Covenants

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Covenants, by Russell M. Nelson
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles


While preparing for bed the other night, I received the phone call. It wasn't quite the Bat Phone, but more like the Priesthood Phone.


Someone was in the hospital. They were in need of help. Could I help them with a priesthood blessing.

I happily agreed and delayed my bedtime by a couple of hours to participate in a covenant activity.

The person I accompanied is a friend who was a bit unsure of what to say and do with regard to the blessing, due to his personal inexperience. We discussed the proper procedure and suggested wording en route, and during final review in the hospital parking lot I did something I haven't done for a long time: I reached...

As a full-time missionary I wore a black name tag on my shirt pocket. It was always there.


Always behind the black name tag was a pocket-sized white book. This book had specific instructions and rules for missionaries, but it also had an ordinance guide at the end. As a missionary, I would routinely study the missionary handbook, along with other resources, with my companions. We did it so much, in fact, that I had the whole thing memorized!

While I sat in the car helping my friend gain confidence to exercise the priesthood, I reached for the white handbook in my empty-for-more-than-ten-years-pocket. I guess my missionary muscle memory is still there, somewhere.

Long story short, we visited a grateful ward member and did our priesthood covenant duty. And we had a good time doing it.

As I reviewed Elder Nelson's talk on covenants, I remembered this priesthood blessing story (and many other stories about covenants). Here's one paragraph that stood out to me:

The greatest compliment that can be earned here in this life is to be known as a covenant keeper. The rewards for a covenant keeper will be realized both here and hereafter. Scripture declares that "ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, … and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven … [and] dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness."

I try to be a covenant keeper, and I'm grateful for the blessed and happy state of my life.

I'm even happy that the Priesthood Phone rang just at bedtime; it let's me pat myself on the back for trading sleep for covenant priesthood service!