Digital Only: Young Adults
Which Heavenly Gifts Are Special to You?
I asked 10 of my friends which “heavenly gifts” are especially meaningful to them.
As important and fun as it is to think about the gifts we give to others during the Christmas season, do you ever stop to think about what gifts you’ve been given? And not just the ones you’ve received from your family and friends—the ones you’ve been given from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ!
This Christmas season, instead of focusing on what worldly gifts you’re going to give and receive, focus on the gifts you’ve been given from Heavenly Father and how you can share them with those around you.
I asked 10 of my friends to share which “heavenly gifts” are especially meaningful to them—here are just a few examples:
The Gift of the Savior’s Atonement
“The most meaningful gift I’ve received from my Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Nothing in all of eternity will be more meaningful than the sacrifice of our Savior. I know with surety that the pains and sorrows I pass through in this life were His to feel before they were mine. His loving sacrifice means everything in the world to me.”
Grace N.
The Gift of Eternal Families
“For me, the gift of eternal families is especially meaningful. Knowing that I can be with my family forever allows me to feel a little piece of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s love every day. I love my earthly family—they are the biggest blessing in my life and my strongest motivation to stay on the gospel path. I’m so grateful that I get to be with them throughout all eternity.”
Olivia W.
The Gift of Eternal Life
“The most special gift to me is the gift of eternal life. Because our Heavenly Father loves us so much, He has given us the path to overcome death and sin (which is something we can’t do alone). He wants us to live with Him forever and has provided a way that we can live forever, together with our families. To me, this gift is special because it gives me hope in hard times and allows me to always remember His perfect plan and infinite love.”
Sara S.
“One of the most meaningful gifts Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have given to me is the ability to be with those I love forever. I had thought this but didn’t feel it as deeply and personally until a few years ago, when I lost a close friend. I now cling to this knowledge and know that no matter what happens in this life, everything will be OK because we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to return to Him.”
Kaitlyn S.
The Gift of the Priesthood
“I’m grateful for the gift of the restoration of the priesthood. I have felt a confirmation of the truthfulness of the restoration of priesthood power when worthy brethren have given me blessings. The restoration of the priesthood is awesome because it allows for temple ordinances, the true organization of the Church, prophets, and many other things that have impacted my life.”
Jared P.
The Gift of Love
“I think the most special gift we’ve been given is love. We have perfect love from heaven, and we also get to love (and be loved) by people here on earth. I think it’s so cool that the more you get to know a person, the more you can’t help but love them! There have been times in my life when I feel like I’ve been able to see people through God’s eyes and feel how much He loves them. This heavenly gift of love is so powerful!”
Nicole S.
The Gift of Agency
“The thing that I most often get on my knees in gratitude for is my agency. I’m grateful for a Heavenly Father who allows me to struggle and to consciously make the decision to become a little bit better each day. To me, agency is related to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The gift of agency has allowed me to get on my knees in my deepest moments of weakness and turn to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.”
Jake L.
“The most meaningful gift to me is agency. Heavenly Father loves me so much that He is willing to let me choose to follow Him. He provides everything for us to choose Him, but He lets us decide. That means so much to me and makes me feel so loved and motivated to follow Him.”
Dallin H.
The Gift of Spiritual Gifts
“I love to think about all the spiritual gifts there are and how we’ve all been given different ones from God. We each have strengths and talents, and we can use them to love, serve, and uplift the people around us. We can recognize the spiritual gifts we’ve been given and use them to help those around us, as well as recognize the gifts God has given others and see how they serve others in their own unique ways.”
Brooke S.
The Gift of Repentance
“Because of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I know I can change to be better. Without Them, I know that my life problems and shortcomings would be overwhelming. But because I know I have a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior who gave His life for me, I can overcome and move past any mistake I make and ultimately become the best version of myself. No matter how many times I might mess up, I can always come back.”
Hyrum W.
Reflect, Recognize, and Give Thanks!
The scriptures teach us that every good gift comes from Christ (see Moroni 10:18). I like to think of every good thing in my life as a gift from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. It’s important to reflect on our heavenly gifts so we can recognize all that we’ve been given!
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught: “Our Heavenly Father wants us to recall His and His Beloved Son’s goodness, not for Their own gratification but for the influence such remembrance has on us. By considering Their kindness, our perspective and understanding are enlarged. By reflecting on Their compassion, we become more humble, prayerful, and steadfast.”
I don’t know about you, but I’d love to become more humble, prayerful, and steadfast! And if recognizing Heavenly Father’s goodness in my life can help me become those things, I’m more than happy to do it.
As we reflect upon and recognize the things we’ve been given, we have the opportunity to thank Heavenly Father for all that He’s done. Our gratitude can be an expression of our love for Him!
This Christmas season, I invite you to reflect upon, recognize, and give thanks for the many heavenly gifts in your life. As you “count your many blessings” and “name them one by one,” it might just surprise you to see all that the Lord has done.