Looking
at my family and friends, I’m amazed and thrilled at the
diversity of their talents. My brother-in-law,
John,
has artistic gifts. My niece,
Kaitlyn,
is a creative storyteller. Among my friends, Kathy is an able editor;
Dave is a skillful web developer; Rani is a woman of great courage;
Steve is spiritually in tune and quick to serve others. My young
friend,
Kaydee, whom I see each week in Primary, is one of the most
loving people I know.
The
Lord has given talents to all of us (D&C
46:11)
with the admonition that we are to improve upon them and gain other
talents (D&C 82:18).
Talents bring joy to ourselves, to others, and to our Lord who gave
them to us (Matt 25:23). However,
it’s not always easy to see our talents, and if we don’t
know what they are, how can we develop them?
Sometimes
we don’t recognize our talents because our definition is too
narrow, only including “obvious” things like musical or
athletic ability. But talents can be quiet and subtle, taking place
off the stage and out of the limelight. Seeing the good in others is
just as much a talent as a beautiful singing voice.
Other
times our talents seem so ordinary to us that we don’t
recognize them as talents. I had a life-changing experience when my
friend,
Liz,
gave me a book called Now
Discover Your Strengths,
which included the StrengthsFinder assessment. I was shocked to
discover that a quality which I was already aware of, but which I’d
sometimes seen as a liability rather than a talent, was my top talent
according to the assessment! Identifying this talent and working to
develop it opened doors for me and continues to bring me great
satisfaction.
The
challenge for this week’s column is to set aside time one day
to do an inventory of your talents. You will most likely be surprised
at some of the gifts you uncover, and you’ll probably see ways
to develop them further.
How
can you identify your talents? Here are some ideas:
Pray
and ask the Lord to help you recognize the talents He’s given
you.
Read
your patriarchal blessing, looking specifically for talents,
abilities, or qualities that are mentioned. Look also for any
advice given for developing these gifts.
Reflect
on activities that bring you a true sense of satisfaction or
fulfillment. Chances are you have talents in those areas.
Ask
several trusted friends or family members what talents they have
noticed in you.
Take
a talent assessment such as the one mentioned above.
As
we develop the gifts the Lord has given us, we can look forward to
reporting back to Him one day and hearing His words, “Well
done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into
the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21.)
Kathryn Grant is a user assistance professional with a passion
for usability and process
improvement. She also loves family history and enjoys the challenge and
reward of building her family tree.
As a child, she lived outside the United States for four years because of her father's job. This experience fueled her natural love of words and language, and also taught her to appreciate other cultures.
Kathryn values gratitude, teaching, learning, differences, and unity. She loves looking at star-filled skies, reading mind-stretching books, listening to contemporary Christian music, attending the temple, and eating fresh raspberries.
Kathryn teaches Sunday family history classes at the BYU Family History Library, and presents frequently at family history events. For more information, visit her Family History Learning Resources page