As a mission we have been shifting our focus from obedience towards covenant keeping. It has been a blessing in my life because it has made me reflect on how sacred the covenants we make are and also how real they are and how aware Heavenly Father is of us and of the promises we have made to Him, and He in return to us.
True to the Faith says this about covenants- "A covenant is a sacred agreement between God and a person or group of people.
God sets specific conditions, and He promises to bless us as we obey those
conditions. When we choose not to keep covenants, we cannot receive the
blessings, and in some instances we suffer a penalty as a consequence of our
disobedience. All the saving ordinances of the priesthood are accompanied by covenants. For
example, you made a covenant when you were baptized, and you renew that covenant
each time you partake of the sacrament (see
Mosiah 18:8–10;
D&C 20:37, 77, 79). If you have received the
Melchizedek Priesthood, you have entered into the oath and covenant of the
priesthood (see
D&C 84:33–44). The temple endowment and the sealing
ordinance also include sacred covenants. Always remember and honor the covenants you make with the Lord. Then you will
not need to be commanded in everything you do (see
D&C 58:26–28). You will be inspired by the Holy
Ghost, and Christlike conduct will be part of your nature. As the Lord has
promised, you will “receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon
knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which
bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal” (
D&C
42:61). Your greatest hope should be to enjoy the sanctification that comes
from this divine guidance; your greatest fear should be to forfeit these
blessings."
Covenants are such an important part of our lives- we make them at baptism, when we receive the Holy Ghost, when a man receives the Priesthood, and when we go to the temple- but there are also times that we make covenants that I feel we are not always aware of- and these times are when we receive our patriarchal blessing, or any blessing from someone holding the priesthood. We have been talking about covenants with the members that we teach a good bit recently and we have been sharing the following story about a family that was part of the Willie Martin Handcart company that made the trek across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley. As most of us know, this company left very late and because of this experienced many trials due to the severe winter weather that they experienced, and not only were they dealing with the weather, but they also were lacking in the proper supplies to make such a long journey. But despite the bad conditions, and lack of food, many faithful saints set off towards Zion. One of these families, like many others had come over from England to make the trip to the Salt Lake Valley- they had several children, and an incredible faith. One morning however, the mother went into their tent to wake their daughter Betsey so that they could be on their way. After several tries to wake her, the mother discovered, that sadly, Betsey had frozen to death overnight. The family was distraught, and to make it worse, the ground was so frozen that they could not dig a hole to bury her. So, doing the only thing they knew to do, they covered her with a blanket and then with tree branches, and they said their goodbyes and went to rejoin the company. After several hours of walking however, the mother stopped and turned around and started walking back the way they had come. Her husband tried to convince her to rejoin them, to keep pressing forward, but the mother was adamant that she was turning back. Looking at her husband, she told him, "we forgot, how could we forget?" He asked her what she had forgotten, and she replied, "not me, us. We forgot. We forgot that we had a blessing from a servant of the Lord, that if we were faithful, all the members of our family would make it to the Valley- All of them!" Her husband was still skeptical, but was touched by the faith of his wife, and he and the family turned their cart around and headed back to where Betsey was "buried." Upon arriving back at her grave, the family immediately started to rub her hands and her feet and poured hot water on her neck. Miraculously, Betsey woke up. And after she had recovered the ability to walk again, the family set off to find the company again. Betsey Johnson, and the rest of her family, did indeed, all make it to the valley alive. Betsey ended up getting married and was the mother of 14 children- and the majority of her posterity is still faithful in the church today.
This motherembered the covenant that she and the Lord had made- and she knew, without any doubt, that she had been faithful, and therefore knew that the Lord would do exactly what He had promised her in the blessing she received before leaving England. Sister Johnson is a great example of our covenants giving us courage in our lives. Courage to endure trials, courage to keep the faith, courage to stand up for what we know is right, courage to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
I know that our covenants can provide us with the same courage today. If we are being faithful and obedient, then the Lord will do all that He has promised us. I would encourage you, that if you have received one, to re read your patriarchal blessings and to look for the promises that Heavenly Father wants to fulfill in your lives, if we stay true to our promises to Him. I know that the Lord loves each of us, and He knows us perfectly. He is just waiting to bless us and to do all that He has promised us. One of my favorite scriptures is Doctrine and Covenants 25:13 "herefore,
a thy heart and
b, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made."
I know that if we cleave unto our covenants, then we will be blessed to see the promises that Heavenly Father has made to us fulfilled. We will find true and everlasting joy in our lives.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
