Storms, Growth and the ZPD

One of my seminary students made an interesting observation the other day.  He pointed out that in order to get bigger muscles, we need to push ourselves through the pain.  He connected that to spiritual growth, making the point that if we don't go through some struggle, we will not become stronger.

I came across a similar idea in a quote I found for my seminary students and re-shared with a friend yesterday:

While I know that our weaknesses are made evident simply because they are weaknesses and will fail us at times, our weaknesses serve many purposes and working through those times of difficulty when they seem so raw and at the forefront may not actually be as bad as I complain that they are.

I have mentioned the "ZPD" before: the zone of proximal discomfort and how it serves a great purpose in education, when the person is mature enough for it.  As a young child, to be pushed to the border of what you are comfortable with and a little beyond are damaging to self-worth and love of learning.  However, with hormones/maturity, to be pushed into this zone is very productive, intense and strengthening.  Maybe we grow best (and hardest) when we are pushed into that spiritual ZPD and our weaknesses are made raw and exposed.

For further consideration of the role of weaknesses, there is the classic "weakness" verse:

 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.

A missionary shared a passage from Helaman yesterday that is also relevant in a way I hadn't thought of before:

 12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the ^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

I came across it in my scripture reading and I pondered on the word "when" that is there rather than "if": "when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds."  Could it be that, just as in the garden of Eden, Satan is actually working to make us stronger, serving as that opposition we need to become spiritually strong?  Of course, there is the great risk that we will be dragged down to that gulf of misery and endless wo, (which is perhaps why Satan enthusiastically plays that role) but if our storms do not drag us down...they will build within us the strength to stand at the last day.

If we build upon that rock.

I tend to get angry when my weaknesses are exposed.  Not a good response.  I wonder if I could just be a little more humble and turn to the Savior, building upon that rock, that those whirlwinds of my imperfection and weakness with help to build my character rather than drag me down.

I just came across an interesting series of memes that I am going to keep here for my own benefit, and if they happen to touch anyone else out there, all the better...