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No One Starts Life With a Clean Slate
Besides having a robust view of our premortal life, Mormons believe that we are born on this earth with preexisting personality traits and inclinations we developed before being born. In addition to these, we know Heavenly Father has given each of us a unique combination of talents. Each person has been divinely endowed with their own set of natural aptitudes.
While on this earth, we are expected to identify and develop all these natural aptitudes. We have also been taught that we will be held accountable for what we do with our talents and what we do not do with them. Unrealized talents could be taken away from us and given to those who have conscientiously identified and developed their talents.
What We Know About our Talents and What We Do Not
We may not know from birth what talents we have, but we know we have them. Besides calling them talents, we can also think of them as gifts and abilities.
How many we have compared to other people is irrelevant. This dangerous comparison should not occur. Heavenly Father expects us to develop what we have and to be diligent in doing so. In addition, by always being anxiously engaged in worthy activities we may be able to develop other skills and abilities.
In our current world, when we hear the word talents we usually think of music or art. This is limited thinking. We do know that Heavenly Father's list of talents is much more complex than what we are used to thinking are talents.
We know that all gifts come from Heavenly Father and He expects us to develop them in this life and bless others, as well as ourselves, with them. We should never hide our talents.
What Could My Inherent Talents Be?
From scripture, we can compile a partial list of talents. From that we can extrapolate what other talents might be.
From Doctrine & Covenants 46 and 1 Corinthians 12:
- To know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer
- To believe others' testimony of Jesus Christ
- To know the differences of administration
- To know the diversities of operations
- The word of wisdom
- The word of knowledge
- The faith to be healed
- The faith to heal
- The working of miracles
- To prophesy
- To discern spirits
- To speak with tongues
- To interpret tongues
Given how many people have existed on the earth, exist now and will exist, there must be an extraordinary list of possible talents. This is only a fragment.
Procedures for Identifying and Developing Our Talents
Ideas for identifying our talents include the following:
- Ask our family members
- Ask our friends
- Pray to our Heavenly Father and ask Him
- Receive and study our patriarchal blessing
- Pay attention to what our aptitudes seem to be
- Try doing many things
- Ponder and explore things
What to do after we identify our talents:
- Have faith in ourselves
- Have faith that Heavenly Father will help us
- Pray for Heavenly Father's assistance and guidance
- Spend time on developing them
- Learn skills necessary to develop our talents (We can do this by enrolling in a class, asking others for assistance or accessing reading material.)
- Practice using our talent
- Share our talent with others
Caution: Talents Versus Skills
Natural talents must be developed into skills. Even if no natural aptitude exists, skills can be developed. Not having natural aptitude does not absolve us from gaining and using as many skills as we can. We simply have a special responsibility to make sure we identify and develop our own personal talents.
Many people excuse themselves from developing skills because they do not have a natural aptitude that others may have. This is no excuse. Neglecting to develop any talent or skill available to us will be frowned on by our Heavenly Father.
Consider the life of former President Heber J. Grant. With no natural talent for singing, baseball or penmanship, he worked diligently to develop these skills and he was eventually blessed with both talent and skill.
Heavenly Father Wants Us to Bless Our Own and Others' Lives
The parable of the talents tells us we must be good stewards of the talents given us. Former President Joseph F. Smith taught:
“Every son and every daughter of God has received some talent, and each will be held to strict account for the use or misuse to which it is put” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 370, as quoted in Gospel Principles.)
We can use our talents to bless our own lives, that of others and we should certainly use them to build up the kingdom of God on earth. We can serve the Church by using our talents.
Some of the personal blessings we may experience include joy, self discipline, self mastery, friendship and love.
How Should Knowing All This Change My Life?
It should make you anxious to discover what your talents are.
It should make you anxious to help others discover their talents.
It should make you diligent in developing your talents and skills.
It should make you want to bless others with your talents and skills.
It should make you want to serve Heavenly Father in all things.
Next: Obedience to Heavenly Father Should Never Be Blind