Welcome to Closer to Christ, a general conference
where two friends who love Jesus share our own
approach to studying the most recent general
conference talks. This is Abby and Amy. Let's
jump into it. Today we're talking about Receive
His Gift. This is by Elder Patrick Kieran of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Hey, Abby,
how are you today? Good. Thanks for doing this
with me. You bet, Abby. We're glad our listeners
are here too. Gift -giving, I loved this talk.
Gift -giving is a social custom that spans all
cultures, civilizations, and millennia. Throughout
time, people have given gifts to each other to
strengthen relationships, express love and gratitude,
and mark important events like weddings, birthdays,
and holidays. I am possibly one of the worst
gift receivers of all time. So this talk might
have hit me like between the eyes. When has somebody
ever given you the perfect gift? What was it
like to receive it? That's a serious question.
For me? Yeah. When I was a little girl, I think
I was like six or seven. Santa gave me a dollhouse,
but it was a homemade one, like made out of wood
as tall as me with all the rooms and they were
all decorated taller than me. It may have been
like. four feet i don't know what it was but
um yeah all the rooms were different and they
were all decorated like there was a red and white
heart room and there was a telephone on the wall
that like rang and a vacuum and i mean it was
like definitely santa put a lot of time and effort
into this gift so yeah i touched my heart it
was my favorite ever all of these years looking
back on it can you tell why that gift was so
special to you definitely because the time into
it yeah And it was actually like a family project.
All the older siblings like totally helped and
did all the things and they like put their love
and heart into it. Clearly, I felt that as a
kid. I wish you had it still. I know. Does it
exist? No, it doesn't. It doesn't exist. It's
funny, actually. I didn't play with it. I would
just, my mom didn't realize that I just wanted
to decorate each of the rooms and then just watch
it. Like, I just like to look at it. So she's
like, well, you don't play with it. So we gave
it to another family. But that's your, that's
your thing. And I, we didn't know that. My mom
didn't know that at the time. Yeah, you were
awfully young. That is like, that is your thing.
And it's part of your love language. I think
the effort that you put into kind of the filling
that your house puts off. Isn't that funny? That
is wild. Okay. Tell me something. Tell me the
best gift you've ever been able to give somebody
or a group. Oh, my gosh, Abby. I don't know.
So we just. Could we get a vacation? Yeah. You
know what? That probably when our family. Is
that coming to mind? Yeah. When our family like
saved up and we went to. Hawaii after Alex's
mission, that was like the best thing ever. I
was going through cancer when Bailey got back.
That didn't work. We didn't do anything before
she left. We didn't, you know what I mean? So
it was kind of like all the things we hadn't
done for years and years, like that was it. And
it was truly the best thing ever. I think of
it all the time. This morning, I was like, Abby,
you would not believe what my feed keeps showing.
I'm like, what? And he's like, Hawaii. We need
to go back. I'm like, yeah, find me $15 ,000
and I'll be right there, buddy. Right. For real.
He has us kind of be thinking about gifts. And
I sat and thought about some of the best gifts
that I've ever been given. I'll tell you what
one of them is. I got, when I was probably in
high school, I got the... cassette tapes for
Anne of Green Gables trilogy, right? Like I brought
tears to my eyes. I loved that. I loved the movie.
And then I got all like three. So it was six
tapes worth of Anne of Green Gables, Anne of
Avonlea and the continuing story. You know, they
don't have to be like the craziest things, but
that somebody like they know you and they want
to do something that means. will mean something
to you like they've kind of been listening their
ears are perked up people some people don't like
gifts so sometimes time is is the thing that
they're gifting but whatever the case may be
as you're kind of thinking about gifts you want
to give somebody you're really trying to imagine
how they'll respond when you give them the gift
right would you say that's true for sure like
so like on a on a trip reveal like we've taken
our kids to st george we're like we're not actually
stopping here we're going to disneyland and They
weren't as excited as I was hoping that they
would be. But, you know, sometimes you have to
process these things. And I'm like, was kind
of building to this moment to be like, oh man,
that's the best gift. Hopefully, you know. I
love it. Hopefully they love these things. But
this was basically a great opener to get our
minds thinking about why we have these customs.
Even animals have these customs of gift giving
because of how the person is going to. accept
that gift that we're talking about. I love this
so much. So as a child, Elder Kieran lived in
Arabia and he wanted a toy replica of the magical
car from Chitty Chitty Bing Bing. Do you know
that? Honestly, when he... One of my favorites
as a kid. So when I heard this, I was like, oh
my gosh, even more. It's a little bit before
my time. When his father returned home from a
trip to England without it, he felt disappointment.
But then a short time later at his birthday,
he received that toy car as a surprise gift.
Overjoyed, this toy was treasured for years.
Elder Kieran reflected that his father found
as much joy in giving the gift as he did in receiving
it. I love that a lot. All these years later,
as he reflects on this perfect gift, it conjures
up many fond memories between he and also the
gift giver. That one gift embodied a deeper love
that was always there. He used this story to
introduce a three -part process for this gift
giving. Abby, do you want to touch on those?
Absolutely. Okay, the three parts of gifts gifting
is the actual giving of the gift and then accepting
and opening the gift. And then the third part
being receiving. So he breaks it down like this.
He says the gift of the giving of the gift is
where the giver selects, makes or prepares the
gift and presents it to the loved one. It involves
thoughtful intention on the part of the giver
to give something meaningful. And I think certainly
there's times when it's like there's a gift obligation
and you just grab the first thing that comes
to mind. But there's actually, you know. Gift
giving where you're thinking about that person
really methodically and really thinking what
they would like. The second piece, accepting
and opening the gift. This is where the recipient
accepts the gift from the giver, often with expression
of surprise, gratitude, or excitement. Before
opening it, sometimes untying a box, unwrapping
a package to discover what that gift is going
to be. So sort of an anticipation. And then third,
perhaps the most important part, is the receiving
of the gift. To receive a gift sincerely given
is so much more than just accepting and opening
it. I love that. It is more even than recognizing
the worth of the gift and expressing gratitude
to the giver. To truly receive a gift, we come
to value it for ourselves. We put it to full
use in our lives and remember with thankfulness
the giver. To receive is not a passive act, but
it shows actual intention. and receiver so you
know that he's doing this to lay a foundation
for this gift giving process or and what he's
going to talk about is the way that we receive
or can receive gifts from heavenly father eventually
talking about the greatest gift the father has
ever given Perfect, Abby. Every good gift and
every perfect gift is from above and it cometh
down from the Father of lights. It's our covenant
relationship with the Father that makes Him the
giver and we the humble recipient. We could receive
nothing without the greatest of all the Father's
gifts, His beloved Lamb, His Son, Jesus Christ.
All of our Father's gifts flow from and are actually
activated by the Savior's willing offering in
Gethsemane and also on the cross. and His triumphant
resurrection. Jesus Christ, our merciful Redeemer,
is the supreme gift from our Father of lights.
In the gift of His Son hath God prepared for
us a more excellent way. I love that he's saying
Father of lights. It's good. It is. I love names
and like that. If you just stop and think on
that, Father of light, that is a beautiful title
to give him. It is. The excellent way or the
plan is to... is to journey in this mortal life,
but not to do it alone. His greatest desire is
to have us with him and to return to him and
have eternal life with him. And we ask ourselves,
why? Well, it's because we are his children,
cherished daughters and precious sons. It is
a truth that not all understand, but once they
do grasp this truth and receive it deep in the
soul, it overshadows. all the hardships of this
life, knowing that we are meant for eternal blessings
and eternal rewards. It hits me differently when
Elder Karen talks about these things because
he learned these truths for himself as an adult
convert to the church. That's true. There's been
multiple times when he has called out truth as
he sees it from those eyes. And I honestly stop
and think, man, I've taken... taken this for
granted to a point. I've always had it. And so
it hits differently when he talks about like
the wow or the awe in the moment when he had
learned that truth for himself. We have these
precious truths and the opportunity to shout
it to the world. We are children of God. We are
so good and knowing it and feeling it as little
children. And it's such an important truth. It's
no wonder that Satan wants to work his hardest
to make us second guess it. It's the thought,
it's fast in testimony meeting when we're recording
this. And, you know, I was thinking, what would
I bear testimony of if I'd felt the urge to do
it? And it was this truth that I'd studied in
this talk this week, that simple truth that makes
everything else just so much more understandable.
That if at our core, we know we have loving parents.
that want the best for us, that we can look at
even the hard times and the good times, both
as being gifts, given opportunities, and that
we'll see the help that's extended for us if
we just reach for it. So it changes, it changes
everything. And it kind of took him to say it
in his way to remind me, like, don't take that
for granted. Don't take that truth that I know
for myself for granted. Just because you've known
it all your life, right? With his omniscient
love, he knows exactly who you were before you
were sent to earth and what you have experienced
so far in your mortal life. And he has mercifully
planned for your every tomorrow. That's so good.
The question is not whether this gift of truth
is real, but whether we will discover and receive
it. Again, I really love how he is differentiating
receive from opening it. The gift, you know what
I mean? I really like. The gift was already given,
and a lot of times when we talk about this, we
really focus on being the atonement of our Savior
Jesus Christ. But it's a piece and part of the
greatest gift that the reason that we had the
Savior provided is because, backtrack a little
bit, we're all His sons and daughters, beloved.
So God has already given us the greatest gift,
and Jesus has already paid the price for it.
But when we've heard this truth so many times,
maybe it makes it feel less exciting or powerful
to us. If we don't accept this gift and make
it part of our lives, we definitely miss out
on the peace and hope and joy that it can bring.
And also, it saddens the one who gave it to us.
After all, what good is a gift if it's never
opened or received? Or what about those gifts
we receive fully and we do recognize for a time
that we're a worthy recipient of them and then
we forget how great that gift made us feel when
it gets shelved. Yeah, that's a good point. I
don't think knowing that truth, it's good to
just stop there. It's something Satan's always
going to try to attack, and it's something that
we always have to keep, hold dear to ourselves.
Yes. Yes and yes. Let's remind everyone of the
invitation Elder Kieran gave to us. He says,
I invite you to receive, either for the first
time or to a greater extent than ever before,
the magnificent realization that you truly are.
God's beloved child. This is a foundational truth
and the Holy Spirit can bear witness to your
heart that you indeed are a child of the Most
High. There are a myriad of challenges we can
hear and accept in a conference session or the
months following, but I would suggest that letting
the truth sink deep into the recess of your heart,
that you are a child of God is the most important
thing a person can do. I love that. When you
realize that as an individual, that you are a
child of God, what tends to follow is the realization
that even the person you struggle the most with
is also a child of God. The one that you find
the hardest to love. is also a child of God.
Doesn't that change our interaction with them?
When we welcome the majestic reality into our
very soul and feel both the comfort and thrill
of it, the entire paradigm shifts. You can feel
his love, hear his voice, recognize his hand,
no matter what is happening or not happening
in your life. You can redefine how you see yourself
in others. Very good. Called me out there. Redefine.
Stop and reflect a moment how knowing you are
a child of God makes the gift of the atonement
even make more sense. Why wouldn't he want us
to have every ounce of help that we could receive?
And honestly, it's not measured in ounces. When
we truly understand this truth, you'll be showered
in the abundance of gifts that come with that
truth. And it's true. He is a God of abundance.
Some may ask, what do I have to do? to receive
this gift from God? Guess what the answer is.
Not a thing. It's a gift from the giver. It is
simply a fact. Just let it in. You are his child.
You are beloved of him. Don't complicate it.
Don't block receiving this gift with thoughts
that you are somehow undeserving. The reality
is none of us is deserving. All the Father's
gifts are received only through the merits, mercy,
and grace of the Holy Messiah. But how his generous
heart longs for each of his children to receive
them. Then, as your new or renewed understanding
dawns on you, rejoice in the giver of this gift.
That's so great. And honestly, if so many blessings
follow from the internalization of this truth
that we're talking about right now, it's no wonder
that Satan uses the tactic of blocking that realization
as a way to block us. from all that the Father
wants to give to us. Elder Karen shared this.
He said, or some of the things that helped him
come to this knowledge and constantly be a receiver
of this gift. He said, some things that have
helped me grow in understanding are the words
of scripture, my patriarchal blessing, temple
worship, serving others, expressing gratitude,
and also sacred prayer with my Father. And again,
Abby, it is beautiful listening to him say these
words because we know that he has And there were
some things that he had before his conversion
to the church. And then also like the patriarchal
blessing and temple worship, those are going
to be things that he has added to his worship
since becoming a member of the church. And I
love that because it's been in his adulthood.
And then as he also, he says, I marvel at how
earlier sorrow, pain and grief in my life would
have been reframed, soothed and much. have it
overcome had he known this beautiful truth. So
again, talking about learning these things later
in life, he's looking back. I've done that so
many times before. Like I've learned something,
you know, this past week or whatever. I'm like,
where has this been all my life? You know what
I mean? And so I honestly feel like though, every
single thing we learn is preparatory for the
next thing. Maybe I wasn't ready for it. I don't
know. But that's exactly what I would say. I
mean, I'd love to hear you complete the thought,
you know, the why. And the why to ask, if you
stop and think on that, you're like, oh, I had
to have this experience so that I could learn
this piece of it so that when he was ready to
hit me with this other, this added knowledge
that I was in a place. And also when I hear that
God is a God of order, I truly do believe there
is, every person has their own order, but there
are orders that things happen in so that they
are a building experience. And if there's not
a foundation, it's not going to land. He knows
that. Right. And he's giving you like the calculus.
solution to a problem and we need to learn the
basic yeah and i'm an algebra right um when we
talk when we talked about receiving the gift
of knowledge that we are children of god and
how this gift turns on the faucet of blessings
love that yeah um maybe we're grasping for what
those might be and he kind of started the list
for us he says his gifts of joy and peace hope
light truth revelation knowledge and wisdom those
came to mind love that and I think it's good
if we just allow ourselves the opportunity to
experience these things because we're sons and
daughters of God. Like, stop and reflect back
on some of these things that He's done for us.
What moments have you had in your life that have
brought joy, peace, and hope, like truth? We
know that it comes from Him, and there's an abundance
more of those things that He wants to share with
us. Absolutely. That's just the start of a list,
but it's a good start. You are a child of God.
It isn't up for debate, and it's not... waiting
to be something that's determined. It's a fact
and it's our challenge to receive the knowledge
of that truth. Elder Karen's plea is this. Will
you please accept, open, and receive this gift
of knowledge and understanding from him? Will
you hold it close as the precious treasure that
it is? Any last thoughts? I just love this talk
and I love the way that he talks about receiving
the gift. I appreciate his perspective on things
and I... I love Chitty Chitty Bing Bing. Of course,
that drew me in. But yeah, the whole gift thing
was just really beautiful. And it's caused me
to reflect more on what it looks like to receive
and to actually make it be part of your life
so that you even say to yourself, I don't even
remember not having it. It's always been part
of me. You know what I mean? And I think he knows
he's talking to people who have had a glimpse
of that at some point. So his challenge to us
is to re -receive this gift or perhaps receive
it truly for the very first time. Whatever your
case may be, there's something for everybody
here. And then what? He said, let it transform
every aspect of your life. This is the more excellent
way God has prepared for you through the gift
of his son. You really are that you might have
joy. And he closes in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen. Amen. That's great. I love the transform
part, Abby. I do too. Thanks for being with us
today. Have a great week. Because you're children
of God. We'll catch you next time.