The Covenant Path

Jessica asked me to share my notes from the talk that I was asked to give in our Stake Relief Society Conference on February 22, 2014. Many spots of this below are rough notes and are not written out as I said them.  You'll get the general idea. It was special to have Kathryn/Mom and Jessica there to cheer me on that day.

The Covenant Path

I am grateful to be with you this afternoon.

INTRODUCTION

Standing in Holy Places Video

Today we will be talking about the Covenant Path and the opportunity that we have as mothers, grandmothers, Primary teachers, neighbors, friends, aunts, etc. to teach and influence children along that Covenant Path to the temple. 

My hesitation in sharing these truths with you is that you will somehow feel inadequate or behind or feel that you are not measuring up. As I began this topic, I started to think of the many areas and topics to teach my own children. I could improve in our Sacrament worship. I could improve in our application of the scriptures. I could improve in reminding my children to pray with real intent and feeling. Each area along the covenant path needed fine tuning.

FAMILY PICTURE EXPERIENCE

Overwhelmingly, I was reminded of an experience that I had several years ago. I wanted to get our family picture taken. I had a specific vision in mind. I wanted to wear harmonizing colors. I wanted to look happy. I wanted our children to be smiling. I wanted a snap shot that gave a clear image of our happy family life.

Our children at the time were 7, 5, 3, 1.

The day felt like a disaster. The kids were all over the place. Matthew was flipping upside down. Noelle kept losing her shoes. The kids were distracted by nature and our surroundings. It was a hilarious experience, and I was sure that we hadn't gotten a SINGLE picture.

Let me show you the end result. We got one of those pictures that is priceless. It perfectly captures our family at that time. (Hold Picture, Point Things Out.) We gained something better through trying than I had ever imagined.

So often, we want to do something perfectly or not at all. Discouragement sometimes sets in from the beginning. My goal today is that we might feel the Spirit whispering to us to help us see those things that we are doing and to recognize how beautiful our picture truly is. I pray that we might have our eyes opened and be able to SEE a clear picture of our families and of our relationships and of our successes, whether seen or unseen.

See It: In 2 Kings 6:16-17, the people of Israel come against the Syrians. (Give background.) Elisha's servant expresses great concern. How can we do this thing? Elisha replied, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man: and he saw."

PAUSING ACTIVITY

Listen and ponder. What are you doing well?

I wanted to talk about two ways that we can bless our children to see and follow the covenant path. The first is to help them recognize it:

From THE BOOKLET (Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple):

"So look toward the temple. Point your children toward the temple. From the days of their infancy, direct their attention to it, and begin their preparation for the day when they may enter the holy temple. In the meantime, be teachable yourself, be reverent. Drink deeply from the teachings--the symbolic, deeply spiritual teachings--available only in the temple."

HELP CHILDREN RECOGNIZE THEIR COVENANT KEEPING

Sister Linda K. Burton, ". . . We desire above all to have our children follow the counsel of President Henry B. Eyring to 'start early and be steady' in making and keeping covenants."

We must help our children to see it. "We are heading to the temple." "I am going to Young Women's now." "I am going to set up at the Church." "We are going to clean the chapel together tonight."

Sister Carole M. Stephens shared a meaningful example of helping her grandson recognize his own covenant keeping. At a family funeral, she watched her 10-year-old grandson, Porter, stand near his great-grandma. He would stand by her, link his arm with hers, pat her hands, and give her little hugs. She said, "I was prompted to send Porter a not, telling him what I had observed." She wrote him a note a few days later telling him, "I don't know if you realized it, but the way you showed love and concern for Granny was keeping your covenants. We keep our covenants every day as we are kind, show love, and take care of each other. I just wanted you to know I'm proud of you for being a covenant keeper!" 

We invest so much time and energy in helping our children understand the Lord's communication with them (FEELING THE HOLY GHOST). We need to invest equal time and energy in helping our children communicate OUR love TO Him (KEEPING OUR COVENANTS). From Sister Burton, "May we go forth with faith, cheerful hearts, and a great desire to be covenant keepers. This is how we demonstrate our love for our Father in Heaven and our Savior."

I'm going to ask you to think about covenant SEEING examples in your own life. I will share two or three. What comes to your mind?

I spoke with several dear friends and asked them about how they helped their children to RECOGNIZE or SEE their covenant keeping.

PAUSE and SEE the moment.

EXAMPLES

(Choose two or three examples to share:)

SEE IT: Lynne Snyder observing our family in Church vs. A Man SShhhshing us. She saw a family coming to church 

One mother (Robyn) talked about teaching her kids what it means to keep a promise. She will use the word PROMISE often and help her children to see that they know how to make and keep a commitment.

One family includes their children in their own covenant-keeping (Jensens). For Christmas this year, we received an invitation for a Kid-Free Experience where their entire family took our children for a large part of the day. Their youth created a service experience for our family. This was covenant keeping at its finest.

One mother (Irene) spoke of bringing her son home from the MTC who was returning him early from his mission. She spoke of thinking - now where do we go from here? Beginning to rebuild on Covenants.

Another mother (Alyson) talked about putting a child to bed one evening and taking the time to listen and help her daughter understand a gospel principle.

One mother (Julie) shared an experience of her son's that was touching to me. (Share Hayden's basketball experience.) His coach pulled him into his office senior year. You're not as tall, you're not as quick . . . You should quit. If you stick around, I'll keep you on as a practice dummy for our JV team. He came home and just cried. After a lot of thought and prayer, his loving mother helped him to see that he had made a commitment to the team and that their family was not made up of quitters. This lesson taught her son much about commitment and sticking with something, even when it gets hard. All covenant keeping experiences are not necessarily overtly spiritual. Sometimes they appear right in the nitty-gritty of life.

APPLICATION

What are some ways we can create a home where children are prepared to make and keep temple covenants?

Sister Linda K. Burton, "Faithful parents are entitled to know how to best teach to meet the needs of their children."

Ponder on specific children. Pause. (*Come back to their earlier pause.*)

VISUALIZATION OF HOME

As I talked with mothers, I heard something specific that manifested itself over and over. Scenarios of table, bedroom, car, family room began to appear in my mind.

Can you picture these experiences? Where is it that you teach about covenants? Where might you teach again? Can you picture yourself sitting in the car, or sitting at your computer to write an email? Are you sitting as a family at dinner time or are you at a child's bedside?

Again, Sister Linda K. Burton, "Faithful parents are entitled to know how to best teach to meet the needs of their children."

APPLICATION

Can you think of someone in your life that is keeping his or her covenants? (NOTE CARD. Refer them to the notecard on their chair. Take a minute to write a note of SEEING IT.)

LIVE IT

The second aspect of ways that we can bless our children to see and follow the covenant path is LIVING IT. We must be a living example of covenant keeping.

Sister Burton, "Sisters, do we realize our vital role in the work of salvation as we nurture, teach, and prepare children to progress along the covenant path? The power to do so will come as we honor and keep our covenants."

"Live it." The importance of living what we are teaching. Example of doing the last session of the day at the Provo Temple. I looked around the room and realized that the session was full of young mothers, just like me. Very touching to me.

Live It: Sister Reeves talk, "I testify that as I have listened more intently and tried to exercise my faith, the Lord has been merciful to me and has helped make my burdens light. He has helped me to feel great peace about prayers that have not yet been answered. We bind the Lord to keep His promises when we keep our covenants and exercise our faith. Come to the temple, dear sisters, and claim your blessings!"

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 with righteousness and with power of God in great glory."

FINAL EXAMPLES

Pattersons bringing us a bag of candy after dad's death. Teaching children to mourn with those that mourn.

Whether our "family picture" looks like video at the beginning or more like my family picture experience, I pray that the Lord might open our eyes and help us to see the GOOD that we are doing in our families each day. No matter where our family might be on the Covenant Path, the road is long and the Savior's atonement SAVES those who are willing to try and return. 

What challenges will our children face? What will prepare them for those mountains that they must climb? The Covenant Path will prepare them.