"For When I Am Weak, Then Am I Strong" | Gérald Caussé | 2013
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30:16 mins, ""For When I Am Weak, Then Am I Strong" | Gérald Caussé | 2013" Transcript
The Lord has given all of us strengths that we can build upon to overcome our weaknesses and bring good to the world.
Gérald Caussé was first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional address was given on 3 December 2013.
Read the speech here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gerald-causse/weak-strong/
Read more about Gérald Caussé here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/speakers/gerald-causse/
Read more on overcoming adversity here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/collections/overcoming-adversity/
Subscribe to BYU Speeches for the latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgXbCVJ79-JVyHoBIDhpvEQ
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© Brigham Young University. All rights reserved.
"My dear brothers and sisters, it is a joy and a blessing to address you this morning. You are such a remarkable generation in the history of gospel dispensations! Recently I participated in a dinner honoring the ambassador of a European nation. He had just finished a full day of visiting Church sites in Utah. I asked him what had impressed him the most. His face suddenly changed, and he responded in a voice charged with emotion, “What touched me most was the visit to the BYU campus and the Missionary Training Center. What beautiful youth you have!”
Last year when the Lord decided to hasten His work, it was to the youth of the Church that He made the call. Following the announcement by President Thomas S. Monson that the ages for serving missions had been lowered, a wonderful wave of enthusiasm came across the Church. Tens of thousands of your generation are responding to the call of the prophet.
Perhaps the change in mission age was a surprise for many people—especially those outside of the Church. Some probably wondered, “Why would the Church put so much responsibility in the hands of inexperienced young people who are barely out of high school?”
I remember asking the following question of several mission presidents: “Rather than young volunteers of eighteen or nineteen years of age, if we offered to send you professional missionaries who were older and had great command of the scriptures, missionary lessons, missionary methods, and language of the country, would you take them?”
They all answered without hesitation, “No, thank you. We love our young missionaries.”
What is so beautiful and powerful in having a missionary force essentially composed of young men and young women without much experience? The scriptures are filled with stories of young and modest people who, having great faith and being magnified by the power of God, accomplished exceptional things. Among them were Enoch, who considered himself to be “a lad” who was “slow of speech”;1 Joseph Smith, who described himself as “an obscure boy” and “of no consequence in the world”;2 and the Virgin Mary, who marveled that she had been chosen to become the Lord’s mother, saying, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, . . . for he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.”3
These great young people had pure and humble hearts. Yet the Lord made them powerful in words and deeds to accomplish His designs. The scripture was fulfilled that said, “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.”4
My brothers and sisters, this scripture is now truer than ever before. I often think of the enormous challenges facing your generation. You are living in an often hostile world at a time when great personal strength must be used to maintain righteousness and succeed in one’s personal goals. Perhaps you feel too weak to overcome such challenges. Perhaps you fear that you are not up to it. There is no shame in that! Everyone experiences those feelings at one time or another.
I assure you, the Lord has the power to transform your weaknesses into strengths! The promise made by the Lord to the Apostle Paul is valid for each of you: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”5 And then Paul added, “For when I am weak, then am I strong.”6
This promise, though a paradox, is very real. Allow me to describe a few principles that I believe can help you receive strength to overcome the challenges of life."
–Gérald Caussé
The Lord has given all of us strengths that we can build upon to overcome our weaknesses and bring good to the world.
Gérald Caussé was first counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when this devotional address was given on 3 December 2013.
Read the speech here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gerald-causse/weak-strong/
Read more about Gérald Caussé here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/speakers/gerald-causse/
Read more on overcoming adversity here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/collections/overcoming-adversity/
Subscribe to BYU Speeches for the latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgXbCVJ79-JVyHoBIDhpvEQ
Read and listen to more BYU Speeches here:
https://speeches.byu.edu/
Follow BYU Speeches:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byuspeeches
Twitter: https://twitter.com/byuspeeches
Instagram: https://instagram.com/byuspeeches
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/byuspeeches
© Brigham Young University. All rights reserved.
"My dear brothers and sisters, it is a joy and a blessing to address you this morning. You are such a remarkable generation in the history of gospel dispensations! Recently I participated in a dinner honoring the ambassador of a European nation. He had just finished a full day of visiting Church sites in Utah. I asked him what had impressed him the most. His face suddenly changed, and he responded in a voice charged with emotion, “What touched me most was the visit to the BYU campus and the Missionary Training Center. What beautiful youth you have!”
Last year when the Lord decided to hasten His work, it was to the youth of the Church that He made the call. Following the announcement by President Thomas S. Monson that the ages for serving missions had been lowered, a wonderful wave of enthusiasm came across the Church. Tens of thousands of your generation are responding to the call of the prophet.
Perhaps the change in mission age was a surprise for many people—especially those outside of the Church. Some probably wondered, “Why would the Church put so much responsibility in the hands of inexperienced young people who are barely out of high school?”
I remember asking the following question of several mission presidents: “Rather than young volunteers of eighteen or nineteen years of age, if we offered to send you professional missionaries who were older and had great command of the scriptures, missionary lessons, missionary methods, and language of the country, would you take them?”
They all answered without hesitation, “No, thank you. We love our young missionaries.”
What is so beautiful and powerful in having a missionary force essentially composed of young men and young women without much experience? The scriptures are filled with stories of young and modest people who, having great faith and being magnified by the power of God, accomplished exceptional things. Among them were Enoch, who considered himself to be “a lad” who was “slow of speech”;1 Joseph Smith, who described himself as “an obscure boy” and “of no consequence in the world”;2 and the Virgin Mary, who marveled that she had been chosen to become the Lord’s mother, saying, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, . . . for he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.”3
These great young people had pure and humble hearts. Yet the Lord made them powerful in words and deeds to accomplish His designs. The scripture was fulfilled that said, “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.”4
My brothers and sisters, this scripture is now truer than ever before. I often think of the enormous challenges facing your generation. You are living in an often hostile world at a time when great personal strength must be used to maintain righteousness and succeed in one’s personal goals. Perhaps you feel too weak to overcome such challenges. Perhaps you fear that you are not up to it. There is no shame in that! Everyone experiences those feelings at one time or another.
I assure you, the Lord has the power to transform your weaknesses into strengths! The promise made by the Lord to the Apostle Paul is valid for each of you: “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”5 And then Paul added, “For when I am weak, then am I strong.”6
This promise, though a paradox, is very real. Allow me to describe a few principles that I believe can help you receive strength to overcome the challenges of life."
–Gérald Caussé
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