There are three passages of scripture that include lists of spiritual gifts. One is in the New Testament in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. A second is found in the last chapter of Moroni as he closes the Book of Mormon record and the third is in the 46th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. These scriptures help us identify a significant and crucial list of spiritual gifts that are a blessing to us individually and as a Church. Today I would like to use the words gift and gifts in a broader context than the lists of spiritual gifts found in these three references in scripture. I will use them in the context of any gift or talent we may have received from the Lord and will use the terms gift and talent interchangeably.
Have you ever heard it said of someone that he or she is gifted? It means they have a natural talent or ability in a certain area. Someone might say, “She is a gifted pianist” or “He is a gifted athlete.” Did you know each of us is gifted? Every person has a set of gifts or talents. These gifts come from God. Elder Boyd K. Packer speaking of those gifted in the arts said, “You who have such talents might well ask, ‘Whence comes this gift?’ And gift it is. You may have cultivated it and developed it, but it was given to you. Most of us do not have it. You were not more deserving than we, but you are a good deal more responsible.”[1]
We find the familiar parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25.
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.[2]
You know what happens in the story when the Lord returns to reckon with his servants. The last servant was rebuked by the Lord for burying the talent.
Notice that even the person who received one talent recognized it as “his lord’s money.” An important realization for us to make is that our gifts and talents come from God. Korihor, one of the Anti-Christs in the Book of Mormon, taught that “. . . every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength . . .”[3] This philosophy is also prevalent in our own day. People are not prone to acknowledge the Lord’s hand in their lives and as the source of their abilities and talents.
One of the problems that stems from not realizing the source of our gifts is that we can get a warped sense of our individual worth. It is wrong to equate our self worth with our particular gifts. However, many people fall into this trap: they look down on those who don’t have the same gifts. For example, someone who is gifted in athletics makes fun of someone who is not athletic. Conversely, there are many people who feel they are of lesser value because they compare their lack of a specific gift with someone who has that gift.
We live in a society that values some gifts much more highly than others. Our sense of individual worth should be based on the fact that each of us is a son or daughter of God. We have divine parentage and limitless potential. Our worth as an individual is not based on whether or not we have a particular gift or set of gifts.
Let’s assume you had a friend from a very wealthy family and this friend of yours received an expensive car as a Christmas gift from her parents. You wouldn’t think your friend was a better person because she received an expensive gift—lucky maybe, but not a better person.
We wouldn’t judge people better than others based on the gifts they receive for Christmas. Neither should we judge people’s worth by the gifts or talents they have received in this life. Gifts are not earned. Wages are earned. Gifts are not wages.
We have all been given gifts and they come in many varieties. Speaking of spiritual gifts the Lord explained in section 46 of the Doctrine and Covenants that “…all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.”[4]
It has been enlightening to watch as each of my own children has come into the world with a different set of gifts.
Each individual has gifts and talents in many areas. Some have gifts in academic areas. Have you ever been in a physics or math class with people who just seem to “get it” without much work? I have a sister who struggled to understand physics and to this day explains physics by saying it must be black magic. Do you know someone who seems to be able to memorize easily? Some have artistic gifts. You know people who have natural talent in music or art. I remember in first grade being embarrassed when all the students had to show the class the pictures we had drawn. I don’t happen to have a gift in drawing or painting and still remember the chuckles when the class saw my picture. Even now I’m reluctant to draw anything on a blackboard in a class. I think if they perform an autopsy on me after I die they won’t find an artistic bone in my body.
Some have abundant athletic gifts. They are exceptionally fast or strong or have very good hand-eye coordination. Others have gifts in mechanical areas. They seem to be able to discern how things work and know how best to fix a problem. Some people are naturally good in the area of business. Others have social gifts. We have talents in differing degrees in different areas of our lives.
Why weren’t we all just blessed with all gifts? Wouldn’t that have been easier? Why do we each just have some? Why did I get the particular gifts I got and you the particular set you have? I’m not sure I have the definitive answers to all of these questions, but we can get some hints from the scriptures. Quoting again from Section 46 where the Lord is discussing spiritual gifts:
For all have not every gift given unto them: for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.[5]
It sounds like the distribution of gifts across different people makes it possible for all to be profited. In 1st Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul explains different spiritual gifts and in this context uses a metaphor of a body to show the importance of people with different gifts in the Church. Let me quote a few verses:
For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
And if they were all one member, where were the body?
But now are they many members, yet but one body.
And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.
Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.
For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same a care one for another.[6]
This part of Paul’s writings helps us see that a whole group can be blessed by the gifts of individual members of that group. Another blessing of this diversity is to learn unity. These same blessings apply to a marriage and a family. Since each family member has different talents, if the whole family appreciates each person’s talents the family grows closer together. At the same time individuals develop their talents and the individual gifts become a blessing to the whole family.
Think of the power of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve because of the combination of individual gifts represented in those quorums. The strongest presidencies are those where the gifts of each member of the presidency are valued and used. A ward is stronger when many people are involved and contributing using their gifts to bless others.
As we go through life we should be increasing the talents and gifts we have been given. You can get a sense for the gifts you have been given by being observant, listening to those you trust, studying your patriarchal blessing, and by praying and listening to the Spirit. The Lord will give us ample opportunities in our lives to bless others by using our talents and at the same time developing them further.
President Howard W. Hunter said:
Talents are not given to us to be put on display or to be hidden away, but to be used. The Master expects us to make use of them. He expects us to venture forth and increase what we have been given according to our capacities and abilities (see Matthew 25:26-30). As servants of the Lord, we should use every opportunity to employ our talents in his service. . . Our quest is to seek out the talents the Lord has given us and to develop and multiply them, whether they be five, two, or one. We need not attempt to imitate the talents given to other persons.[7]
We don’t want to be like the servant in the parable of the talents that buried his talent. The Lord said “. . . what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?”[8]
Think of how we have been blessed by people who have developed their gifts during their lives and have used them to bless others. I don’t think it is a coincidence that President Clark is leading this University now. He has spent his life developing the talents given to him and happens to have just the right set needed at this institution now.
It is not a coincidence that President Hinckley, with all the gifts he has developed, leads the Church today. The Lord blesses individuals with certain gifts. If a person develops those gifts the Lord is able to use that person to help build the kingdom and bless the world. It is interesting to see how the Lord has called prophets who possessed certain talents at specific times in our day. Think of Joseph Smith at the outset of this dispensation and how his particular gifts were needed then. Brigham Young led the Church at a time when his great leadership and organizational skills were utilized to their fullest as the saints crossed the plains and colonized the West. Heber J. Grant was gifted in business and finance. It is not surprising he led the Church during the years of the great depression.
President Grant was also known for his willingness to work on areas of his life where he felt he needed improvement. His example teaches us that in addition to developing the natural talents that are ours we can even strive to make progress in those areas where we don’t seem to be over-laden with talent.
There is a familiar story from his life when he determined he would learn how to sing. He was apparently not gifted in singing but practiced and practiced until he could sing some hymns. He tells of one instance when he was traveling with two other apostles.
Upon my recent trip to Arizona, I asked Elders Rudger Clawson and J. Golden Kimball if they had any objections to my singing one hundred hymns that day. They took it as a joke, and assured me that they would be delighted. We were on the way from Holbrook to St. Johns, a distance of about sixty miles. After I had sung about forty times, they assured me that if I sang the remaining sixty they would be sure to have nervous prostration. I paid no attention whatever to their appeal, but held them to their bargain and sang the full one hundred. One hundred and fifteen songs in one day and four hundred in four days, is the largest amount of practicing I ever did.[9]
President Grant eventually was able to sing some hymns, but never got good enough that he would have been invited to sing in the tabernacle choir. We too can make progress in areas where we don’t have much natural ability.
We need to be careful not to “coast” through life because we are gifted in certain areas. There are some people who are very gifted academically and are able to get through school without really developing their gifts as they should. They are good enough that they can get decent grades without working too hard. It sounds like an envious situation to be in, but it is actually a little too much like burying a talent. A person truly develops their gifts as they diligently work in that area. You may have heard the comment about a lazy athlete, “What a waste of talent!” People can see a person has a lot of natural ability but they are really just coasting on that ability rather than putting their heart into it.
It is easy to develop pride in aspects of our lives where we are gifted and envy based on those areas where we are not gifted. It is interesting that in areas where we are gifted we want to be judged on the curve with those who don’t have the same abilities. In areas we don’t seem to be talented we readily see it isn’t fair to be judged against those who are very talented.
Since these gifts come from God some may wonder why some people have been blessed with amazing talents when their personal lives have not been lived righteously. There is not a direct correlation between the natural talents a person has been given in this life and his or her personal conduct. Many people who are acknowledged as being gifted in certain areas do not live up to the light available to them. President Spencer W. Kimball explained:
It has been said that many of the great artists were . . . moral degenerates. In spite of their immorality they became great and celebrated artists. What could be the result if discovery were made of equal talent in men who were clean and free from the vices, and thus entitled to revelations? . . .[10]
President Kimball also made a point about the difference that could be made by a gifted person who had a knowledge of the fullness of the gospel. He said:
Take a da Vinci or a Michelangelo or a Shakespeare and give him a total knowledge of the plan of salvation of God and personal revelation and cleanse him, and then take a look at the statues he will carve and the murals he will paint and the masterpieces he will produce. Take a Handel with his purposeful effort, his superb talent, his earnest desire to properly depict the story, and give him inward vision of the whole true story and revelation, and what a master you have![11]
There are some extremely gifted people who use their gifts to contribute to evil. Some of the most talented people in the movie industry have produced movies that, in Mormon’s words, “. . . inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil . . .”[12] Others with great abilities in literature or the visual arts have created works with the same effect. Think of the irony of this. A person has a gift from God. If he perverts the use of this gift it can become a tool to lead people away from the very being who bestowed the gift! It isn’t just artistic gifts that can be misused. Scientific, political, leadership, business or any of these divine gifts can be used improperly. Some gifted athletes end up being terrible role models to young people who look up to them. Don’t ever be persuaded to misuse the gifts you have been given. If your efforts invite and entice others to do good and to love God and to serve him you are on the right track.[13]
What are your gifts or talents? Are you developing them? Are you using your gifts to build the kingdom?
My mother was gifted with children and was an excellent teacher. She was able to attend graduate school and taught child development at the university level before she was married and had a family. After she was married she focused her gifts with children and her teaching abilities on her own family. My father told me that her focus became the family and that she never wished she were back in the university classroom. I have a hunch she never had a chance to think about it since she ended up with eight children that I’m sure pushed her gifts to the limit. Her efforts and focus further developed the natural gifts she had. Not long before she passed away she told me that she was a better grandmother than she was a mother because of the things she had learned.
The Lord has blessed you with a unique set of gifts. They have been given to you for a reason. Don’t complain because you don’t have someone else’s gifts. Find your own. Explore them. Develop them. Bless others with them. This will bring you great joy.
The Savior, who possesses all good gifts, offers some gifts to every person. These are available because of His infinite atonement. Each of us has the gift of forgiveness available to us. Because He atoned for our sins we can be forgiven of them if we will just repent. Each of us will receive the gift of the resurrection and receive an immortal body free from the challenges our mortal bodies face. The greatest gift offered to humans is offered to all. If we keep his commandments and endure to the end we “. . . shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”[14]
I know that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father and that through His Son we can receive the gift of eternal life. To this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] BYU, February 1, 1976
[2] Matthew 25:14-18, emphasis added
[3] Alma 30:17
[4] Doctrine and Covenants 46:11
[5] Doctrine and Covenants 46:11-12
[6] 1 Corinthians 12:14-25
[7] Howard W. Hunter, The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, edited by Clyde J. Williams, p.70
[8] Doctrine and Covenants 88:33
[9] Improvement Era 3:886-90
[10] Spencer W. Kimball, “The Gospel Vision of the Arts,” Ensign, July 1977
[11] Spencer W. Kimball, “The Gospel Vision of the Arts,” Ensign, July 1977
[12] Moroni 7:12
[13] Moroni 7:13
[14] Doctrine and Covenants 14:7