Sister Jean A. Stevens: Covenant Daughters of God

I am the most easily distracted person in the word. I swear. About twenty minutes ago I opened my purse because I wanted to read an article about teaching that I printed up yesterday. That was when I found my copy of today’s conference talk. I printed it this morning and then completely forgot about it. It is only day two of my challenge and I almost failed. 

I will not let that happen. 

Ok, here we go.

Jean A. Stevens: Covenant Daughters of God

Read or watch the full talk here.

My most important take away from this talk was the reminder that I am a child of God. It was definitely a reminder I needed. 

Sister Stevens put it this way: “Covenants with God help us to remember who we really are ... we are known and loved individually by Him.” The Him is, of course, Heavenly Father. Knowing that I am a daughter of God is one of the greatest blessings of my life. It is something I want everyone to know about themselves, because we are all children of God. 

If I am going to write about this conference talk, I have to address Covenants, more specifically temple covenants. According to Sister Stevens, “baptism ... is only the beginning - the gate that puts us on the path to eternal life.” The next steps are the covenants one makes in the temple. 

Going to the temple and striving to honor those covenants (despite my many imperfections) help me to feel closer to my Heavenly Father and to feel more confident about myself. This is something each of us needs. As Sister Stevens says, it helps us to have “an eternal perspective of life’s purpose.” 

In her talk, Sister Stevens shared the story of her mother who was separated from her husband for the early years of their marriage because of a mission and military service in World War II. For Sister Steven’s mother, those days “of loneliness, worry, and uncertainty were also marked by whisperings of the Spirit that spoke of eternal promises, of comfort, and peace amid the storm.” Learning about this woman, and the example she gave, helped remind me of the peace that can come to us even amidst great trials. 

I am so thankful for the opportunity to go to the temple to make, and keep, the beautiful and sacred covenants that will lead me back to Heavenly Father. He has blessed me in  so many ways because I am, like you, His Child. 

My final thought, my final challenge, is for you to remember who you are.