What Is God's Greatest Gift?

About ten years ago, I was working as an editor at the Ensign magazine. While there, I proofread talks for the conference issues of the magazine. What a joy it was to read through the words of living prophets and apostles—and to get paid to do it! I testify that their words are modern scripture, representing the will of the Lord, the mind of Lord, the word of the Lord, the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation (see D&C 68:4).

One day while proofreading, I was surprised to note that many General Authorities had referred to several gifts of God as “the greatest.” For example, Elder Alexander B. Morrison of the Seventy wrote, “At this season of gift giving and gift receiving, this season of rejoicing in the great gifts that our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have given us, it is most fitting to ponder their greatest gift of all—the gift of life.”[i] Of course, I saw wisdom in that statement, because the gift of life allowed us to receive a body and the blessings of seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling.

Then I read a statement by President Gordon B. Hinckley, who said, “On Calvary’s hill [the Savior] gave His life for each of us. That is the greatest gift that any of us can ever receive. It is the gift of the Resurrection and eternal life.”[ii] I certainly agreed with that statement as well. Christ gave His life for us so that we could be resurrected and receive eternal life, returning to the presence of the Father. What greater blessing could we receive?

Later I read the words of President Wilford Woodruff, who told Church members that though “you may have the administration of angels, you may see many miracles, . . . I claim that the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon man.”[iii] That idea resonated with me because I have been grateful for the guiding and protecting influence of the Holy Ghost.

I decided to run a computer search and identified at least ten solid possibilities:

• The Gift of Life
• The Gift of the Plan
• The Gift of God’s Son
• The Gift of the Resurrection
• The Gift of the Holy Ghost
• The Gifts of the Spirit
• The Gift of Healing
• The Gift of Forgiveness
• The Gift of Grace
• The Gift of Eternal Life

As I researched, I realized that the label of “greatest” depended on which gift was being emphasized. It finally dawned on me that all the gifts of God might collectively be called the greatest—much like a “greatest hits” album by a favorite artist. These greatest gifts surpass any of the garden-variety gifts we offer each other on birthdays or special holidays. The gifts of God, on the other hand, are eternal in nature, reflecting the benevolence of a merciful Creator. Notwithstanding all this discussion, I believe one gift does qualify as the greatest, even the gift of eternal life (see D&C 14:7).

I invite you to join this quest to better understand God’s greatest gifts. I promise that as you ponder each of His gifts, you will feel a renewed sense of gratitude for His tender mercies in our lives—I did, and you will too. I hope this book will make you laugh and cry and, above all, reflect on the goodness of God. Finally, I pray that the Lord’s Spirit will fill you with hope and courage not only to survive the challenges of mortality but also to thrive in those conditions.

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[i] Alexander B. Morrison, “Life—the Gift Each Is Given,” Ensign, December 1998, 15; emphasis added.

[ii] Gordon B. Hinckley, “Inspirational Thoughts,” Ensign, February 2007, 6; emphasis

added.

[iii] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2004), 48; emphasis added.