Lesson 194: Preparing for Future Education and Employment

Developing Skills and Abilities

Progressing with the Lord’s Help

youth developing a skill

As we do our part, the Savior can help us develop skills and abilities that will help us prepare for future responsibilities and achieve our potential as children of God. This lesson can help students make a plan to develop skills and abilities that will prepare them for future employment and other roles.

Possible Learning Activities

This lesson will be most effective after teaching the lesson titled “Discovering Your Strengths and Abilities.” If you were unable to teach that lesson, consider using some of the activities from it as part of this lesson.

Focus on where you are heading

Consider beginning the lesson by displaying the following images or drawing similar ones on the board. You could point to the first image when describing the first young woman in the scenario below, then point to the second image when describing the second teen.

two ladies

Imagine you knew two young people who feel very different in their skills and abilities. The first has many noticeable talents, while the second sometimes feels like he or she does not have the talents needed to be successful in life.

• What advice or warnings would you give to these people regarding their talents, skills, or abilities? Why?

Display the following image and invite students to share what they see being depicted. They could share spiritual lessons they can learn from the chart in the image.

paths of development and skills

Before sharing the statement by Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Seventy, it may be helpful to explain that the slope of a line refers to its upward or downward progression.

Elder Clark G. Gilbert of the Seventy taught about the importance of focusing on where you are heading in life rather than where you begin:

Elder Clark G. Gilbert

Our future will be determined far less by our starting point and much more by our slope. Jesus Christ sees divine potential no matter where we start. … Christ considers what we do with what we are given. While the world focuses on our intercept, God focuses on our slope. In the Lord’s calculus, He will do everything He can to help us turn our slopes toward heaven. (Clark G. Gilbert, “Becoming More in Christ: The Parable of the Slope,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 20)

• What did you learn about Jesus Christ from Elder Gilbert’s words?

• What did you find in this statement that could offer you hope and encouragement when it comes to developing talents, skills, or abilities?

Explain that this lesson will focus on developing skills and abilities that can help us prepare for future employment or other roles we will have.

Invite students to think of skills or abilities they want to develop to be better prepared for their future roles or employment opportunities. They could list these in their journals. It would be helpful to have students refer to notes they may have made during the lesson titled “Discovering Your Strengths and Abilities.”

Encourage students as they study today to pay attention to inspiration from the Holy Ghost that can help them better understand how they can develop their talents, skills, or abilities with the Lord’s help.

Developing skills and abilities

Before inviting students to participate in the following study activity, consider inviting them to brainstorm ways the Lord can help them develop skills and abilities.

Then place the students in small groups so they can discover truths from the scriptures. You could give each group a different verse and ask them to read, discuss, and write a truth or principle on the board based on the assigned scripture.

Read the following verses and look for truths. Consider how these truths can help you in your efforts to develop skills and abilities.

Doctrine and Covenants 4:7; 46:8–9; 75:3, 29; 1 Nephi 7:12

Invite the students to share truths they discovered. They might share truths similar to the following:

• If we ask for help from God, He will answer our prayers (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:7).

• The Lord commands us to seek spiritual gifts so we and others can benefit from them (see Doctrine and Covenants 46:8–9).

• The Lord commands us to avoid being idle and to labor diligently (see Doctrine and Covenants 75:3, 29).

• The Lord can do all things for us according to His will, if we exercise our faith in Him (see 1 Nephi 7:12).

• How do you think these truths relate to developing talents, skills, or abilities?

• When have you or people you know been able to develop skills or abilities by applying one or more of these truths?

After students respond to the previous question, consider sharing “Faith and the Goal” (4:40), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. Invite students to look for examples of the truths they identified.

Developing and using your talents

This part of the lesson is designed to offer students a chance to work on a personal plan to develop a talent, skill, or ability they have identified that can help them prepare for future roles or employment opportunities. Encourage students to rely on the Spirit as they are looking for ways to develop and learn. You might consider reminding students that some talents come naturally, while others require individual work and effort.

Before giving students time to work on their plan, consider showing “Small and Simple” (3:31), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org. You could use this video to help students see examples of simple steps they can follow to accomplish their goals.

Distribute the handout “Developing Skills and Abilities.” Before giving students time to work on this, consider completing one example together as a class. Have class members think of a skill or ability to focus on, and then invite them to brainstorm ways they could complete each of the steps to develop that skill or ability.

When students work on the plan on their own, it may be helpful to remind them of the skill or ability that they determined they wanted to develop in the lesson titled “Discovering Your Strengths and Abilities.”

Developing Skills and Abilities

Use the following steps to help you make a plan for developing skills and abilities that will prepare you for future roles and employment opportunities:

1. List a skill or ability you would like to develop to help you prepare for future employment or other roles you will have.

2. How will this skill or ability help you to become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

3. Set a specific goal to help you develop this skill or ability. List two or three specific steps or actions you will take to achieve this goal.

4. What habit or habits will you change to meet your goal? Start small. List one or two habits you can change or build every day. They don’t have to be big.

5. How will you seek God’s help with your plan? You could find a scripture that describes ways you can do this. Examples include Proverbs 3:5–6; 2 Nephi 32:3; Ether 12:27; and Doctrine and Covenants 4:7.

Invite willing students to share parts of their plans with each other, either in pairs or in small groups. Divide the students into pairs and give them a chance to share feedback. You could display prompts such as the following to help direct the type of feedback students could offer:

• One thing I like about your plan is …

• Something that has helped me accomplish my goals is …

• Another idea you might try to help you succeed is …

Encourage the students to act on the plans they have set for themselves. Testify of the Lord’s ability and willingness to help them as they strive to develop their skills and abilities in preparation for the future.

Additional Resources

Why is it important for me to develop talents?

Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Every person comes to earth as a unique individual. Similar threads may run in families, but each of us has a tapestry all our own. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote: “Each person in this life is endowed with those talents and capacities which his pre-earth life entitle him to receive. Some by obedience to law acquired one talent and some another.”

The Lord made it clear that it is not good enough for us simply to return to Him the talents He has given us. We are to improve upon and add to our talents. He has promised that if we multiply our talents we will receive eternal joy.

In modern revelation the Lord affirmed the principles in this parable: “But with some I am not well pleased, for … they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. … Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known.” (Doctrine and Covenants 60:2, 13) (Ronald A. Rasband, “Parables of Jesus: The Parable of the Talents,” Ensign, Aug. 2003, 34)

How does the Lord expect me to use my talents and abilities?

Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge of the Seventy taught:

Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge

For those of us who feel wanting when it comes to talents and gifts, it is encouraging to know that this invitation is not to dazzle others with who we are or what we know. Rather, our light is the Light of the World reflected in us as we simply strive to do as He did. That’s it. The Lord tells us to follow Him and not be ashamed or unwilling to stand out. Do not be ashamed to hold up His light. Do not be afraid to shine. (Lawrence E. Corbridge, “Valiant in the Testimony of Jesus Christ,” Ensign, Sept. 2011, 36)

What if I feel discouraged while developing my abilities?

Elder L. Tom Perry (1922–2015) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

Elder L. Tom Perry

We have all been blessed with many talents and abilities. Some have been blessed with the talent to sing, some to paint, some to speak, some to dance, some to create beautiful things with their hands, and others to render compassionate service. Some may possess many, others only a few. It matters not the size or the quantity but the effort we put forth to develop the talents and abilities we have received. You are not competing with anyone else. You are only competing with yourself to do the best with whatever you have received. Each talent that is developed will be greatly needed and will give you tremendous fulfillment and satisfaction during your life. (L. Tom Perry, “Youth of the Noble Birthright,”Ensign, Nov. 1998, 74.)

Supplemental Learning Activities

Examples of developing skills and abilities

As you invite students to discuss how they or others have been able to develop skills or abilities with the Lord’s help, you could consider using the following additional examples:

“Preparation of Heber J. Grant: Persistence and Tenacity” (1:59). Invite the students to look for examples of President Heber J. Grant turning his weaknesses into strengths.

“The Power of a Personal Testimony” from time code 0:57 to 3:03. Invite students to look for what motivated President Dieter F. Uchtdorf to learn English in preparation for a career he wanted to pursue.

Using the gifts and blessings God has given us

Explain that during the Savior’s time, a “talent” was a unit of weight and also a large sum of money. In the scriptures, the Savior has used talents to teach truths about the importance of using the gifts God has given us wisely (see Matthew 25:14–30). These gifts can include the knowledge, gifts, or abilities He has given us.

In our dispensation, the Savior referred to talents in His teachings to a group of elders who were called to preach the gospel. Invite the students to read Doctrine and Covenants 60:1–3, 13, looking for the Lord’s counsel. Ask them to think about how this counsel could relate to the abilities the Lord has given us.

You could ask questions such as the following to help students share their insights:

• What valuable gift had the Lord given to these elders that they were not using or sharing with others? (If needed, help students understand that the Lord had given them a knowledge of His gospel. The Lord was displeased with the elders’ unwillingness to open their mouths to share the gospel.)

• What is a truth you learn from these verses about what we should do with the gifts and blessings God has given to us?

Students might identify a truth similar to the following: The Lord expects us to use the blessings He has given us.

• How do you think this truth could apply to our talents and abilities?

• What difference does choosing to use or not use our talents and abilities make in our lives and the lives of others?

Developing Skills and Abilities