Keeping Covenants

When I was eight years old, I made a covenant with God. This covenant was solemnized by the ordinance of baptism. The covenant entailed my promise to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;…mourn with those that mourn; …comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death” (Mosiah 18:8–9). At the time, I was barely in the second grade of elementary school. I didn’t know what it meant to mourn but I did understand comfort. I still cried when I was scared. Regardless of whether I understood the covenant, it was my choice to enter the waters of baptism and be a member of the church.

My actions didn’t change much after my baptism. I still played with toys and fought with my brothers. However, as I got older, I added to my concept of standing as a witness of God. To stand is to not run away and to explain the faith that guides me. As a young adult, I had to stand up for my beliefs at a sorority birthday party where a stripper had been hired to entertain the girls. I stood alone and left the room. I had to stand again when a friend was being used sexually and command her assailant to leave. My courage to stand increased as I rose to the occasion.

As an adult, I gather my children around me in our home and teach them the gospel principles that I live by every day. This time includes singing and sharing ideas and ends with a treat. I teach my children because I covenanted to stand as a witness. I am responsible to love and care for my children throughout their lifetime and this is one way that I do so spiritually. It’s not hard to teach children, but sometimes it is hard to be consistent over a long period of time.

I also now have had opportunities to mourn with others. My friend is a church member who no longer attends. Her second husband left her shortly after Christmas in 2016 or early 2017. She took this separation very hard. It left her deeply hurt and when I visited her she was visibly troubled. She didn’t want me to see her in this condition so she pushed me away. After that, I wrote her letters regularly. Then in 2018 her mother died. She told me about this loss and again I tried to show her that I cared. I gave her something she could use in an outdoor memorial. She appreciated the gesture and I watched over her pets when she travelled home for the funeral service. She doesn’t want to talk much about the gospel, but she knows I care about her. I promised God when I was eight years old that I would care for others who cross my path.

One of the great promises that attend the covenant of baptism administered by authorized priesthood holders is the gift of the Holy Ghost. I received this gift on the Sunday after I was baptized. At first I didn’t feel the Holy Ghost, but as I began to seek it, I found it. This special gift comes to me in the form of feelings, understanding and direct sentences. I have grown over time to be able to recognize this divine guidance. By this gift, God has not left me to navigate life alone. I treasure His counsel and record the spiritual experiences that I have with Him.

In a dream recorded by Nephi, his father saw an iron rod that symbolized the strength of covenants. As people made their first covenant, they grabbed the rod and began to move towards a tree that represented the love of God. Nephi’s father saw darkness engulf the rod but the people were able to move through dark times by holding on to their covenants.

I remember having dark times myself and trusting God that his promises were sure despite the fact that I couldn’t see the realization of them. I know that doing daily things to remember God helps me keep my covenants. Often my daily devotion in the scriptures reminds me of the promises that I hope to realize. Other times I am encouraged by the wisdom of church leaders or the example of saints who have gone before me.

I asked my daughter how she felt after making a new covenant in the temple this past month. She said that she felt strongly that God values her and loves her. I know that making covenants leads to a profound feeling of individual worth because the covenants are personal. When we draw near to God he draws near to us. I have felt closeness to God when I’m actively trying to keep my covenants.

God wants to know how serious we are about keeping covenants. He puts us through trials to test our commitment. He never gives us a trial we can’t successfully overcome but that doesn’t mean that all trials are easy for us. In my trials the Lord has at times asked me to trust him and at times asked me to get off the fence and take a side. In the trials where I have not demonstrated courage successfully, I have often had another chance to get it right. As in a computer game, we don’t move up to the next level until we have successfully mastered the level we are on. Life includes trials seem to increase in difficulty like the levels of a computer game. With mastery of increasingly difficulty challenges comes greater faith and the power to wield the Spirit like a sword.

At any time I can let go of my covenants and make choices that are more pleasing to the carnal mind. However, in a state of rebellion, I am not as likely to get guidance from the Holy Spirit. Trials still come but they cause personal instability and confusion. The solid assurance of promised blessings is not there. The purpose to life changes and when I reach goals that please the carnal mind, and I don’t feel any lasting happiness.

I am certain of the reality of God and the Holy Spirit that guides me. I am not entirely certain what I will receive for staying true to this knowledge. I treasure the little insights and miracles I have experienced and continuing to receive them is a big motivator for me. I am not entirely unselfish and so God continues to test my commitment to Him. I stand as a witness that keeping covenants is a sure path with the promises that make living this lifestyle worth the effort.