Be Ye Therefore Perfect

This may come as a great shock, but I'm not perfect. Very few people are, really. Even President Monson starts forest fires every now and again. But this is a subject that has preyed on my mind quite a bit, of late. One reason for that is because I have this ideal picture of missionaries in my head who are perfect in their knowledge of the gospel, perfect in obedience to the commandments and mission rules, and perfect in love and appreciation for their fellow men. By that standard, I have a long way to go, but hopefully I'll be ready by the time someone decides to go ask the missionaries.

If anyone can hook me up with
a meeting with this stud, do it.
I love this guy. 

 A goodly number of talks and lessons have been focused on perfection as well. My favorite is Tad R. Callister's "Our Identity and Destiny," a devotional address given in August but replayed today. The whole thing is about how we should strive to reach our divine potential. What is more motivating than the knowledge that you can be a god? Tad suggests two ways to help us fulfill this potential: first, participate in the saving ordinances of baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, using the Priesthood, endowment, and sealing. Each introduces us to and helps us to use the godly power we will yield eventually. Secondly, we need to seek after gifts of the spirit to "lift us above our mortal weakness and further our pursuit of godhood".
Although missionaries are not perfect, reaching for godliness is an important part of the service. D&C 4 specifies this virtue, among others, as essential. And to achieve this state of perfection, missionaries require the gifts of the spirit to better represent Christ and imitate his qualities. The gift that immediately comes to mind is the gift of tongues and the interpretation of tongues. Not knowing a jot of French, I feel like this would be especially useful. However, the motivation for this gift must be pure. We cannot ask to be able to speak the language purely for the selfish ease of our own understanding. The purpose for which we seek these gifts must be to bless others and help communicate with them properly so that they can learn and rejoice in the gospel of Christ. With a significant portion of effort and a desire to bless those we live with and serve around, these gifts will come. Notice that it is only with effort and struggle that the gifts will come. Brad Wilcox assured my Mission Prep class that if you pray for the gift and struggle along with the language as best you can and want it for the right reasons, it may be a while, but eventually, everything will click into place and suddenly you'll understand.
In order to receive the gifts, it is also essential to ask for them. "Ask and ye shall receive  knock and it shall be opened unto you" (D&C 4). When was the last time you asked for a spiritual gift? These things are top priority because they help lead down the road of godhood. And who doesn't want to be a god? "Not I," said the little red hen. Get crackin.