God’s gifts to His children are numberless. They extend from the smallest of things to the fullness of the universe. He is truly mindful of us in all our needs. When we think of God’s gifts the eternal blessings of life and progression through the atonement of Jesus Christ exceed most anything else that we can imagine. When we think of the here and now, and what will get us to life eternal, we must acknowledge the blessings of the gifts of the Spirit, which guide us and bring us through this mortal coil.

The comfort, peace, witness, and other affirming and reaffirming operations of the Holy Ghost, made manifest through special gifts given to the children of God, empower us all in our heaven bound journey through mortality. These gifts bestowed upon God’s children serve the purpose of providing witness, comfort and spiritual service to all who seek God’s kingdom on earth. It is by the gifts of the Spirit that men know that there is a kingdom of God to seek, to be able to even comprehend the need, hope and existence of a Savior.

Although not all gifts are manifest in all men, all who seek the kingdom of God may enjoy the blessings of the gifts of the Spirit.

The Lord has revealed that “they (the gifts of the Spirit) are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do; that all may be benefited that seek or that ask of me” (Doctrine and Covenants 46:9). This phrase, “and him that seeketh so to do,” is such a wonderful tender mercy to all of us who struggle in our daily lives to keep God’s Commandments and to have sufficient faith to love. It shows God’s abiding love for men, to not limit His blessings to those who have mastered Christ-like love and obedience, but to extend it to all of us who want to love as He loved, and want to live obediently as He lived. This is real hope for all of us who seek.

The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthians, as followers of Christ we should seek out gifts with the intent to serve our fellow men with Godly power. With the seeking of God’s gifts He would show us the “more excellent way” to use them in selfless service. The Lord, who inspired Paul said, “Seek ye earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given” (Doctrine and Covenants 46:10). It is by this remembrance that we may use the gifts of the Spirit in selfless service to benefit all, and may have opportunity to manifest other gifts in Christ-like service. When we share the gifts of the Spirit we show real capacity for Christian love, that love which “suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (Moroni 7:45).

When I think about that kind of love, I cannot help but think of my dear mother, Dorene Malcolm. Oh, she was not perfect by worldly standards, but she was perfect for me. Her melodic voice may not have brought adoring thousands to their feet in sustained applause, but it always brought calm and peace to my heart, like the comfort of an angel. Her tender touch may not have held the skill of a surgeon’s hand, but it had healing power to dress my wounds and salve my troubled soul. My mother’s earthly accomplishments may not have brought medals or worldly honors, but her selfless love, that charity she gifted so freely, blessed me and all who really knew her with heartfelt joy and lasting gratitude that resonate into the eternities. I do not know all of the gifts of the Spirit with which my mother was blessed, but I know she served me with selfless and enduring love, charity, that continues to give. I will never forget her, for I am ever grateful.

My mother’s earthly accomplishments may not have brought medals or worldly honors, but her selfless love, that charity she gifted so freely, blessed me and all who really knew her with heartfelt joy and lasting gratitude that resonate into the eternities.

May we have open eyes to see that more excellent way, that way shown us of the Lord, and by those who serve Him. May we seek every good gift and gratefully share what we receive with all. May we have hope in Christ, because real hope is what He offers. May charity abound in all, like a mother’s love, a love most comparable to the unconditional love Jesus offers us all. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.