Dieter F. Uchtdorf · Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
1Last year during a trip to Europe, I visited my old place of employment, Lufthansa German Airlines at the Frankfurt Airport.
2To train their pilots, they operate several sophisticated full-motion flight simulators that can re-create almost any normal and emergency flight condition. During my many years as an airline captain, I had to pass a check flight in the flight simulator every six months to keep my pilot license current. I remember well those intense moments of stress and anxiety but also the feeling of accomplishment after passing the test. I was young then and loved the challenge.
3During my visit, one of the Lufthansa executives asked if I would like to give it a try again and fly the 747 simulator one more time.
4Before I had time to fully process the question, I heard a voice—sounding astonishingly like my own—saying, “Yes, I would like that very much.”
5As soon as I said the words, a tsunami of thoughts flooded my mind. It had been a long time since I flew a 747. Back then I was young and a confident captain. Now I had a reputation to live up to as a former chief pilot. Would I embarrass myself in front of these professionals?
6But it was too late to back down, so I settled into the captain’s seat, placed my hands on the familiar and beloved controls, and felt, once again, the exhilaration of flight as the big jet roared down the runway and took off into the wild blue yonder.
7I’m happy to say that the flight was successful, the aircraft remained intact, and so did my self-image.
8Even so, the experience was humbling for me. When I was in my prime, flying had become almost second nature. Now it took all my concentration to do the basic things.
9My experience in the flight simulator was an important reminder that getting good at anything—whether it be flying, rowing, sowing, or knowing—takes consistent self-discipline and practice.
10You might spend years acquiring a skill or developing a talent. You might work so hard that it becomes second nature to you. But if you think that means you can stop practicing and studying, you’ll gradually lose the knowledge and abilities you once acquired at great cost.
11This applies to skills like learning a language, playing a musical instrument, and flying an airliner. It also applies to becoming a disciple of Christ.
12Simply put, discipleship takes self-discipline.
13It is not a casual endeavor, and it doesn’t happen by accident.
14Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift, but receiving it is a conscious choice that requires a commitment of all our “might, mind and strength.” It is a practice of every day. Every hour. It takes constant learning and determined commitment. Our faith, which is our loyalty to the Savior, becomes stronger as it is tested against the opposition we face here in mortality. It endures because we keep nourishing it, we keep actively applying it, and we never give up.
15On the other hand, if we fail to use faith and its convincing power by acting upon it, we become less sure of things we once held sacred—less confident of things we once knew were true.
16Temptations that would never have enticed us begin to look less appalling and more appealing.
17The fire of yesterday’s testimony can warm us for only so long. It needs constant nourishment to keep burning brightly.
18In the New Testament, the Savior taught a parable about a master who gave each of his servants a sacred trust—a quantity of money called talents. The servants who diligently used their talents increased them. The servant who buried his talent eventually lost it.
19The lesson? God gives us gifts—of knowledge, of ability, of opportunity—and He wants us to use and amplify them so they can bless us and bless His other children. That doesn’t happen if we put those gifts high on a shelf like a trophy that we admire from time to time. Our gifts magnify and multiply only when we put them to use.
20“But Elder Uchtdorf,” you might say, “I don’t have any gifts or talents—at least, none that are that valuable.” Perhaps you look at others whose gifts are obvious and impressive and you feel pretty ordinary by comparison. You might suppose that in the premortal existence, on the day of the great gift and talent smorgasbord, your plate seemed woefully sparse—especially compared to the stacked and overflowing plates of others.
21Oh, how I wish I could embrace you and help you understand this great truth: You are a blessed being of light, the spirit child of an infinite God! And you bear within you a potential beyond your own capacity to imagine.
22As poets have noted, you come to earth “trailing clouds of glory”!
23Your origin story is divine, and so is your destiny. You left heaven to come here, but heaven has never left you!
24You are anything but ordinary.
25You are gifted!
26In the Doctrine and Covenants, God declared:
27“There are many gifts, and to every [person] is given a gift by the Spirit of God.
28“To some is given one, and to some is given another, [and] all may be profited thereby.”
29Some of our gifts are listed in the scriptures. Many are not.
30As the prophet Moroni said, “Deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God.” They might manifest themselves in “different ways … ; but it is the same God who worketh all in all.”
31It may be true that our spiritual gifts are not always flashy, but that does not mean they are less important. May I share with you some spiritual gifts that I have noticed in so many members across the world? Contemplate whether you have been blessed with one or more gifts like:
32Showing compassion.
33Noticing people who are overlooked.
34Finding reasons to be joyful.
35Being a peacemaker.
36Noticing small miracles.
37Giving sincere compliments.
38Forgiving.
39Repenting.
40Enduring.
41Explaining things simply.
42Connecting with children.
43Sustaining Church leaders.
44Helping others know that they belong.
45You might not see these gifts displayed at the ward talent show. But I hope you can see how precious they are to the Lord’s work and how you might have touched, blessed, or even saved one of God’s children by your gifts. Remember: “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.”
46So let us each do our little part.
47My beloved brothers and sisters, dear friends, I pray that the Spirit will help you recognize the gifts and talents God has given you. Then, let us, like the faithful servants in the Lord’s parable, increase and magnify them.
48The day will come when we stand before our compassionate Father in Heaven to give an account of our stewardship. He will want to know what we did with the gifts He gave us—in particular, how we used them to bless His children. God knows who we truly are, who we are designed to become, and so His expectations for us are high.
49But He doesn’t expect us to take some grand, heroic, or superhuman leap to get there. In the world He created, growth happens gradually and patiently—but also consistently and unrelentingly.
50Remember, it is Jesus Christ who already did the superhuman part when He conquered death and sin.
51Our part is to follow the Christ. It is our part to turn away from sin, turn toward the Savior, and walk in His way, one step at a time. As we do this, diligently and faithfully, we eventually cast off the shackles of imperfections and faults and slowly become refined, until that perfect day when we will be perfected in Christ.
52The blessings are within reach. The promises are in place. The door is wide open. It is our choice to enter and begin.
53The beginning may be small. But that is OK.
54Where faith is weak, begin with a hope in Christ Jesus and in His power to cleanse and purify.
55Our Father asks that we approach this challenge of faith and discipleship not as casual tourists but as wholehearted believers who leave behind and abandon Babylon and set their hearts, minds, and steps toward Zion.
56We know that our efforts alone cannot make us celestial. But they can make us loyal and committed to Jesus the Christ, and He can make us celestial.
57Because of our beloved Savior, there is no such thing as a no-win scenario. If we place our hope and faith in Him, our victory is assured. He promises us access to His strength, His power, His abundant grace. Step by step, little by little, we will grow ever closer to that great and perfect day when we will live with Him and our loved ones in eternal glory.
58To get there, we must do our part today and every day. We are thankful for the steps we took yesterday, but we don’t stop there. We know we still have a long way to go, but we don’t let that discourage us.
59That is the essence of who we are—as followers of Christ.
60I urge and bless every member of the Church, and all who desire to be part of it, to trust the Savior and engage, patiently and diligently, in doing your part with all your heart—that your joy may be full and that, one day, you will receive all the Father has. Of this I bear witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.