Christianity
Strength or Weakness
Section OneThere are many different types of strength and weakness; there is the strength of the body, the strength of the mind, the strength of the heart, and the strength of the Spirit, or of character. The different types of strength are achieved in different ways. In order to gain a stronger body you have to exercise and eat healthy. To gain a strong mind you must exercise it accordingly, you must read, write, think, and do any exercise that stretches your intellect. Strength of the heart comes when you are able to accept and love those around you despite their faults. It comes when you serve others and God through love instead of selfish desires.
Extremity in strength of the body, mind, or heart is bound to spell out disaster. The man who spends all his time building his body may achieve great things through athletics, but where is the meaning in his life? How can he help to better those around him when he spends all his time focusing on his bodily strength? He would have a weak intellect and nothing to live for except competition. What would happen when he grew old and was then unable to compete in competitions? The meaning in his life would be gone; he would be lost in hopes and dreams of the past.
The man that focuses all of his on building his mind and nothing else would, like the strength of the body, achieve great heights. But how can one live when all the energy you posses is dedicated to the strengthening of your own intellect. How can his knowledge be of worth unless he shares it with those around him? Unless he writes or in some way teaches those around him his life would have no purpose, no meaning, and no happiness. Without interacting with those around them they would never taste the joys of humanity. They would spend their time pouring over mind-strengthening actions, but all of this would mean nothing if they died without enriching the life of another through their intellect.
The third type of strength, the strength of the heart, when taken to extremity, can also be hazardous. It would be completely unbeneficial for anyone if someone were to spend all their time in service when they have not first taken care of themselves physically and mentally. We cannot teach someone how to read if we don’t know how to ourselves. We must gain knowledge before we try to share it, otherwise every one of us would be fools. If the great authors had not taken the time to learn and educate themselves before they wrote their great works we would not be able to partake of their understanding.
When we create a balance of these three forms of strength we can achieve strength of spirit and character. That is why it is so imperative that we don’t live in extremities and that we strive for a balance of heart, mind, and physical strength. This is Christianity. When we are able to balance our lives, and through that balance we positively affect the lives of others, we are living as Christ lived. We are following in the footsteps of one who was perfect. Christianity is not weakness, it is strength of spirit and character. We can achieve that strength through our heart, mind, and body, when we strive for this we will grow closer to our God and Savior and live with an assurance that when we die we will have a place at the right hand of God.
Section Two“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
Many would say that turning the other cheek is a sign of weakness, and that by doing so you are letting people walk over you. It depends on what weakness is, and what strength is. In this essay I define strength not only by the power of one’s hand, but buy the power of his character. Therefore, Christianity would not be weakness, but the epitome of strength itself. Physical dominance over another is not, in reality, a way of showing strength, except the strength of the body, which is far less superior to strength of character and spirit.
Christ is the root of Christianity; therefore, by saying that exercising Christianity is sign of weakness, we could deduce that the Son of God was weak. This is far from truth. Christ is perfect, perfect in all things, perfect in strength. He allowed men to crucify Him, but by doing so, was he showing weakness or strength? He cried from His cross “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” I say that a man of weakness would never be able to proclaim that about his murderers. Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, this could only be done by the Son of God, by the ultimate Savior and strength.
When someone strikes you, would you be exercising more weakness by succumbing to your bodily urges to strike back? Or staying in possession of your temper and your composure? When someone is ‘walking all over you,’ yelling, screaming, hitting, or swearing at you are they exercising strength or weakness? The way you respond to them decides your own character’s strength. Which reaction would be easier, to strike back verbally and physically? Or to react in a calmer, more civilized manner? It would be logical to assume that in this situation the most difficult path would be the one in which you would have to exhibit more strength. This would prove Christians a strong, instead of weak, people.
It is human nature to want to strike back when someone harms or offends you, this is referred to in the scriptures as the natural man. We learn from the scriptures that the natural man is an enemy to God, and that in order to return to Him we must cast it off (Mosiah 3:19). We are mortal, therefore we are imperfect. In this life we will never be able to reach perfection, but if we strive for it we will be able to become better and progress eternally. Striving for perfection, and striving to throw off the natural man takes, an incredible amount of strength, it is an impossible feat to accomplish without the help of the Lord. By following Christianity we will be able to grow closer to God and grow stronger spiritually.
However, is it always unchristian to fight back? I believe that Captain Moroni was inspired when he created the Title of Liberty. “In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children.” It is my belief that it is Christian to fight for our God, our religion, our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children. Christ usually didn’t use force, but when He went to the temple and found people had blasphemed the house of God he forced them out of the temple. He was fighting in defense of His God and His religion.
The bottom line of this is that God knows when it is right to fight and when it is right to turn the other cheek. If we are in tune with His Spirit we will be able to exercise strength instead of weakness and continue to strive to be like His Son, perfect in all things. Perfect in strength.
