--- title: How Imperfections Can Bless Our Lives date: 2025-11-10T09:46:00-07:00 author: Matt Bloomfield canonical_url: "https://www.mlj.one/church/talks/how-imperfections-can-bless-our-lives" section: Blog --- [ ← Church Talks ](/talks) Talk November 10, 2025 # How Imperfections Can Bless Our Lives I gave this talk on May 10th, 2015 in the Provo Town Hall Ward Sacrament Meeting at their Chapel in Provo, Utah, per an assignment from the bishopric. --- Paul’s thorn in the flesh: - **And lest I shou**ld 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. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 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. - **Ether 12:27** - And when I had said this, the Lord spake unto me, saying: Fools mock, but they shall mourn; and my grace is sufficient for the meek, that they shall take no advantage of your weakness; 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; Although perfection is the goal, imperfections allow us to reach our full potential as they create learning opportunities and allow us to lean on our Heavenly Father. We don’t want to develop more imperfections, but realizing that we have imperfections is a gift to us and those around us On earth to learn and grow. - Commandment is to be perfect- Matthew 5: Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. - How do we attain perfection? Only if we are imperfect to start with! - The key to the plan of salvation is our agency and ability to choose - opposition in all things. We have to be able to learn and grow in order to obey the commandment from Christ. - 2 Nephi 2: **For it must needs be**, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Perfection vs. imperfection Organizational Level - Qualtrics - There are always things that need to be changed in order for the company to succeed. Because there are needs, the employees are given incredible opportunities to grow and learn - Church - not a perfect organization - gives people the opportunity to see needs and make changes Household: - House not perfect, not always clean, not everything got done Machines - Computers/phones - not perfect, but they accomplish their purpose! We too have a purpose to accomplish - We are all this way - the most important thing is that we are able to help others. Relationships: - Qualtrics: Matt is willing to help anyone with a smile on his face and cheerful quip about some mistake he made once..that helps the person feel human about the situation. - Jenni and I - know our imperfections, each one of us can help the other to grow. Personal level: - **Gives us the opportunity to let the Lord’s grace into our life and be humble** - Alma 7:12-13: that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. - So what do we do about weakness? - **Recognizing our imperfections is the first step** - Anne C Pingree - Dec 2004 - Neal A Maxwell - “It is not an easy thing … to be shown one’s weaknesses. … Nevertheless, this is part of coming unto Christ, and it is a vital, if painful, part of God’s plan of happiness.” - Some people feel defeated by their personal weaknesses and succumb to despair. Some attempt to hide, ignore, or compensate for their shortcomings because of pain and embarrassment. But, as the Lord told Moroni, recognizing and acknowledging a weakness is a necessary part of overcoming it: “Because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be made strong” - **Try to Overcome the weakness** - Ether 12:27 again - for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness. - **We have to work too** - STORY ABOUT JACKIE - She said, “I was in second grade, and already I knew I was dumb. I just didn’t ever really catch on to reading.” Day after day and year after year the humiliation continued. Jackie said, “I was either told directly I was stupid or was asked, ‘Haven’t I already told you that a thousand times?’” She was labeled “lazy” and “a daydreamer.” Comments like these, she said, “caused me such emotional stress that it was like having a curtain drawn across my mind.” Being called upon to read aloud in class was excruciating. “Even when I knew the words, I could not say them,” she recalled. “Tears would well up in my eyes and blur the page.” - Soon Jackie learned to cover for her weakness or avoid situations that would reveal her dreaded secret. When she and her friends visited the local library, she followed their lead in checking out popular mystery books. But even though she carried the books home, she could never read them or join in her friends’ lively discussions about the characters and plots. She also found herself failing nearly every subject in school. Finally, at age 15, she decided to drop out of school and get married - This decision could have led to more serious problems and a permanent detour from learning. Instead, through the loving, ongoing encouragement of her husband, the watchful care of the Lord, and her own determination, things began to change. “My husband has been my lifesaver,” she explained. “He always treated me like I was the smartest person he ever saw.” Many years later, this mother of eight children graduated from high school—one year before her eldest daughter. - Jackie continued her education beyond high school, but each day was a struggle. “I cried every day, it was so hard,” she said. Her husband gave her priesthood blessings, and a daughter tutored her in algebra, leaving her little notes of encouragement. In faith, Jackie turned to the Lord and prayed for His help. Finally, after years of effort, she received a college degree at age 50. Her weakness ultimately became a great strength as she pursued a career path that became a great blessing to others also struggling to read. The little girl who once thought she was too dumb to read now directs a statewide program that helps children with reading difficulties. - **Sometimes our weaknesses aren’t taken away** - **For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness** - 2 Corinth 12:9 - Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. **Conclusion:** We all have weaknesses - accept that fact. - Embrace our weaknesses - Understand their purpose in the eternal plan - They help others, but they also help us - Seek to overcome our weaknesses - Not all weaknesses will be overcome in this life. - Sometimes, the strength is something else, like learning to rely on Jesus Christ