REXBURG — Today’s BYU-Idaho devotional speaker invited listeners and viewers alike to seek the gifts Heavenly Father gives.
Chris Lowry, a faculty member in the Psychology Department at BYU-Idaho and today’s devotional speaker, began his talk, “The Best Gifts,” by sharing the story of a time when he was gifted a pair of slippers by his young son. At first, he admits that he was not excited about the footwear, but as time went on his perspective changed.
“Dutifully, I put the slippers on and wore them around the house,” Lowry said. “Over the next few weeks something amazing happened. I had never owned a pair of slippers, so I was surprised to find how useful they were. Oddly enough, they were one of my favorite gifts that I have ever been given. I wore that pair for several years until they completely fell apart.”
Lowry likened that story to how one might feel when presented with a heavenly gift that we don’t know what to do with.
“Similar to how I didn’t understand the usefulness of my slippers and I didn’t appreciate them when they were given to me by my son, sometimes we may not understand or think that we don’t want the gifts that our Heavenly Father bestows us,” Lowry said. “When that happens, we are in danger of not benefiting from the gift and may harm ourselves and our relationship with our Heavenly Father.”
Lowry taught that there are many ways for God’s children to discover the gifts that they have been given. Among them are patriarchal blessings, a grateful heart and priesthood blessings.
In an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio, Lowry explained why he sees the gift of the Holy Ghost as one of the greatest gifts that mortals can receive.
“I think that the gift of the Holy Ghost is the most important gift that we can use and receive while we're here, because that will lead us to make the changes that will lead to sanctification and help us to qualify for Heavenly Father's greatest gift through the mercy of his Son,” Lowry said.
Lowry says the process of fully accepting the gift of the Holy Ghost is desiring His companionship.
“One of the things that really helped me to desire to have the gift of the Holy Ghost has been studying the lives of other people, past prophets, modern prophets particularly,” Lowry said in that same interview with BYU-Idaho Radio.
He added that a personal interview with questions like, “Do I want the Holy Ghost with me?” and “Do I get as much blessing of inspiration and guidance as that gift should give?”
In tandem with the gift of the Holy Ghost, Lowry highlighted sanctification through the mercy and Atonement of Jesus Christ as another unspeakably divine gift from God.
“Sanctification is the process of being purified so that we become holy through Christ’s atonement,” Lowry said. “Isn’t this what the atonement is about? ‘God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son so that we would not perish but have everlasting life.’ The life that is meant for us is one in which we become like our Heavenly Parents in every way through the grace, merits, and mercy of Jesus Christ.”
Lowry concluded his remarks with this admonition:
“I invite all of us to seek the great gift of the Holy Ghost that our Father offers us and to ask for the Holy Ghost to be with us,” Lowry said. “Let us examine our lives and see what we need to do to receive this gift that we might both rejoice in the gift and in the giver of the gift. Then, as we begin to unwrap this great gift, let us not put it in the closet or on the shelf.”