An Emerging Gift
This week, I will diverge a bit from the theme of the Come Follow Me curriculum. My reasons for that are that the subject matter of the particular chapters we are covering is apparent and disturbing in our world and time. We are consumed by it daily in the media during election season. We see corruption and conspiracy in politics, government, regulatory agencies, the military, the media, the legal system, academia, big business, insurance, and healthcare systems. These agencies and institutions seek money, power, and control. The denial and derision from the perpetrators of these secret combinations, who will destroy those who seek to expose them, is no longer a secret because they have established a strong enough foothold they think they can’t be stopped. That may be the case, so I diverge and reflect on my personal experiences with spiritual gifts.
Many years ago, as a very green missionary, I was asked to speak in a Sacrament meeting in Hastings, New Zealand. Two months before this event, I had misspelled the country where I had been called to serve. To say that I was not a public speaker was a gross underexaggeration. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, congregant participation is expected from an early age. Somehow, I had managed to avoid speaking in meetings, and not for the lack of being asked. I had mastered the art of saying no when asked to an art form. It is not that I was shy; it was more like I was a stubborn little jerk.
However, as a missionary, I had an obligation to speak and teach. It was something I signed up for, and I took my responsibility seriously. The congregation I was asked to address consisted of probably 100-150 people of all ages. I can’t say that I was particularly nervous, and I had prepared reasonably well. Love was the subject I chose. The talk went okay as far as I was concerned. It wasn’t until two weeks later that a girl in her mid-twenties approached me. She said that what I had said changed her life. I was shocked. I am still amazed by her response. The truth is that what she said profoundly changed me. I realized that God could use me to help others.
I can’t say anything like that has happened since, but I am sure God has given me a gift to teach. I do not know if the gift extends beyond the domain of spiritual matters, as I have not had a chance to teach in a secular setting.
Because my education ended at the high school level, and English was not my favorite subject, the next manifestation of this God-given gift also caught me off guard. Serving in my calling as a Ward Mission Leader when the COVID pandemic started, I had an impression that I should do something to keep in touch with our members. I decided to write a short message each week so that we could stay connected and engaged. To my amazement, people loved it.
As I continued to write each week, I built momentum that made writing easier and expanded my ability to articulate my ideas on gospel topics. Now, over four years later, I am still writing.
Having said that, I am sure that the most significant gift I have was given to me just after my eighth birthday. That is when I was confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The manifestation of the ability to communicate spiritual ideas in words is a tiny fraction of what is happening to me.
In the words of TV advertisers, but that’s not all. Having spiritual experiences as a child caused me to take sacred things seriously. When I received the Aaronic Priesthood at age 12, I approached my duties with reverence. I think I built some trust with God, and that is how and why the other gifts have come.
But that’s not the end, and I know it continues with each new day. For nearly six years, I have served in The House of the Lord weekly. This has had the profound effect of clarifying my mind about spiritual knowledge and understanding. I am unsure how to explain what is happening to me, but I know it is wonderful and beautiful. I am being transformed, perhaps as the scriptures say in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
I am not saying that I see the Lord when I look in the mirror, but I am changing. Slowly, my attitude is becoming less self-centered. I have a more positive disposition, and my overall mood is better. I tend to have less stress. I want to serve others more. Temptations that once beset me are all but gone. These incremental changes do not make me perfect; I am just a little better than I was a year ago.
So, where do I hope my spiritual gifts take me next? I want to be better able to explain in words answers to the big questions. Whether I can do so is unknown to me, but I will try. I am currently working on the nature of God and the godhead, what they are and are not. I believe this one fundamental doctrine is the biggest stumbling block to modern Christianity.
My challenge in undertaking these deep subjects is that I am not as bright as the thousands of others who have studied and written about them. However, I have an ace up my sleeve. I have the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the temple endowment to guide me. Whether I can accomplish this incredible feat remains to be seen.
So, what about you? What gifts have you been given? Do you recognize them and seek to magnify them? Allow me to suggest that you take the initiative and do things you’ve never tried. Follow your heart and inspiration. Let the good things that have been nagging you manifest themselves in action. Read and study more. Put your devices down for a while. Pray more. Attend the temple more. And then, start thinking.