Speaking to a worldwide audience of young adults, Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson recounted three of the Savior’s New Testament parables, all found in Matthew 25.
The first is the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The five wise virgins kept oil in their lamps and were ready when the bridegroom came, while the five foolish virgins didn‘t have enough oil and therefore weren‘t prepared for the bridegroom’s arrival.
The second is the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Two servants were profitable and made good use of their talents, while the third only buried his.
And the third parable describes the Good Shepherd’s sheep, who sit on His right side (Matthew 25:31-34).
All three parables, President Johnson said, teach how to prepare for Jesus Christ‘s Second Coming and how to be good stewards.
“These are the times in which we live,” she said. “We are to keep the lamps of our conversion burning brightly, letting our light shine, using and enlarging our talents, caring for those in need — that is being possessed of charity, the pure love of Christ.”
President Johnson spoke to young adults via a live broadcast from the Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square in Salt Lake City on Sunday, May 4. The broadcast was available on May 4 in the Americas and will be available in other areas by May 11. Her message focused on aspects of righteous stewardship and preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
President Johnson said, a steward manages the assets of a large household or estate. The steward is not the owner but is entrusted with managing the assets on the owner’s behalf. A profitable steward is faithful to the owner, caring wisely and generously for the assets.
“Stewardship, then, is carefully and responsibly managing those things entrusted to our care,” President Johnson said.
She continued: “Consider how grand a notion this is. We are the stewards of the assets that our Father in Heaven has entrusted to us. That is, a sacred trust for the earth, its resources, His children, our gifts, talents and blessings. And it is a sacred responsibility to treat His assets with care.”
Stewardship of gifts and talents
President Johnson first spoke about each person‘s stewardship over their individual gifts and talents and referenced Doctrine and Covenants 46:11-12: “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. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.”
God gives spiritual gifts according to His will and timing and through the power of the Holy Ghost, President Johnson said. And faithful stewards use what they’ve been blessed with to lift and serve others.
Quoting the late Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Johnson listed some “less-conspicuous” gifts and asked young adults to consider which they have.
These included: hearing and using a still, small voice; avoiding contention; being agreeable; avoiding vain repetition; seeking righteousness; not passing judgment; bearing mighty testimony; and receiving the Holy Ghost.
In contemplating personal spiritual gifts, President Johnson cautioned young adults against comparison.
“In comparing ourselves to others, we separate ourselves from them,” she said. “Instead of feeling part of the whole body of Christ, I take on the role of a little finger and measure my worth against someone who I think is the shoulders and arms and torso. Generally, when we compare ourselves to others, we either feel inferior or superior, and neither is the case.”
President Johnson invited young adults to cultivate the gift of abandoning comparison. All are beloved children of heavenly parents, blessed with a “personalized package” of spiritual gifts, attributes, talents and strengths.
“Ask Heavenly Father to help you identify your spiritual gifts and talents, and how you might use them as a faithful steward,” she said.
Stewardship of the earth
President Johnson next spoke about stewardship of the earth. She assured young adults that “God has prepared a way for healthy living for everyone on this planet, if we are willing to employ our gifts and talents for this good, remain worthy to receive revelation and prudently use the earth’s abundant resources to care for one another.”
It‘s also important to recognize the connection between caring for the earth and caring for each other, she continued.
She shared the story of a young man named Eritai Kateibwi, who grew up on the remote island of Marakei, Kiribati. After serving a mission, Kateibwi attended Brigham Young University–Hawaii, where he learned about hydroponic gardening — a method of growing plants that uses mineral nutrients in a water solution instead of soil.
Kateibwi then returned home to Kiribati, where hot, salty breezes and seawater intrusion sometimes destroy crops and where malnutrition was consequently becoming widespread.
Using his new skills, Kateibwi created a sustainable program to teach local families how to grow fruits and vegetables using hydroponics. A hydroponic garden is portable, self-contained and can produce a crop in just 30 days. For his “innovative and life-saving work,” Kateibwi was later named the United Nations Champion of the Earth for Asia Pacific.
“Eritai is a fabulous example of profitably using gifts and talents in his stewardship of the earth and of his neighbor,” President Johnson said. “Feeding the hungry, we are counted among the sheep on the right hand of God.”
She then bore witness that individuals come nearer to Jesus Christ as they seek to bless His children.
“As we care for the earth and our neighbors, we draw closer to the Savior and desire a covenant relationship with Him that allows us to become more like Him,” she said. “We will be responsible stewards, and happy stewards too.”
Stewardship of others
Finally, President Johnson spoke about the stewardship each person has for their neighbors.
The Church does “remarkable good” all over the world, she said, blessing the lives of all people — not just Church members. In 2024, the Church gave 6.6 million volunteer hours, totaled $1.45 billion U.S. dollars in expenditures and served 192 countries and territories. The Church’s humanitarian initiatives include clean water, hygiene and sanitation projects, emergency relief, health care and food security projects.
Additionally, the First Presidency has tasked the Relief Society general presidency with leading the expansion of a global initiative to improve the health and well-being of women and children.
“We want to empower women and families with greater understanding and resources so they are better equipped to make changes that can have a lasting impact in their homes, communities and nations,” President Johnson said. “When a woman is empowered because she is healthy and educated, families are blessed, communities are lifted, and nations [are] strengthened.”
Young adults can use their talents to bless their communities in unique ways, President Johnson said. For example, Alaina Nickerl, a student pursuing a doctorate in occupational therapy, wants to work in a hospital neonatal intensive care unit for babies who need extra care after birth, especially those born prematurely.
The Relief Society’s global initiative for women and children resonated with Nickerl, so she made “kangaroo care” — skin-to-skin contact for babies born prematurely — the subject of her graduate capstone project.
Nearly 15 million babies are born prematurely each year worldwide, President Johnson said. And in Atlanta, Georgia, where Nickerl lives, the preterm birth rate and infant mortality rate are both higher than the U.S. national average.
Nickerl is now creating an educational program to raise awareness of kangaroo care’s benefits and improve its implementation rates in NICUs. Skin-to-skin contact between premature newborns and their parents helps maintain temperature, lower stress, regulate hormones, increase connection, promote breastfeeding, improve sleep and more.
“Alaina is letting the light of her conversion shine,” President Johnson said. “She is using the talents with which she has been blessed, and she is caring for those in need by studying and raising awareness of this important practice. Her efforts respond to the Savior’s call — ‘I was sick, and ye visited me’ (Matthew 25:35-36).”
‘Small and simple things’
President Johnson closed by asking young adults to do a few “small and simple things” (Alma 37:6) within their individual spheres.
Like Naaman in the Old Testament, they might be waiting to be told to do “some great thing” (2 Kings 5:13); but wherever they are, there are malnourished children, people who can‘t read, barriers to health care and many other needs they could help meet.
President Johnson invited young adults to prepare for the Second Coming by faithfully and profitably exercising stewardship over whatever the Lord has blessed them with.
“You, my friends, are uniquely prepared and foreordained to assist Him,” she said. “You are sons and daughters of God. He knows you. You are in a covenant relationship with Him. You will never exhaust His merciful patience for you. …
“God’s power will enhance your capacities, enlarge the talents with which you have been blessed, and help you see Him in the hungry, the thirsty, the estranged and the sick.”
