The following is excerpted from LDS Living. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Most of us were raised on stories of the prophets of God. We were told of their many strengths and taught to emulate their righteousness. Yet, just as they had strengths that we can learn from, it is also important to remember that every prophet had weaknesses that we can learn from, too. Moses, Nephi, and even Brigham Young; they all had them. Here are five prophets and the weaknesses that made them strong.
Peter: Fear
Even though Peter was appointed as the leader of the Church after Christ ascended to heaven, he still had many weaknesses. In fact, when reading the four Gospels, it often seems that Christ chastises Peter more than any other apostle. The reason was often related to what I think was Peter’s greatest weakness: fear. When Peter walked on the water with Christ, it was fear that caused him to sink (Matthew 14:30), and when Christ was on “trial,” it was fear that caused Peter to deny his Lord three times (Matthew 26:69-75). Yet, the Lord could use even this weakness to make Peter stronger.
By utilizing the enabling power of Jesus Christ, Peter used his darkest moment to learn and overcome the weakness that had plagued him for so long. We can see this in the way he responded to a situation later in his life, recorded in Acts 4 and 5. In these chapters, Peter was preaching to the people when he was arrested. There he was commanded to cease his preaching of Jesus Christ. He faced the same consequences facing him in Matthew 26, but this time Peter would not yield to fear. Peter continued to preach and was arrested again. His captors asked him, “Did not we straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name?” Peter responded by saying “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Peter no longer feared for his faith was firm in the hope of Christ.
Never before have we needed an example like Peter’s than we do in this day and age. Christ has warned us that in these, the latter days, “men’s hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people” (D&C 88:91, see also Luke 21:26). Disasters, wars, disease, all these things, along with all of our personal dark days and traumas, could give us plenty of reason to fear. However, we should follow the example of Peter and learn from these low points so that we can emerge faith-filled and confident in the Lord and His plan.
Brigham Young: Anger
Lest you start thinking that only the prophets in the scriptures had weaknesses, let’s take a look at some modern-day prophets. President Brigham Young, the “Lion of the Lord,” struggled with anger. By his own admittance, one of his more prevalent weaknesses was his temper: “I will say, there is not a man in this house who has a more indomitable and unyielding temper than myself.”
While he did have his slips, President Young always worked to become a master of self-control, especially in this area. He wrote “…there is not a man in the world who cannot overcome his passion, if he will struggle earnestly to do so…pray for the strength to overcome…[if] your knees are unwilling to bow, say to them, ‘Knees, get down there’; make them bend and remain there until you obtain the Spirit of the Lord.” On one occasion, a rather expensive saddle of his had fallen to the ground and had been trampled by the horses all night long. President Young called the workers together and, in his anger, reprimanded them all.
After yelling at those who worked in his stable, President Young took his own advice. He shut himself in his office and was heard to say, “Down on your knees, Brigham, get down on your knees!”
Whether we suffer from anger, lust, or any similar temptation, our ability to exercise self-control is one of the most important things we will do on this earth. Elder Bednar has said, “The precise nature of the test of mortality, then, can be summarized in the following question: Will I respond to the inclinations of the natural man, or will I yield to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and put off the natural man…?” Considering his own weakness, there is much we could learn about self-control from President Young.
George Albert Smith: Mental Health
President George Albert Smith suffered from severe depression and anxiety. His grandchildren reported that some days he simply could not pull himself together and would take to his bed for several days. In 1909, while serving as the president of the Church, his depression and anxiety became so bad that for most of the year he was either bedridden or outside of Salt Lake recovering.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.