At one point or another pretty much all of us have fantasized about having some kind of superpower,
like maybe you want to sling webs or maybe you want to be able to fly or maybe you want to have
super strength or super hearing or super eyesight or something like that. Now these superpowers are
really what we would call supernatural powers, powers that go beyond the natural gifts that
every single person has and allow us to do things that would be extraordinary.
Well, the scriptures in three different places explain some spiritual superpowers that God
grants to people in certain situations. In 1 Corinthians 12, in Moroni chapter 10 and in
Doctrine and Covenants 46, there's a list given on a number of spiritual gifts that allow us to
do things that are somewhat extraordinary for a normal person. Now some of these gifts are
amazing things like healing or discernment, being able to understand what a person's thinking,
but other of them are a little bit more mundane, things like the Word of Wisdom which just means
being wise, the spirit of learning or the gift of knowing the difference of administrations.
All of these gifts are given to people in the Church so that they can have the powers that
they need to have in order to carry out the work that God has given to them.
Now why does God give us spiritual gifts for that? President George Q. Cannon had an insight.
He said “If any of us are imperfect, it is our duty to pray for the gift that makes us perfect.
Have I imperfections? I am full of them. What is my duty? To pray to God to give me the gifts
that will correct these imperfections. If I am an angry man, it's my duty to pray for charity,
which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity,
which envieth not.” So, with all the gifts of the gospel they're intended for this purpose,
and that's one of the neat things about spiritual gifts, is, it's not like you just get bit by a
radioactive spider and that's what you have. You can identify the weaknesses that you possess,
and then ask God to give you a gift that will compensate
for that weakness. And the lists of gifts given in section 46 are all designed to make us better
disciples to make us better ministers and to allow us to help more people out there.
Now this list, which is fairly comprehensive and given in section 46 isn't totally comprehensive.
It doesn't contain every single spiritual gift that exists. For instance, Bruce R.
McConkie said “Spiritual gifts are endless in number and infinite in variety. Those listed in
the revealed word are simply illustrations of the boundless outpouring of divine grace that
a gracious God gives to those who love and serve him.” There are a number of spiritual gifts not
listed in the scriptures, but that you can pray and ask for. Pretty much any weakness you have,
you can ask for a spiritual gift to allow you to compensate for it.
In fact, a modern apostle Marvin J. Ashton listed a number of spiritual gifts that
he felt weren't in the scriptures, but were just as genuine as spiritual gifts. He said
“the gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice;
the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable;
the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift
of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple;
the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer;
the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost.”
We sometimes don't think of our ability to comfort and care for others as a superpower,
but it's a spiritual superpower. It is a gift that God gives to us to allow us to be compassionate
and kind to the people around us, and sometimes that really is an extraordinary gift.
Now in section 47 of the Doctrine and Covenants we see the Lord identifying a gift that a reluctant
member of the Church has. For the first time the Lord called a Church historian and this man's
name was John Whitmer. Now if you've ever felt hesitant to take a calling so was John Whitmer.
John Whitmer recorded “I was appointed by the voice of the elders to keep the Church Record.
Joseph Smith Jr., said unto me you must also keep the Church History.
I would rather not do it but observed that the will the Lord be done, and if he desires it, I
desire that he would manifest it through Joseph the Seer. And thus came the word of the Lord:”
section 47 which called John Whitmer to be the church historian. John Whitmer did start keeping a
history called the Book of John Whitmer started in 1831. John Whitmer recorded a number of important
events in this history and continued to keep a record until he left the Church in 1838.
After he left the Church, he continued to keep the record although he went back and crossed out
some of the things that made him angry, and made additions and subtractions based on his feelings.
Now because this record is somewhat incomplete and fragmentary some people have criticized John
Whitmer's skills as a historian, but as time has gone on, we've softened a little bit in the way
we've seen John Whitmer and as more records have come forth we've started to appreciate
the work that John Whitmer really put in. A lot of the early revelations of the Church are recorded
in the hands of John Whitmer, and the revelation books that we use to put together the Book of
Commandments and then the Doctrine and Covenants are in large measure recorded in John Whitmer's
hand. He was very diligent in keeping his calling. For instance, all the documents from
the First Vision to 1831 can fit into one volume of the Joseph Smith papers, but after a Church
Historian was called in 1831, the papers span from volume 2 to volume 15. There are thousands
and thousands of documents the church historians starting with John Whitmer located and used and
kept for posterity and now we have, to instruct us about the early history of the Church.
Now you might be asking yourself am I like John Whitmer? I'm reluctant.
I don't really know if I want to do this, but the Lord has called every single one of us to
be historians. You might even use the most common excuse, which is why would anybody care about me?
In answer to that, one of the great journal keepers in the history of the Church,
President Spencer W Kimball said “People often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful
and that nobody would be interested in what they've done. But I promise you that if you
keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families,
to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations.
Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us-and as our posterity
read of our life's experiences, they, too, will come to know and love us. And in that
glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted.”
So, keep a journal. Hang on to some documents. Preserve for your posterity some of the things
that were important to you and some of the thoughts and feelings that you had,
because we all live in interesting times and every single one of us is an interesting person.
The history of the Church is nothing more than the sum total of the stories
of every person that experienced the Restoration, the spiritual superpowers,
the spiritual gifts and the grand, grand blessings that Heavenly Father gives to all of his children.
Someone like Wilford Woodruff who may have seen themselves as insignificant is now
one of the most important sources we have to understand the struggles of the early saints,
and it's possible that a couple centuries from now your story might be really,
really important in helping us understand and know the struggles of the saints in the latter days.