At the October general conference of the church, he shared an experience that tied into that background with his trademark humor.

“Last year during a trip to Europe, I visited my old place of employment, Lufthansa German Airlines at the Frankfurt Airport,” Elder Uchtdorf said in the remarks as published on the church’s website.

“To train their pilots, they operate several sophisticated full-motion flight simulators that can re-create almost any normal and emergency flight condition. During my many years as an airline captain, I had to pass a check flight in the flight simulator every six months to keep my pilot license current. I remember well those intense moments of stress and anxiety but also the feeling of accomplishment after passing the test. I was young then and loved the challenge.

“During my visit, one of the Lufthansa executives asked if I would like to give it a try again and fly the 747 simulator one more time.

Ryan Comer, Standard-Examiner

“Before I had time to fully process the question, I heard a voice–sounding astonishingly like my own–saying, ‘Yes, I would like that very much.’

“As soon as I said the words, a tsunami of thoughts flooded my mind. It had been a long time since I flew a 747. Back then I was young and a confident captain. Now I had a reputation to live up to as a former chief pilot. Would I embarrass myself in front of these professionals?

“But it was too late to back down, so I settled into the captain’s seat, placed my hands on the familiar and beloved controls, and felt, once again, the exhilaration of flight as the big jet roared down the runway and took off into the wild blue yonder.

“I’m happy to say that the flight was successful, the aircraft remained intact, and so did my self-image.

“Even so, the experience was humbling for me. When I was in my prime, flying had become almost second nature. Now it took all my concentration to do the basic things.”

Elder Uchtdorf’s story was the introduction to his core message, which was that talents and gifts are given to everyone and need to be increased and magnified.

“My experience in the flight simulator was an important reminder that getting good at anything–whether it be flying, rowing, sowing, or knowing–takes consistent self-discipline and practice,” he said.

“You might spend years acquiring a skill or developing a talent. You might work so hard that it becomes second nature to you. But if you think that means you can stop practicing and studying, you’ll gradually lose the knowledge and abilities you once acquired at great cost.

“This applies to skills like learning a language, playing a musical instrument, and flying an airliner.”

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ

It also, according to Elder Uchtdorf, applies to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

“Simply put, discipleship takes self-discipline,” he said.

“It is not a casual endeavor, and it doesn’t happen by accident.

“Faith in Jesus Christ is a gift, but receiving it is a conscious choice that requires a commitment of all our ‘might, mind and strength.’ It is a practice of every day. Every hour. It takes constant learning and determined commitment. Our faith, which is our loyalty to the Savior, becomes stronger as it is tested against the opposition we face here in mortality. It endures because we keep nourishing it, we keep actively applying it, and we never give up.

“On the other hand, if we fail to use faith and its convincing power by acting upon it, we become less sure of things we once held sacred–less confident of things we once knew were true.

“Temptations that would never have enticed us begin to look less appalling and more appealing.

“The fire of yesterday’s testimony can warm us for only so long. It needs constant nourishment to keep burning brightly.

“In the New Testament, the Savior taught a parable about a master who gave each of his servants a sacred trust–a quantity of money called talents. The servants who diligently used their talents increased them. The servant who buried his talent eventually lost it.

“The lesson? God gives us gifts–of knowledge, of ability, of opportunity–and He wants us to use and amplify them so they can bless us and bless His other children. That doesn’t happen if we put those gifts high on a shelf like a trophy that we admire from time to time. Our gifts magnify and multiply only when we put them to use.”

When Elder Uchtdorf spoke of receiving the gift of faith in Jesus Christ as “a conscious choice that requires a commitment of all our ‘might, mind and strength,'” I was reminded of what Elder Kevin G. Brown of the Seventy shared at the same general conference regarding testimony. He said:

“If we find our testimony weakening, remember that it is the choices we make that diminish the power of the testimony. But the testimony has not gone anywhere. We just need to choose to reconnect with it.

“Choosing to believe is a wise and powerful way to use our agency.

“I cannot see a better way to use my agency than in defense of my testimony.

“President Nelson taught: ‘I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth.'”

The message from Elder Uchtdorf, Elder Brown and President Nelson is all similar: Effort is required to maintain the power of a testimony.

Everyone has gifts

Turning his attention toward gifts, Elder Uchtdorf addressed those who say they don’t have valuable gifts or talents.

“Perhaps you look at others whose gifts are obvious and impressive and you feel pretty ordinary by comparison,” Elder Uchtdorf said. “You might suppose that in the premortal existence, on the day of the great gift and talent smorgasbord, your plate seemed woefully sparse–especially compared to the stacked and overflowing plates of others.

“Oh, how I wish I could embrace you and help you understand this great truth: You are a blessed being of light, the spirit child of an infinite God! And you bear within you a potential beyond your own capacity to imagine.

“As poets have noted, you come to earth ‘trailing clouds of glory’!

“Your origin story is divine, and so is your destiny. You left heaven to come here, but heaven has never left you!

“You are anything but ordinary.

“You are gifted!

“In the Doctrine and Covenants, God declared:

“‘There are many gifts, and to every [person] is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

“‘To some is given one, and to some is given another, [and] all may be profited thereby.’

“Some of our gifts are listed in the scriptures. Many are not.

“As the prophet Moroni said, ‘Deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God.’ They might manifest themselves in ‘different ways … ; but it is the same God who worketh all in all.’

“It may be true that our spiritual gifts are not always flashy, but that does not mean they are less important.”

Elder Uchtdorf proceeded to share a number of gifts he has noticed in members across the world and asked those listening to contemplate if they had noticed one or more of those gifts in themselves. Those gifts included:

• “Showing compassion.
• “Noticing people who are overlooked.
• “Finding reasons to be joyful.
• “Being a peacemaker.
• “Noticing small miracles.
• “Giving sincere compliments.
• “Forgiving.
• “Repenting.
• “Enduring.
• “Explaining things simply.
• “Connecting with children.
• “Sustaining Church leaders.
• “Helping others know that they belong.”

He continued:

“You might not see these gifts displayed at the ward talent show. But I hope you can see how precious they are to the Lord’s work and how you might have touched, blessed, or even saved one of God’s children by your gifts. Remember: ‘By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.’

“So let us each do our little part.”

Elder Uchtdorf’s list of gifts got me thinking of even more gifts that people have.

One gift that came to mind is what Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles focused on during his April general conference address: the “vital gift of knowledge that … we really are God’s children.”

Elder Kearon called that gift the “all-encompassing gift of eternal truth that underpins our ability to receive all else our Father desires to endow us with,” a gift that “when fully accepted and received deep in the soul, contextualises the joys and hardships of life and our unanswered questions.”

He called that knowledge “breathtaking,” “stunning” and “not figurative.”

If we have received that gift, we have received a gift that is extremely valuable, even if it doesn’t get talked about with wonder and amazement.

If we really want to know what gifts we have been given by Heavenly Father, simply praying and asking him to tell us would be highly effective. He who gives us our gifts would almost certainly want us to know what those gifts are.

Doing our part

Along the lines of that thought and emphasizing the importance of doing our part, Elder Uchtdorf said:

“My beloved brothers and sisters, dear friends, I pray that the Spirit will help you recognize the gifts and talents God has given you. Then, let us, like the faithful servants in the Lord’s parable, increase and magnify them.

“The day will come when we stand before our compassionate Father in Heaven to give an account of our stewardship. He will want to know what we did with the gifts He gave us–in particular, how we used them to bless His children. God knows who we truly are, who we are designed to become, and so His expectations for us are high.

“But He doesn’t expect us to take some grand, heroic, or superhuman leap to get there. In the world He created, growth happens gradually and patiently–but also consistently and unrelentingly.

“Remember, it is Jesus Christ who already did the superhuman part when He conquered death and sin.

“Our part is to follow the Christ. It is our part to turn away from sin, turn toward the Savior, and walk in His way, one step at a time. As we do this, diligently and faithfully, we eventually cast off the shackles of imperfections and faults and slowly become refined, until that perfect day when we will be perfected in Christ.

“The blessings are within reach. The promises are in place. The door is wide open. It is our choice to enter and begin.”

If I imagine a puzzle with all of the pieces spread out on a table, it can seem like a daunting – perhaps even impossible – challenge to complete it. There’s a massive chasm between what the puzzle is supposed to look like and what it looks like at the very beginning.

The puzzle can’t be completed by magically putting every piece together at the same time right at the start. It can only be completed with time and patience. But it will never be completed if it never gets started.

Similarly, becoming who God has designed us to become, who he expects us to become, may seem similarly daunting – even impossible. But it is possible, if only we start and try. And unlike working on a puzzle by ourselves, relying on our own intellect, we don’t need to achieve the goal of becoming what God wants us to become on our own. He has given us the opportunity to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost, as long as we make and keep covenants. We never have to worry about the goal being too hard.

Elder Uchtdorf continued:

“The beginning may be small. But that is OK.

“Where faith is weak, begin with a hope in Christ Jesus and in His power to cleanse and purify.

“Our Father asks that we approach this challenge of faith and discipleship not as casual tourists but as wholehearted believers who leave behind and abandon Babylon and set their hearts, minds, and steps toward Zion.

“We know that our efforts alone cannot make us celestial. But they can make us loyal and committed to Jesus the Christ, and He can make us celestial.

“Because of our beloved Savior, there is no such thing as a no-win scenario. If we place our hope and faith in Him, our victory is assured. He promises us access to His strength, His power, His abundant grace. Step by step, little by little, we will grow ever closer to that great and perfect day when we will live with Him and our loved ones in eternal glory.

“To get there, we must do our part today and every day. We are thankful for the steps we took yesterday, but we don’t stop there. We know we still have a long way to go, but we don’t let that discourage us.

“That is the essence of who we are–as followers of Christ.”

Concluding his remarks, Elder Uchtdorf said:

“I urge and bless every member of the Church, and all who desire to be part of it, to trust the Savior and engage, patiently and diligently, in doing your part with all your heart–that your joy may be full and that, one day, you will receive all the Father has.”

Contact Ryan Comer at rcomer@standard.net.