Today's verse is a famous Book of Mormon scripture on the theme of weakness. The clarity almost takes your breath away.

So often, we wonder why bad things happen, why God allows certain things to affect or afflict us, and why every human yearns to be good but is held back by innate selfishness. This verse tells us that one reason for our weakness is so that we can learn humility.

Now, God doesn't want us to be the kind of people who are defeated, kicking dirt, and thinking, "Oh, I'm so weak. I'm useless. I'm garbage." That's not humility.

On Tuesday, I told you about how my youngest son screams — and how it quickly brings me to the end of my mommy rope.

Today is about you. Is there something in your life that gets on your last nerve? This is something bigger than a pet peeve, something that grinds deeper. It triggers an emotional response that's anchored below the surface. It really gets to you.

You may feel a little like the writer of Psalm 42:5, asking, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?"

Like the psalmist, I often want to know why. Why does this thing get under my skin so easily? Why does it so quickly bring me to tears? Why am I left feeling unsettled even after I "handle it"?

We probably all experience occasions in our lives when negative consequences result from actions we take that may later seem rather questionable. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, someone may even ask us — or we may even ask ourselves — "Why would you do such a thing?" Sometimes, the only answer we can give — as lame as it may be — is, "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Sometimes, the consequences of doing something that seemed like a good idea at the time are minimal and can be laughed at later. To see a few short videos depicting this, click here.

However, when the actions taken are sinful in nature, the consequences may be such that we won't be laughing when we look back and wonder why we did it. Helaman 6 recalls a few such examples from the scriptures, adding that the devil is the source of these "good ideas":

My youngest child is going through a screaming phase. This isn't the pterodactyl thing that many babies do. He's over 2 years old (and he can totally use words) but he screams a lot. He keeps things interesting by mixing in whining and crying with the screaming just in case I get bored.

There are many reasons for the screaming.

• Tell him no, and he screams in anger, frustration, and disappointment.
• Give him a command he doesn't like, and he screams in defiance.
• He's sick with a cold, so bring on the screams of discomfort.
• He's got a crumb on his finger from lunch and it won't come off. WHAAAAAAA!!!!

Today's Miracle Monday comes to us from Sister Suzanne Beeman. Enjoy!

One evening, I was cruising down a very dark road in my neighborhood that I have driven hundreds of times. This time, my mind was still on work. All of a sudden, my right foot slammed on the brake. Well, I immediately thanked God that no one was behind me.

Seeing that I was in no danger of causing an accident, I chuckled at myself, wondering why my foot decided to separate from the pack and have a mind of its own.

Today's Good Word gives us the opportunity to look at the concept of weakness from another angle than we have yet done. Let's start by placing the verse in context. Paul is writing to the Corinthian church, explaining that outsiders may look at their Christian faith as a sign of weakness.

Verse 18 says, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." In other words, unbelievers will think that Christianity is silly. They'll think they know better. But believers are the ones who truly know better.

Have you ever been made to feel foolish for what you believe? Like you're somehow mentally deficient? Some people automatically think that religion is a crutch of some kind — believers are too weak to face life without faith. Christians are small-minded folks who secretly know that their faith isn't stout enough to withstand close scrutiny, so they never fully examine what they believe, afraid of what they'll find.

My mom told me a story about a really amazing experience. When she was little, a sister in the Niles Branch, Ohio, had a husband, a brother in the church, who was very sick. He went to the hospital, and he passed away while he was there. However, the sister was not in the mood to grieve. In fact, she would not let nurses and doctors take her husband to the morgue until the ministry from her church came to pray for him. Two ministers from the Niles Branch, Brother Russell and Brother Joe, went to the hospital to pray for this brother who had been passed away for some time. Under the hands of the ministry and by God's grace, the brother was brought back to life to the astonishment of the doctors, and he lived for many more years with his wife as a testimony to God's power.

Now, what could I gather about this sister's faith? Was she wanting the ministry to come see if they could perhaps bring her husband back to life, or do I think she was fully confident in what would happen? I am certain she had no doubt, that she 100 percent expected this to occur, and, more importantly, she knew it would.

In Helaman 5, Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman, enter Lamanite territory to preach the gospel. They have much success as 8,000 are baptized, but some of the Lamanites become angry and cast Nephi and Lehi into prison. The Lamanite guards later enter the prison to kill them, but they encounter an unusual sight: "Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by fire, even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest they should be burned" (verse 23).

After a series of events in which the walls of the prison tremble and a voice from heaven urges all to repent, Nephi and Lehi are again encircled by a pillar of fire:

"Yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not…and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory. And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words." (Helaman 5:44-45)

“Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.” (Psalm 100:2)

Have you ever been asked to lead singing in your branch, and you only seem to be hearing your own voice?

Have you ever looked around on Sunday morning during singing only to see people’s song books closed?
This can be very frustrating at times. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s during a hymn that I feel the Spirit of God. When we sing in unity and in spirit, contemplating the beautiful words of worship that we utter can be overwhelming. How many times have we stopped to really meditate on some of those words?

Today's Miracle Monday is a miraculous incident submitted by Sister Angeline Young.

One morning while driving home from a long midnight shift, I was approaching a stoplight and became concerned and distracted by a group of kids riding their bikes in a dangerous area onto an expressway.

I was distraught by the idea of their safety being compromised by cycling in an area that was prohibited to anything but motor vehicles. I stopped paying attention to the road, and when I looked back at the wheel, the light in front of me had turned red, and I was seconds away from a fast-paced collision.

Today we bring you another verse on the theme of weakness. Do you remember the context of today's verse? Do you remember Paul? In this chapter, we learn that he had a "thorn in the flesh." We're not sure what kind of weakness this is, but Paul asked God three times to take it away. For whatever reason, this was not God's will. The Lord famously responds, "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

How did Paul respond to this news that his prayer wouldn't be answered? Did he pout and throw a tantrum? Did he lose faith? Did he go into denial?

Paul's response is well worth reading in full:

Dear Anxiety,

I get it. You want all of my attention. Every last drop. You want to talk to me and be with me every second of every day. Well, that’s cute. And I’m flattered. But can a girl get some space?

Ever since I met you back in my awkward high school days, you haven’t left me alone. You’re always showing up uninvited, stealing the spotlight, getting all dramatic for nothing. And I know you’re used to the easily persuaded, flimsy little girl who always gave in without a fight. But, times have changed. And so have I.

In Helaman 4, the Nephites lose a series of battles that cost them many lives and many cities. According to the record, this great loss was avoidable:

"Now this great loss of the Nephites, and the great slaughter which was among them, would not have happened had it not been for their wickedness and their abomination which was among them; yea, and it was among those also who professed to belong to the church of God." (Helaman 4:11)

A sinful way of life among the Nephite people, including those who were members of the church, appears to have been the root cause of this tragedy. So, does that mean this was a punishment from God? Not exactly. Due to the wicked conditions, God just withdrew, leaving the people without His blessing and protection — "they were left in their own strength; therefore they did not prosper, but were afflicted and smitten" (verse 13).

When our Gospel Blog editor asked us to write about who we would have dinner with, I thought I would cheat and have dinner with two people. I choose (1) a former Hollywood celebrity currently in prison and (2) Abinadi. We would have some steaks, and I would take a selfie. I would later print the photo, frame it, and then add a scripture: "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

Today's article is a list of reasons why you definitely should NOT send your testimony to the Gospel Blog for publication on Miracle Monday. We know this may seem odd, but it's kind of an odd day, so here goes:

1. People will think you want attention.

If you get your testimony published on Miracle Monday, then everyone will think you only did it for the attention. You'll be branded as a limelight-hog forever, and no one will ever look at you the same way again. How embarrassing.