done communicating with mankind? All other instruction, insight, and information must come from human reasoning?

My view can be summed up in a couple scriptures:

 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 

 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
(2 Pet 1:20-21)

And:

 3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
(2 Ne 32:3)

Revelation (either through a prophet or personal revelation) is received by the Holy Ghost speaking to an individual. Those words must be understood and interpreted using that same Holy Ghost. It is as if the Holy Ghost speaks its own language and we must learn to speak that language in order to properly understand it. Thus having the Holy Ghost with you as you read scripture will allow you to truly understand the meaning. This is not to imply that there is only one true meaning for any given passage of scripture, but that the through personal revelation, God can reveal to you certain meanings that will be of most benefit to you at that particular time. As we continue to read and study the scriptures, we will learn "line upon line, precept upon precept." (D&C 98:12) Relying on human reasoning to understand God's word seems self-contradictory. If a message was received by revelation, would it not be best to understand it by revelation?

God Himself has said that every word He speaks is important:

 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
(Matt 4:4)

In that verse, Jesus is quoting Moses:

 3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
(Deut 8:3)

Is not revelation from God, God's word? If we should live by every word that God speaks, shouldn't we continue to listen to new messages from heaven? So why would the Rabbis ignore the voice from heaven? That is my confusion.

In regards to modern revelation, some might argue that there are no modern prophets and no modern revelation from God. It seems to me that there are two simple things that refute this.

The first is that God answers prayers. I think most (if not all) Christians would agree with this premise. If God answers prayers that means we are communicating with Him and He is hearing us. Otherwise how would He know what we are asking for? Sometimes those answers are in the form of miracles (healing, etc), but other times those answers are in the form of inspiration. For example, an idea suddenly coming to your mind that answers the question you were asking of God. That is revelation. God is speaking to you through the Holy Ghost and revealing information to you.

The second thing is this scripture:

  8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
(Heb 13:8)

If God is still speaking to His children through revelation, which was shown through the example of prayer, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, why would He not still be speaking to prophets like He did in the scriptures? I believe that He is still speaking to prophets. And I believe that we need to listen to and study those words of God just as we do the scriptures. "Every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Ancient and modern. We should not reject new revelation as the rabbis in the Talmud story did. We should "feast upon the words of Christ", with the Holy Ghost's help to understand them. That will provide us with the guidance we need to live in a way that will bring us peace and happiness, and ultimately to bring us back to our Heavenly Father.

 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
(John 14:26-27)

Source: Valley Beth Shalom

Grace vs Works

I have long been intrigued by the debate in Christianity on Grace vs Works. The arguments on both sides are compelling and interesting. Of course the stakes are high, with (theoretically) eternal life on the line.

I have been listening to a series of lectures entitled Philosophy and Religion in the West, which has caused me to think a lot about this topic lately. I freely admit that I am not a scholar of philosophy, but here is my understanding in a nutshell.

During Martin Luther's time there was a heavy emphasis on the Works side of things - obeying God's commandments, participating in church sacraments, doing penance when one committed sin, paying money for indulgences, etc.

Luther believed that individuals just needed to confess to God and that He would forgive them of their sins, instead of confessing to a priest or anything else. His reasoning was that if we believed (had faith in) God's promise that He would forgive us, then we were forgiven and that was the end of it (see John 3:16 and Rom 1:16). This eliminated the need for any of the "actions" then common in the Catholic church. Thus faith and the Grace of God alone were enough to gain salvation. Luther emphasized that the outward ordinances and sacraments of the church were still valuable because they represented the faith of the individual in God's promise. If you lost your faith, you could lose your salvation.

John Calvin took this even further by introducing the idea that we cannot even choose salvation. God has chosen His "elect". Those who are chosen by God for salvation are given Grace and salvation regardless of their actions or inaction. And those who are not elected for salvation cannot gain it no matter how well they follow the teachings of Jesus.

On the Works side of the argument, in my mind, are the many teachings of the Savior and His disciples which talk about the need to "do" things. When the rich young man asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to gain eternal life, the Savior said he should give away all that he had to the poor. Jesus followed that up by saying, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25)." He seems to say that baptism is a requirement for salvation (John 3:5). He also commanded us to be perfect (Matt 5:48). And there are numerous scriptures which talk about us being judged according to our deeds (like Rev 20:12-13). If all one needs to do is have faith, why would the Savior teach these things?

These two seemingly contradicting ideas have been the source of my confusion. I believe that the idea of Grace and salvation being a free gift from God is true. To a certain extent what we do has no impact on our salvation. The easiest way to defend this stance to me is to remove the Savior's Atonement from the equation. If there had been no Atonement then it would not matter what we did in this life. We absolutely could not be forgiven of our sins. We all commit sin, and no unclean thing can dwell with God. So we would be eternally excluded from returning to heaven to live with God. However, I disagree with the Calvinist view that we are predestined to salvation or damnation regardless of what we do. I do believe that individuals can choose to have faith in Christ and accept His forgiveness and thus partake of salvation.

With that being said, I have also always believed that Works are a necessary component to a certain extent. Not that they can "earn" us salvation, but because when Jesus paid the price for our sins, our individual forgiveness was conditional upon our acceptance of His gift through covenant.

I still could not really explain the relationship between Grace and Works, but this morning as I was listening to the discussion on how the idea of Grace developed in Christianity, the words of Joseph Smith came to my mind.

“A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things” (Lectures on Faith, 6:7).

So here is my new understanding. Works are necessary because without them one would not have sufficient faith to enact God's Grace. Yes, Grace is free, but Martin Luther was correct that faith is necessary. However, faith is not a Boolean value - it is not just Yes or No. We can have faith in Jesus Christ without having enough faith for salvation. The ordinances and performances of the gospel and obedience to the Savior's teachings are important because they help to foster and build enough faith so that one can enjoy the fruits of Christ's Atonement.

I believe that James lays this out very clearly.

 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 

 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 

 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 

 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 

 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 

 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 

 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 

 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 

 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
(James 2:14-22) 

One needs to "perfect" one's faith in Christ in order to have faith sufficient for salvation. By entering into a covenant with God at baptism, an individual declares their acceptance of Christ's terms for salvation and begins upon the journey of faith and obedience. At that point, the individual's faith is as small as a mustard seed, but through obedience it will grow and produce the fruits of salvation.

You Have Nothing

In The Cosby Show, season 3 episode 8, the Huxtables' daughter Vanessa starts to think she is rich and tries to use that fact in order to gain popularity at school. Some other kids start to make fun of her and call her "stuck up" which results in her being involved in a fight and that leads to a conversation with her parents. When she explains what happened and points the blame at "we" being rich, her father corrects her. "Listen carefully. Your mother and I are rich, you have nothing."

I think we often forget our true relationship to what we "own." We talk about what we have and how we worked to get it, but in reality it is important to remember that all things come from God. We should remember to acknowledge God's hand in all things.

When the children of Israel finally entered the Promised Land, the Lord warned them about forgetting who had led them out of Egypt and provided for them so many rich blessings.

17 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

18 But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
(Deut 8:17-18)

One person who seemed to fully understand this concept was Job. He was a very wealthy man with a large family and in one day he lost it all. His children were all killed, his herds of animals were all stolen or killed, almost all of his servants were killed, and even his good health was taken away.

20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
(Job 1:20-22)

If Job complained about losing his riches, he knew that God could have said to him, "Listen carefully. I am rich, you have nothing." God created the world and everything that is in it, including us. He gave us our talents. If we humbly acknowledge His hand in blessing us we will be able to remember when difficult times come that nothing was truly "ours" to begin with. We should be grateful for what we have when we have it and not bitter when it is no longer in our possession.

Source: The Cosby Show

Stand at Ease

King Agesilaus of Sparta sent an army against Thebes to conquer it. His force consisted of about 1,500 cavalry and 28,000 infantry. Athens was an ally of Thebes so they immediately sent help under the command of Chabrias, but the combined forces of Thebes and Athens only amounted to about 1,700 cavalry and 17,000 infantry. Sparta outnumbered them by about 30,000 to 20,000.

The Theban and Athenian forces occupied a small hill which gave them a small tactical advantage. King Agesilaus wanted to either intimidate them into fleeing or taunt them into charging. If they fled, Sparta would conquer Thebes without any more fighting. If they charged, the allied forces would have lost their tactical advantage on the hill. That strategy had worked for the Spartans in several previous engagements. He commanded the entire Spartan army to advance.

It was at this time that Chabrias gave his most famous command. With only 200 m (660 ft) separating the two armies, Agesilaus was expecting the Theban and Athenian forces to charge at any moment. Instead, Chabrias ordered his men to stand at ease. In unison, his soldiers immediately assumed the resting posture - with the spear remaining pointing upwards instead of towards the enemy, and the shield propped against the left knee. The Theban commander ordered his soldiers to do the same, which they did with the same precision and confidence.

The audacity of the maneuver and the discipline of the execution was such that Agesilaus halted the Spartan advance. Seeing that his attempts to provoke the Theban and Athenian forces to flee or fight on lower ground were unsuccessful, Agesilaus eventually thought it wiser to withdraw his forces.

The allied forces of Athens and Thebes were victorious I believe for two very important reasons.
1. They refused to be intimidated, bullied, or otherwise manipulated by the Spartan army.
2. They had courage and confidence.

Sparta did not really want to fight the battle that was presented to them and they tried to manipulate the allies. The Athenian commander called their bluff.

As I read about this story I thought about bullying in general. What are some of our best tools when dealing with bullies? First, we need to be confident in who we are. This does not mean that we need to be more talented than anyone else. We need to know our strengths and limitations. But we do not let our weaknesses define who we are.

And second, we need to refuse to allow ourselves to be manipulated by others. When I was in 3rd grade my teacher told me, "We control our own interior weather." She was talking about keeping control of our emotions and not allowing the actions of others to dictate our own happiness, sadness, or anger. That saying has always stuck with me. If we can control our interior weather it will be much easier for us to ignore the threats and negativity of others who may be dragging us down (intentionally or unintentionally).

If we are confident of who we are and in control of our own emotions we will be able to "stand at ease" in the face of trials and difficulties.

Source: Wikipedia

Battle of the 300 Champions

The Battle of the 300 Champions was a battle fought in roughly 546 BC between Argos and Sparta. Rather than commit full armies, both sides agreed to pitting 300 of their best men against each other. The day called for complete destruction of the enemy force for victory.

The two armies were evenly matched and neither could gain the upper hand. After a bloody battle only three men remained, two Argives and one Spartan. The Argives left the battlefield believing that they had killed all of the Spartans, but they made one mistake. Orthryades, an injured Spartan, was still alive when the Argives left the field and was technically the last man standing on the battlefield for either army. Orthryades survived long enough to tell his baggage handlers and victory was claimed for Sparta.

It is very important to fully understand the terms of an engagement and make certain they are met. This is a great example of the axiom "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched."

Source: Wikipedia

Faith vs God's Will

I have recently been studying the topic of faith in the scriptures and came across two passages which seem to contradict. The first passage is the Savior teaching His Apostles about the importance and power of faith.

 22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(Mark 11:22-24)

The second is in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians.

 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
(2 Cor 12:7-8)

On the one hand we are encouraged to have faith. And if our faith is sufficient then we will have whatever things we pray for. Presumably there is a caveat in there that if our faith is so great we will not be praying for trivial things like briefcases full of money, etc.

 10 Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.
(D&C 8:10)

But assuming we are only asking for "reasonable" things we are told quite plainly that we "shall have them."

On the other hand, we are told that the Apostle Paul had a "thorn in the flesh" that he prayed to have removed three times. I think we can safely assume that Paul had great faith. So why wasn't the thorn removed?

It is not clear what the "thorn" was. After doing a bit of searching it seems that most people believe it was either some kind of physical infirmity (sickness, poor eyesight, etc) or it referred to something like persecution or temptation. The bottom line is that we do not really know. In any case it is something that he would have liked to be spared from and he petitioned the Lord about it but his request was denied.

This is a topic that has always been of great interest to me because I was born with a physical disability and I have petitioned the Lord many times to be healed.

I think the answer to this dilemma is contained in verses 7 (above) and 9:

 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
(2 Cor 12:9)

The Lord acknowledged that he received Paul's request but told him that the answer was "No." And the explanation reason given was that the thorn was necessary for two reasons. First, "lest [Paul] should be exalted above measure" and second, "[Christ's] strength is made perfect in weakness." Apparently Paul would have become too prideful if he did not have his thorn. And I think it serves God's purposes better to have his message delivered by imperfect and "weak" vessels.

The importance of weakness in keeping us humble reminds me of this passage in Ether:

27 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)

Sometimes we are given trials or weaknesses because without them we may stray from the path. So although we view them as weaknesses, God uses them to create in us great strength.

And regarding using those who are imperfect to preach God's message, Paul wrote this in his other letter to the Corinthians:

 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
(1 Cor 1:27)

If David had been a professionally trained soldier when he slew Goliath instead of a youth then it would not have seemed miraculous (1 Sam 17:33). But because David was young and inexperienced it allowed God to show forth His power when Goliath was defeated (1 Sam 17:45-50).

So when we petition the Lord for something we need to remember that we do not always get what we ask for. I think most of the time it is because we lack faith. But sometimes it is not because we lack faith, but because it is better for us in the eternal scheme of things if the request is denied.

I think there is great comfort in knowing that. In particular if we are asking for a loved one to be healed. If we have sufficient faith but the answer is still "No," we can be certain that is God's will.

 48 And again, it shall come to pass that he that hath faith in me to be healed, and is not appointed unto death, shall be healed.
(D&C 42:48)

Spartan Liberty Brings Strength

When Xerxes, king of Persia, was preparing for the Battle of Thermopylae, he sent for Demaratus, an exiled Spartan King who had accompanied him in his march. He asked him whether the Greeks would really stand up and fight or if they would flee before his mighty army.

Demaratus explained that the Spartans would certainly fight rather than being reduced to slavery because the Greeks value their freedom above all else. "They are sure to join battle with you even if all the rest of the Greeks surrendered to you. As for Spartan numbers, do not ask how many or few they are, hoping for them to surrender. For if a thousand of them should take the field, they will meet you in battle, and so will any other number, whether it is less than this, or more."

Xerxes laughed at his. "What wild words, Demaratus! A thousand men join battle with such an army as mine! Come then, will you fight alone right now against ten men? I think not. Your bragging is weak. Use common sense: how could a thousand men, or ten thousand, or even fifty thousand -- particularly if they are all free, and not under one lord -- how could such a force stand against a united army like mine? Even if the Greeks have larger numbers than our highest estimate, we still would outnumber them 100 to 1."

"If they had a single master as our troops have, their obedience to him might make them courageous beyond their own desire, or they might be pushed onward by the whip against an enemy which far outnumbered them. But left to their own free choice, they will surely act differently. For my part, I believe that if the Greeks had to contend with the Persians only, and the numbers were equal on both sides, the Greeks would still find it hard to stand their ground. We too have men among us as tough as those you described.  For instance, some of my bodyguard would willingly engage singly with three Greeks. But this you did not know; and so you talked foolishly."

Demaratus answered, "Look, I am no match for ten men or even two, and given the choice, I would rather not fight at all. But if necessary, I would rather go against those who boast that they are a match for any three Greeks. The same goes for the Spartans. One-against-one, they are as good as anyone in the world. But when they fight in a body, they are the best of all. For though they are free men, they are not entirely free. They accept Law as their master. And they respect this master more than your subjects respect you. Whatever he commands, they do. And his command never changes: He forbids them to flee in battle, whatever the number of their foes. He requires them to stand firm -- to conquer or die."

True freedom comes from obedience to law. Working united as a team, individuals can accomplish great things.

When the Greeks went to war it was because the soldiers individually voted to go to war in the assembly not because they were forced to go to war by a master. They fought because they believed in their cause and were willing to die to defend it and their families. They were also a very disciplined fighting unit. The Persian troops and mercenaries were not particularly loyal to anything but their paycheck and fear of punishment by their masters.

See Title of Liberty
Source: Herodotus and Here

These are Sparta's Walls

When asked why Sparta lacked fortifications, King Agesilaus pointed to his men saying, "These are Sparta's walls".

It is the people that are important and make the difference. A team standing together can accomplish great things.

Source: Sayings of Plutarch

We Shall Fight in the Shade

Before the Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartans famously delayed the advance of the great Persian army of Xerxes, it was reported that the Persian army was so large that the arrows from their archers would "block out the sun". Dienekes, a Spartan soldier, retorted unconcerned, "So much the better...then we shall fight our battle in the shade".

Always focus on the positive.

Source: Herodotus

Spartans Stand for What is Right

An old man wandering around the Olympic Games looking for a seat was jeered at by the crowd until he reached the seats of the Spartans, whereupon every Spartan younger than him, and some that were older, stood up and offered him their seat. The crowd applauded and the old man turned to them with a sigh, saying "All Greeks know what is right, but only the Spartans do it."

We should always stand for what is right. Treat others with kindness and respect.

Source: Sayings of Plutarch