A Powerful Relationship
A covenant is more than a contract; it is a relationship.
I still have a picture of the green chairs Elder Pistone and Elder Morasco sat in while they taught my family in our home in Argentina. They taught with so much spiritual power that my 10-year-old sister and I (age 9) would run to touch the chairs after they left, hoping that power would rub off on us.
I soon learned that the power didn’t come from the chairs but from having a covenant relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
My Baptism Experience
I made my first covenant on November 13, 1977. I don’t remember much about my baptism, but I do remember Elder Pistone helping me into the water and Elder Morasco confirming me while my hair was still wet. I also remember the joy I felt as new ward friends gave hugs and kisses in the Argentine way and the strong desire I felt to be a faithful daughter of Heavenly Father.
Young Sister Spannaus (middle) with her parents (left), her sister Silvina (far right), and Elder Morasco.
Later I realized that the joy I felt came from the gift of the Holy Ghost. I learned that as I faithfully kept my covenants with God, the Spirit would be with me. The Holy Ghost is just one of the powerful blessings that come from a covenant relationship with God and Jesus Christ.
Now, even when my motives, thoughts, and actions fall short, I have the hope to keep trying. Why? Because partaking of the sacrament makes it possible for me to renew my covenants and make new covenants each week. I am so grateful for that blessing.
A Warm, Covenant Relationship
We often hear that covenants are two-way promises between us and God. While that is true, this isn’t all they are. In reality, “covenant keeping is not a cold business deal but a warm relationship.”
So how do you create a covenant relationship with Heavenly Father and the Savior? They already love you perfectly and want to bless you (see 3 Nephi 14:11). But any two-way relationship takes time and love from both sides.
Do you want to spend more time with Them? When you do things They would do, you are walking with Them! That might be as simple as listening to a friend during a hard time, making time to play with a sibling, or including someone who feels left out. Recently, I spent time walking with God by recording voice messages and sending texts to a friend in Argentina who was feeling lonely. I have also decided to always keep my temple recommend active so I can spend time with the Lord in His holy house. You can pray for ideas that will help you spend time with Heavenly Father and your Savior.
Do you want to show Them you care? Treat the commandments you have covenanted to keep as a way to express your love, not as a list of rules. For example, to live the Word of Wisdom, I learned how to cook healthy meals. Now I am teaching my daughters to do the same. As you willingly keep God’s commandments, your love for Him and the Savior will grow.
Our covenant relationships with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will help us know Them better and have more access to Their power in our lives—infinitely more than anything a set of green chairs has to offer. And that power changes us forever!