The Ultimate Gifts

     The ultimate gift-giver is our Savior, Jesus Christ. If you were to reflect on your life, you would realize that the majority of your most important gifts have come from the Lord. Or, if you cannot see how the Lord has blessed you, you can pray for the spiritual eyes to comprehend His hand in your life. The miraculous thing to me is that the Savior's gifts most essential to our salvation apply to each and every one of us.

     The gifts that I found to be most meaningful include the following:

1. The Gift of a Mortal Body and World
     The Apostle Russell M. Nelson said,

I testify that the earth and all life upon it are of divine origin. The Creation did not happen by chance. It did not come ex nihilo (out of nothing). And human minds and hands able to build buildings or create computers are not accidental. It is God who made us and not we ourselves. We are His people!    The Creation itself testifies of a Creator. We cannot disregard the divine in the Creation. Without our grateful awareness of God’s hand in the Creation, we would be just as oblivious to our provider as are goldfish swimming in a bowl. With deep gratitude, we echo the words of the Psalmist, who said, “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.”1

2. The Gift of Power over Death
     Church Apostle Dallin H. Oaks stated,

The possibility that a mortal who has died will be brought forth and live again in a resurrected body has awakened hope and stirred controversy through much of recorded history. Relying on clear scriptural teachings, Latter-day Saints join in affirming that Christ has “broken the bands of death” (Mosiah 16:7) and that “death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54; see also Morm. 7:5). Because we believe the Bible and Book of Mormon descriptions of the literal Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we also readily accept the numerous scriptural teachings that a similar resurrection will come to all mortals who have ever lived upon this earth.2 As Jesus taught, “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).3 

 3. The Gift of Power over Sin
     Perhaps the most touching gift the Savior has given us is the gift of His Atonement. Through that prayer in Gethsemane, Jesus was able to understand, experience, and suffer all of our afflictions. Our wrongs, our pains, sicknesses, and worries. He understood what was required and deliberately chose to see it through. Because of His sacrifice, He can literally empathize with each individual person; and He became infinitely qualified to act as our advocate with the Father. After we have given all that we can, and have repented of our sins, it is still not enough. We must rely on the Savior's mercy and love to redeem ourselves. He will fill in all the gaps that we cannot! If we come unto Him and do our part, He has promised us that He will do His.

4. The Gift of Scripture, Revelation, and Prophets
     These gifts are to promote our return to a loving Heavenly Father. In His love for us, Jesus has provided a way for us to receive instruction from heaven. We have a record of God's laws for His children in the time before Christ and during his mortality in the scriptures. And now, through the restored gospel, we have a prophet and apostles with the proper authority to speak with and on behalf of the Lord once again. In addition to spiritual direction, within scripture and prophecies are also things we can do in this life to bring us happiness.

     Then, we have all of the personalized gifts that we can recognize in our own lives. These are the ones that have been tailor-fit to our own circumstances and needs. I have had so many of these through the years that it is hard to comprehend Jesus Christ's love for my family and me. Most recently, we have been given the gift of life, health and recovery for my dear mother.

     Several weeks ago, my parents went down to help with funeral arrangements for my Grandmother's death. While there, on Thanksgiving morning, my Mom (in her early 50's) had a paralyzing stroke. She was in the Neuro-ICU for over a week, and we weren't sure if she would survive- or if she did, to what extent she would recover. For a number of weeks, things were slow and uncertain. She received priesthood blessings from my father and others in the church for quick recovery and healing. Against many odds, a month later, Mom is regaining nearly all that has been lost! Though still with limited motion, she can move her left side, which had been still for weeks. She has even started to feel tinglings in her limbs as well. Her mind is strong, and her faith is pure. She was able to be home for Christmas- which we acknowledge as no small miracle. Many may say that she is just one of the lucky ones who recovers quickly, but since we are blessed with the gospel we can see her situation for what it truly is: a God-given miracle. (I am sure I will revisit this event in future posts.)

     I would encourage you to take a few moments to ponder what the Lord has given to you. Once you take the time to consider it, you will come up with more things than you could have imagined. And, if you are like me, you will be able to see more clearly where our gifts are coming from- and that more often than not, they are from Christ.

Published by Jen
1. Nelson, Russell M.. "The Creation". The Ensign. May 2000.
2. 1 Cor. 15:22; 2 Ne. 9:22; Hel. 14:17; Morm. 9:13; D&C 29:26; D&C 76:39, 42–44
3. Oaks, Dallin H.. "Resurrection". The Ensign. May 2000.