Help, I Can't Do This! The Essence of Faith in Jesus Christ

We often talk of having faith in Christ to help us accomplish things that we can't do by ourselves. The real essence of faith in Christ, however, is to ask him to accomplish things for us that we can't do at all.

In the Book of Mormon, we are taught the paradox that we are given weaknesses in part to help us become stronger people.

27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their ^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them.

But there are some weaknesses that seem impossible for us to overcome. For Latter-day Saints, who often have a blind spot when it comes to fully comprehending the true grace of Christ, those weaknesses often seem insurmountable, usually because we think that we have to overcome them all by ourselves.

There may be some weaknesses, however, that Christ has to overcome completely for us, and the only way that we can participate in overcoming them is to ask for his grace and the cleansing power of his atonement.  This is the ultimate faith in Jesus Christ.

In the October 2010 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, talked of one such weakness. In speaking of sexual temptation, Elder Packer said:

Nowhere are the generosity and the kindness and mercy of God more manifest than in repentance. Do you understand the consummate cleansing power of the Atonement made by the Son of God, our Savior, our Redeemer? In that supernal act of love, the Savior paid the penalties for our sins so that we might not have to pay.

For those who truly desire it, there is a way back. Repentance is like unto a detergent. Even ground-in stains of sin will come out.

In April 2006 LDS General Conference, Elder Jeffrey Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve spoke of addictions that seem to have such a hold on us that we can never become free of them.  He said

Are you battling a demon of addiction—tobacco or drugs or gambling, or the pernicious contemporary plague of pornography? Whatever other steps you may need to take to resolve these concerns, come first to the gospel of Jesus Christ. This reliance upon the merciful nature of God is at the very center of the gospel Christ taught. ...the Savior’s Atonement lifts from us not only the burden of our sins but also the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair.

As Stephen E Robinson reminded us, we shouldn't just believe in Christ, but we should also believe Christ, that he can take away our sins and weaknesses if we truly want him to.

In some cases, only Christ can take away our weaknesses. Sometimes, the only the we can do ourselves is to want that help. But with that help, the weaknesses that we thought we'd never overcome can become the strengths that we are most well known for.

So, the next time you realize that you've tried and tried and tried for what must seem like a million times and still can't overcome a certain weakness, tell your Heavenly Father "Help! I Can't Do This!"  When you make that sincere declaration, the first thing you will feel is that someone loves you regardless of what you have done or how you feel about yourself. The second thing you will feel is that, although it may take a great deal of time and effort, someone stronger than you are can solve this problem for you.