Based on the talk given by Emily Belle Freeman’
Part 1
This is a talk that stuck with me and I have been pondering on for a while now.
I think a lot about covenants and the power they bring into our lives when we live them on a daily basis.
Sister Freeman teaches us not only of the importance of doing this during challenging and turbulent times, but also gives us direction on how to do it.
She states, “Partaking of the sacrament would increase my companionship with the Spirit of the Lord, allowing me to draw upon the gift of God’s power, including the ministering of angels and the Savior’s enabling strength to overcome.”
She continues, “…what the ordinance and our covenant promise unlock also deserve the focus of our attention. Priesthood ordinances and covenant promises allow God to sanctify us and then work wonders in our lives.”
Sister Freeman focuses on the ordinance of the sacrament. However, all of the covenants we enter into, baptismal or temple, allow us access to the power of God.
That power is found and accessed by keeping the covenants that we make. We do this by living them. Daily and in each moment of our lives. “It is the combination of priesthood ordinances along with the keeping of covenant promises that allows us to draw upon God’s power.”
Sister Freeman then speaks of Emma Smith and the revelation she received when she was faced with the heartbreak of the loss of her first child and the challenges of being a prophet’s wife.
I love to look for patterns in the scriptures, and reading D&C 25 was no different.
It was enlightening to see the direction given to Emma in a deeply personal moment can be applied to my life, and yours as well. None of our challenges are the same, but the guidance given can still be applied.
The Lord starts out by speaking to Emma personally and with direction.
Personal direction
In verse 2, Emma is told, “A revelation I give unto you concerning my will; and if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue before me…”
In verse 4, she is told not to murmur because of the things she has not seen.
The Lord speaks to Emma personally. He knows her, loves her, and wants the best for her. Even though He knows it will not be easy. It will often be painful. All of the challenges and experiences that she will go through will help her become who He knows she can be. It will help her reach her full potential.
I have often found when seeking revelation or direction that first, I am spoken to personally so that I know that I am loved and watched over. Only after I am reassured of that am I given direction.
Helping Others
In verse 6, she is directed to help her husband by being a scribe. In 7, she is instructed how she is to help others in the church.
After the love and personal care, Emma is told to help others. We can often learn, heal, and grow by helping others. Often, this means helping those in our immediate family. At times, we are needed to help those we do not know on a personal level. Either way, in our Father’s eyes, we are helping His children.
What to Focus On
Verse 8 instructs Emma on where she should spend her time. It tells her that her time “…shall be given to writing and learning much.”
Emma is then told what to focus on. This can be both immensely helpful and really frustrating. I know that my life is full of caring for my family, home, calling, and all of the personal things that the Lord has asked me to do, and some things that I want to do. I am sure Emma had her hands full running a household, helping her husband, aiding with the growth of the church, and dealing with her own grief and emotions.
Being given a focus can be immensely helpful as it takes some of the guesswork out of what to do with your life. Later in the talk, Sister Freeman speaks of standing at the same window Emma stood at. “Did she also wonder about her place in the plan, her purpose in His kingdom, and her potential in the eyes of God?”
This direction gave Emma her purpose. It gave her what to focus on. It may not have been what she thought she would be doing with her life. However, I am sure each of us has found ourselves in the position of doing things that we never thought we would. Sometimes life takes us in unexpected directions. I am sure Emma understood that.
Reassurance
Verse 9 instructs her, she “…needest not fear”
We all need reassurance from time to time. Especially when we are asked to do things that we feel fully unprepared to do. Often, because we do not see the larger picture that the Lord sees, we are asked to do things that don’t always make sense to us. By the time we do catch the vision He has for us, it can be more than a little daunting. Having the reassurance from Him that we do not need to fear can be comforting. Especially if we are in the midst of a personal storm.
Direction
Verses 10-15 Emma is given specific directions.
The Lord spent the last 5 verses giving Emma specific personal direction. Some like verse 13, where she is told, “Lift up thy heart and rejoice” must have seemed almost impossible in the midst of the grief after losing her first child.
Others can be applied to our lives as they were to Emma’s. In verse 10, she was told, “…lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better.
We can all use the reminder of what matters and what doesn’t. Sometimes when we are in the thick of things, it can seem so important, but with a little time and distance, we realize it really wasn’t. This was the Lord’s reminder to both Emma and us to seek after what really matters. Russell M. Nelson calls this having an eternal perspective. Working on and toward things that matter eternally and not just for the moment.
In 13 and 14, Emma is told to “Cleave unto the covenants that she has made. To continue in the spirit of meekness, and beware of pride.”
For each of us, it is wisdom to follow the direction given to Emma. When we cleave to our covenants, we hold fast to them. We keep them faithfully. They are so important to us that we center the decisions we make and how we live our lives around them.
Being meek and being aware of pride are simply good things to do. By doing so, we can improve our lives and our relationships.
Lastly, in verse 15, Emma is told, “…keep my commandments continually.” The key word here for me is continually. To not just keep the commandments, but also the way we should keep them. To continually keep them. To respect them and honor them in how we live and the choices we make.
This will be continued in part 2. Please stay in touch for the last part.
