November 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering – Jesus Christ can make weak things strong

The November 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable ties together Elder Uchtdorf’s April 2020 General Conference talk, “God Will Do Something Unimaginable” and this November’s Come, Follow Me lesson on Ether 12–15 “Jesus Christ can make weak things strong.”

These ministering printables are a great way to help families incorporate the “Come, Follow Me” lessons into their own study. They are also perfect for Young Women’s, Relief Society, or Sunday School. I hope that these ministering printables will be a simple way to reach out to those we minister to.

Download November 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable (single image) (4 to a sheet)

In the message, I talk about taking note of all the cracks in my foundation. So I made it my goal this month. It is kind of painful, but necessary. I am learning a lot about myself and the Lord. So I decided to pair this month’s printable with some pens for taking notes. My amazing niece did the leaf illustrations for the printable. You can see more of her work @happynotesandbrushstrokes. And she helped me out with something amazing for December. I can’t wait until you see it!

November 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable

Ether 12–15: Jesus Christ can make weak things strong.

It has been a very hard year. The pandemic and natural disasters are exhausting, but even more exhausting is the contention. It often feels like it impacts all our social interactions.

One day, feeling particularly overwhelmed, I asked God, “What is the point of this pandemic? It is driving us further apart spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Why would you send this? Don’t you want us united?”

At that moment, I thought again of Elder Uchtdorf’s talk in General Conference, “God Will Do Something Unimaginable.” I have thought about his talk a lot lately.

Cracks in the Foundation

Elder Uchtdorf talked about how the saints buried the Salt Lake Temple’s foundation to hide it from the approaching US army. The saints must have felt frustrated at that moment. They sacrificed everything to come West so they could freely practice their religion. But there was no promised freedom. Instead they had to hide the temple.

Once things were safe, they dug up the temple foundation and found many of the sandstone blocks had cracked under the pressure. Replacing the foundation wasn’t easy. They had to remove the sandstone. Then they had to chisel the granite blocks out of the surrounding mountains before painstakingly hauling them to the temple site. It was hard work, but it was a blessing. It is much harder to replace a foundation after a building has been built. And the Salt Lake Temple was to last for generations.

Under Pressure

I can definitely relate to the temple’s foundation. There are days I feel buried alive. I can feel the pressure weighing down on me from all sides. I can feel the cracks forming under the stress. It is easy to be a good mom, a good wife, and a good person when I am well rested and calm. But when I am physically and emotionally tired, the cracks start to show.

It is the difference between effort and character. Sometimes I am Christ-like because I am making an effort to be Christ-like, but sometimes I am Christ-like because I am actually Christ-like in that thing. It has become part of my character and it is a natural extension of who I am, regardless of external stresses.

This trial doesn’t have to drive us apart, we can use it to find the weaknesses in the foundations of ourselves, our families, our communities, and our congregations. What if this trial is helping us identify and get rid of what doesn’t work so that we can build foundations that last an eternity?

Finding My Cracks

Now when I start to struggle, I ask myself, “What weaknesses are there in my foundation that this trial has shown me?”

Then I look for stronger materials to replace my foundation with. With my family, I look for the cracks and search for better ways to do things or ways to heal relationships. At church, I look at the many changes and the new things we were learning. I realize that it was like Elder Uchtdorf said, “This is the Lord’s work. He invites us to find His ways of doing it, and they may differ from our past experiences.”

Instead of feeling so weighed down, I feel a level of excitement as I remake my foundation. It is a perfect example of the Lord’s promise of making weak things strong.

“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; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” Ether 12:27

Something Unimaginable

Just as the Jaredite boats were blown towards the Promised Land by the storm, our trials are not without purpose or direction. It is like Elder Uchtdorf said, “God will watch over and shepherd you during these times of uncertainty and fear. He knows you. He hears your pleas. He is faithful and dependable. He will fulfill His promises. God has something unimaginable in mind for you personally and the Church collectively—a marvelous work and a wonder.”

If the sandstone foundation of the Salt Lake Temple had held up to the weight of the earth, it would have never been replaced by granite blocks. Sometimes we need weaknesses in order to become strong.

If we are just good enough that we don’t have to try, we often won’t. But when we are failing catastrophically, we have to turn to God and our covenants to develop the needed strength and gifts. I like to think of it as a math equation, “me = me” but “me + God = infinite potential.” Or as the Lord would say, “I make weak things become strong.” (Ether 12:27)

This month, I set the goal of making note of the cracks in my foundation. It is a little overwhelming, so I am not fixing all of them yet. I will pray about it and focus on them one at a time. I included a few fun pens in case you wanted to do the same or if you wanted to take notes on General Conference talks or scriptures that speak to you. There were so many good talks this October that speak directly to our times and brought me so much peace.

Did you like this November 2020 Come Follow Me Ministering Message? Find more Relief Society Ministering Printables for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.