The covenants we make and keep,
as disciples of Christ, are meant to strengthen, empower and protect us as we
gain experience in mortality. Even though we make covenants individually, the
way that we keep them is as a community of Christians. We keep them in
families, as neighbors, as visiting teachers, and as we serve in our
ward. Keeping gospel covenants is a way of being; a lifestyle. It’s not
something you do at designated points along the path of life; covenant keeping
itself is the path, the only path to exaltation.
The great part is that as we
start on this path, we gain the strength and power and protection necessary to
stay on it through the atonement and the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
Referring to the Book of Mormon, Sister Burton assures us, “Nephi saw in
vision the significant blessings the Lord bestows upon covenant keepers: “And
it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it
descended … upon the covenant people of the Lord, … and they were armed with
righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.” Keeping our
covenants entitles us to the many blessings which provide the strength and
power we need to live in such a way that all are blessed by the gospel. The
nurturing, serving, teaching and encouraging we naturally do as women is the
essence of keeping our covenants and ministering as true disciples of Christ.
It is our prayer that as sisters
we can apply the recent counsel of President Wilcox to “seek the aggregation of
marginal gains” in our covenant keeping. It’s striving for the 1% improvement
in all aspects of life. It’s not about making a huge contribution once in a
while in a certain area of life; it’s about sustained progress across the
board. It’s the simple, consistent, small, good decisions we repeatedly make
that build our Christ-like character. The foundational religious observances
reiterated in stake conference were prayer, scripture study, fasting, temple
worship, family home evening, service and bearing testimony. By humbly and
frequently doing these small and simple practices, we can access the power and
protection of our Savior because we will be honoring the covenants that bind us
to Him and help us become like Him.
With Love: Jennifer, Tiffiny, Yvonne and Breann
