Sister Jean A. Stevens, first counselor in the Primary General Presidency, opened her General Women’s address saying, “I hope you feel the Lord’s love for you personally … I know that my Redeemer lives.”
Though her audience was composed of a variety of ages and backgrounds, Sister Stevens chose to focus on their similarities.
“Our ages, circumstances and personalities cannot separate us because above all, we are (the Lord’s),” she said. “We have made a covenant to remember Him always.”
Sister Stevens asked each listener to think back to the day she made her own baptismal covenant. “Think back and remember your own baptismal day … try to feel now the significance of the covenant you made,” she said.
She emphasized that each person is known and loved individually by God. He wants each one to choose the path that will bring him or her home to Him.
“Covenants with God help us to know who we really are. They connect us to Him in a personal way where we come to feel our value in His sight and our place in His kingdom,” Sister Stevens said.
She said the baptismal covenant is only the beginning, the gate that puts us on the path to eternal life.
“As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple,” she said.
She then taught that making and keeping our covenants allows peace, protection and power to enter our lives.
She mentioned her parents’ lives as an example of the power of righteous living. They loved the Lord. Her father served a mission shortly after their marriage, and their temple covenants gave them strength and an eternal perspective through the two-year separation.
Sister Stevens said her mother especially taught her how to live as a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Her life reflected her love for the Savior and her desire to follow Him. She faithfully made and kept sacred covenants
“It is a pattern of righteousness that is blessing our family still,” Sister Stevens said.
She emphasized that the best way to strengthen a home is to keep covenants.
“When daughters of God focus on the temple and on their sacred covenants, God is able to send blessings in personal and powerful ways,” Sister Stevens said.
She promised that those who choose to believe and keep their covenants will leave a rich legacy of faith for those who follow.
She added that sisters of all ages and all circumstances can prepare now to receive the blessings of the temple.
“As we go to His holy house, we can be armed with His power, His name upon us and His glory round about us, and His angels will have charge over us,” Sister Stevens said.
