Based on a talk given by Elder Kearon
I was really excited when I heard Elder Kearon’s talk in April. There is often a lot of talk about the gifts of God, but much less on what it means to receive them. It is a subject I have pondered on deeply.
I first started thinking about it at a baptism confirmation. When you are given the gift of the Holy Ghost by a member of the Melchizedek priesthood, you are not simply given it as you would be a gift. You are told to receive the Holy Ghost. This struck me and stuck with me.
Elder Kearon said, “Receiving a gift is not a passive but an intentional and meaningful process that goes far beyond merely opening a package. To receive is to appreciate and connect with both the gift and the heart of the giver in a way that strengthens the bonds between the giver and receiver.”
Our Heavenly Father has and has given innumerable gifts to me in my life. I am sure He has more to give. Some of those gifts He has given to all of His children, like His Son Jesus Christ. Others are personal and individualized to me and what I need in my life at that moment.
The appreciation and ability to receive His gifts in my life has depended greatly on what Elder Kearon called, “One All – Encompassing Gift of Eternal Truth”.
The knowledge and acceptance of the truth that I am a daughter of Heavenly Parents. This knowledge changes my perceptions on everything. It changes how I see myself, how I see those around me, how I face challenges, and who I turn to in times of turmoil and despair.
I was raised by genealogists. So heritage was taught and given meaning and weight. Where we came from, the stories of who our ancestors were and the times they lived in were told regularly.
As such I have a great appreciation for heritage. The more I have come to personally know my Heavenly Parents and know and receive the truth that I am their child, the more I have come to understand I have a divine heritage as well.
Just as with our earthly heritage, where we inherit the color of our hair or parts of our personality, our divine heritage carries with it inheritance as well. We carry within us the divine potential and capacity to do a great many things. If we receive it. If we accept it.
To come to know you are a child of Heavenly Parents, you first must come to know them. For me, I came to know my Heavenly Parents by first knowing my Savior Jesus Christ. I now have a personal relationship with each of them individually. To know who you are as a child you need to know who your parents are.
You can do this several ways, through scripture study, prayer, seeking personal revelation are the ways that have worked the best for me. When I seek answers or revelation I take the time to write what I receive. In doing so I am often given so much more than when I don’t record it.
So why does it matter? How does it affect your life?
When we know, accept, and truly understand that we are God’s children. We start learning more about Him. We focus more on His son Jesus Christ. In so doing we can feel hope and joy amidst chaos, turmoil, and heartbreak.
President Nelson stated that, “… the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”
Receiving the knowledge that you are a child of Heavenly Parents with a divine heritage shifts the focus of your life.
In shifting that focus, you start a powerful cycle of spiritual momentum that, if maintained, will push you forward in your life in ways that are amazing and wonderful.
So, receiving His gifts. The gift of knowledge that you are His child, and the many other gifts He has to give is a choice. It is an individual choice each of us makes. We can receive the gift, embrace it, use it, or set it aside. It is ours to decide.
The more I come to know my Heavenly Parents and my Savior Jesus Christ, the more gratitude fills my heart for the gifts they have given and that I have received. As such I often want to give something back.
So if you find yourself wanting to give back to the ones who have given you everything, here is a quote by Neil A. Maxwell. “… the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give”, brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!”
