Chris Lowry spoke at Devotional on Tuesday about gifts, and he especially talked about God’s gifts to his children.
Lowry started his speech by defining gifts and sharing a story. His young son had gotten him a gift that he wasn’t quite expecting: a pair of slippers. At first, Lowry didn’t appreciate the gift, but as he used them he came to understand how great a gift they were. He especially appreciated that this gift brought him and his son closer due to his son’s joy of seeing Lowry use and enjoy the gift.
Similarly, Lowry relates this experience to how gifts from God are received.
Students leave Devotional. Photo credit: Morgan Thrasher
“Lack of awareness of His gifts prevents us from receiving them,” Lowry said. “How sad we will be to learn that He gave us gifts that we did not open.”
Lowry talked about God’s gifts and how His gifts could make an impact.
“Heavenly Father, the perfect gift giver, also bestows gifts on us with ‘some assembly required,'” Lowry said. “These challenging gifts stretch us to develop the divine attributes that our Father and Savior possess, which is the very reason for His plan.”
Along with these challenging gifts, Lowry pointed out that two of the greatest gifts given to mankind are the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Lowry also encouraged his audience to actively seek after these gifts.
“I believe that one of the reasons we don’t receive the Holy Ghost as much as we could or should is that we don’t desire this gift or appreciate it enough to ask for it and constantly seek it,” Lowry said.
Students flooding into the I-Center for Devotional. Photo credit: Morgan Thrasher
Students had positive takeaways from Lowry’s Devotional.
Kaitlyn Myers, a junior studying computer science, said that she believes the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift God has given his children.
“I really liked the emphasis on the Holy Spirit as a gift,” said Ben Petty, a student studying computer science. “I think we take it for granted a lot of the time. Seeing it as a gift from God helps us understand that it’s a privilege and not just a right.”
To watch this week’s Devotional go to BYU-Idaho’s website.
