Lesson Helps

FHE: Talents

9969

Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “Help Them Aim High”, by
President Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, Nov. 2012, 60.

Thought:
God knows our gifts. My challenge to you and to me is to pray to know the gifts we have been given, to know how to develop them, and to recognize the opportunities to serve others that God provides us.

(President Henry B. Eyring, “Help Them Aim High”, Ensign, Nov. 2012, 60.)

Song:
“Every Star is Different,” Children’s Songbook, p. 142

Scripture:
For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God.

(Doctrine and Covenants 46:11)

Object Lesson:
Materials Needed: A cake mix and a prepared cake (see recipe at end of lesson).

Procedure: Display the cake mix and the prepared cake. Compare the cake mix to the gifts of the Spirit. Explain that the cake cannot be enjoyed by others until it is mixed, baked, and served. Similarly, we must put forth effort to develop and use our individual gifts in order to bless the lives of others. Just as there are specific steps to bake a cake, there are also specific things we must do to expand our gifts and talents. These things might include prayer, practice, and seeking opportunities to use the gifts.

Serve the prepared cake and discuss the importance of dedicating our efforts to magnify our gifts and share them with others. Emphasize that the gifts of the Spirit are given for the purpose of blessing Heavenly Father’s children.

(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, Object Lessons Made Easy, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book., 2010], p. 33.)

Story:
The idea of magnifying talents takes me back to my childhood, when I would sit on the back porch with my little plastic magnifying glass. I could see things through that glass that I couldn’t see with my naked eye. I loved looking at my hands and dirt and leaves and grasshoppers—anything that would hold still long enough—and seeing them in a different way than usual. That makes me wonder: Can God see in us things we can’t see with our naked, natural eye? When He speaks of magnifying us, is part of that His ability to find talents in us that we don’t know we have? Does He give us experiences that help us increase and magnify our talents so that we have more to share?

(Mary Ellen Edmunds, Love Is a Verb, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1993], p. 102.)

Activity:
Have a family talent night.

Refreshment
Cherry Dump Cake
Throw this dessert together in a hurry - especially with the lesson above.

2 (21-ounce) cans cherry pie filling
1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 package yellow cake mix
1⁄2 cup butter or margarine, melted
Whipped cream or ice cream, for topping

Combine cherry pie filling and almond extract, then pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle cake mix over cherries. Melt butter and pour evenly over cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. May also be made with a chocolate cake mix. Makes about 12 servings.

(Julie Badger Jensen, Essential Mormon Celebrations, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2005] p. 36.)

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