In fact, after our recent trip to Maple Canyon - I had to write a talk to give for my Stake Calling in one of the wards in our stake. I was up at 5 in the a.m. writing my talk the Saturday before (because that's when I get my best talk writing in) and the experience that we'd had came to my mine and the words just flowed. I hope they captured my love for this canyon and my love for the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
Jesus Christ is there with us every step of the way. Every stumble of our own, every time
our arms stretch to support those around us, He is there willing to guide us and lead us
on the path."
End of talk exceprt. I think I'll include the full talk below because I really enjoyed writing it and the sacrament meeting was going long so I was only able to share about half of it when I was actually speaking.
Full Sacrament Meeting Talk Below:
Bound to the Savior through Covenants and Ordinances
Stake Speaking Assignment – August 2021 – PL1
Good morning Brothers and Sisters, My name is Shantel Peaden and I am serving as the Stake
Primary President. I have a special love for the primary children of your ward and those
that serve with them. You have a wonderful Primary Presidency and the efforts of each
primary teacher and leader is seen, is needed, and is valued. The Lord loves his Primary
children and He loves this ward. I am so happy to be here with you today.
One of the most beautiful things that I get to be a part of as a member of the Stake
Primary is to help facilitate the Baptisms of the children of this stake. This month I was
able to be a part of the day of 9 beautiful children of God as they took the step forward
on the Covenant Path of our Savior. I first heard that phrase “The Covenant Path”
several years ago and I love the imagery that is associated with it.
Elder Christofferson said of the Covenant Path:
We embark upon the path at the gate of baptism and then “press forward with a
steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all
men [the two great commandments] … to the end.” In the course of the covenant path
(which, by the way, extends beyond mortality), we receive all the ordinances and covenants
pertaining to salvation and exaltation.”
Baptism is the beginning of a journey – a Covenant Journey. It places you firmly on the
path and equips you for the journey. Just as you might take a map, a flashlight, water, or a
walking stick on a hike you are going on – the journey on the covenant path is easier
with the gift of the Holy Ghost, the scriptures, help and support from parents and
leaders, and the Living Water of the Savior.
Recently, my family went camping at one of my favorite spots in the whole world: Maple
Canyon. It’s a majestically beautiful location tucked in the middle of nowhere, Sanpete
County. To drive there, you have to drive through miles of empty land, past occasional
turkey farms, and headed to an unimpressive mountain range that even from only a few
miles away doesn’t look like any sort of destination at all. But soon after you start driving
up a small dirt road into the canyon to enter the Manti-LaSal State Park – everything
changes. The scraggly trees start to get denser, fuller, and as you come around a turn
you can see towering cliffs of conglomerate rock. Immediately you are transported to a
completely different environment than the one you just passed through. Maple, Oak,
and evergreen trees cover the ground surrounded by narrow canyons of Cobblestone
rock, created over thousands of years and made of millions of small smooth stones
cemented together with a concrete-like sediment.
My favorite hike to do here is a narrow canyon called box canyon. Some of my favorite
childhood memories involve coming to this canyon with family or friends and hiking
through this slot-like canyon to the end where there is a small trickling waterfall. The
canyon starts out fairly wide, and as you hike back in you’ll almost certainly pass rock
climbers clinging to cliffs on each side. The path is rocky, made up of thousands of
stones that have eroded from the cliffs above, but it’s fairly flat – as long as you
step carefully you’re fine. As you hike on, the canyon begins to narrow and get steeper-
up ahead you can see giant boulders of conglomerate rock that have fallen from above
blocking the path. Continuing the hike, you can find places to squeeze under the large
boulders and occasionally climb over them. Hiking this with small children includes a
lot of boosting and supporting and instructing them to stay close to us and away
from the dangerous edges. (I hope that you can see the parallels between this hike and
the path through this life.)
I’ve taken my husband on this hike three previous times over the past 12 years. Each
time, we have gotten stopped at a giant pile of boulders that, with our skills and
abilities, we just were not able to cross. Each time, I’d petulantly state something like
“we just have to try harder – we can do it!” and each time after multiple failed attempts, I’d
concede defeat and we’d head back to camp. The hike is beautiful and worth it for the
experience alone, but I would always regret that we weren’t able to make it to the
waterfall at the very end. This time, however, as we made our approach to the
uncrossable boulders I heard my husband from ahead say “Shantel is going to be SO
happy!” There in front of us, tied firmly with strong cords of rope was a ladder
propped right against the spot that had previously been unpassable. Joyfully I
helped each of my children up the ladder and we carefully made our way to the waterfall
at the end of the box canyon. I hadn’t expected any water to be flowing because of the
drought we are suffering this year but there was a steady flow over the towering cliff-end
which seemed a great reward for our perseverance.
Brothers and Sisters, discipleship in this Gospel is like that Box Canyon. It is a path that
brings great beauty in the midst of a weary world. With diligence and hope, we carefully
make our way step by step, supporting and encouraging those with us on the
journey. We move forward with hope that we will reach the end, even though we will
undoubtedly stumble, occasionally take a more difficult path than needed in our
attempt to cross the boulders in our lives, and possibly wonder if we should just turn
back now because the trail is getting much more difficult. We will certainly come to our
own personal boulder that is insurmountable.
Jesus Christ is like that Ladder, placed in the spot that is impossible to cross ourselves.
He is the one that works the miracles in our lives to overcome obstables and He is
the one that has prepared the way for us back to Heaven. He is the way that we are
saved.
President Nelson has said:
“Allowing God to prevail in our lives begins with faith that He is willing to guide us. Your
growing faith in Him will move mountains—not the mountains of rock that beautify the earth
but the mountains of misery in your lives. Your flourishing faith will help you turn challenges
into unparalleled growth and opportunity. “
Jesus Christ is there with us every step of the way. Every stumble of our own, every time
our arms stretch to support those around us, He is there willing to guide us and lead us
on the path.
When we make Covenants with him, starting with Baptism and moving along step-by-step
as we progress along the path, we choose to bind ourselves to the Savior. President
Nelson also said:
“Your commitment to follow the Savior by making covenants with Him and then keeping
these covenants will open the door to every spiritual blessing and privilege available to
men, women, and children everywhere.
Blessings and Miracles are available to us. When we are bound to Christ and we keep
our Covenants with him, our relationship with Him can fill in the blanks or the holes or the
difficulties in other relationships. He has already paid the price for our heartaches. Our
hearts can be lifted.
We are each at our own unique place on the covenant path. Children preparing for and
keeping their baptismal covenants are strengthening their faith in Jesus Christ. They are
learning to receive and act on personal revelation as they exercise agency and choose
opportunities to grow for themselves. They are building a bedrock foundation of faith
in the Savior that will hold them steady as the winds blow throughout their lives.
Youth can feel hope and belonging as they bind themselves to the Savior. They learn that
they have a divine nature that the world cannot take away and that repentance is a tool for
happiness and continued joy.
Adults find healing and strength during even the most difficult of times. Their covenants
give them the determination to stay faithful even when questions, tragedy, or doubts
arise.
President Nelson powerfully declared:
Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those
covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to
the power of God. Those who are endowed in the house of the Lord receive a gift of God’s
priesthood power by virtue of their covenant, along with a gift of knowledge to know how
to draw upon that power.
That understanding of priesthood power and the spiritual treasures to be had in the temple
has changed me.
There have been times when my faith has been challenged and I have struggled to know,
understand, and navigate different topics and issues in the world and in the church. Holding
to the covenants I have made and attending the temple, even amid, no, especially amid,
those challenges gave me a security and protection that I did not understand at the time
but have come to be so incredibly grateful for.
In 2018, President Nelson closed the April session of General Conference by announcing
seven new temples (which felt like a very lot at the time) and saying, “My dear brothers and
sisters, construction of these temples may not change your life, but your time in the temple
surely will.
He followed with several specific blessings:
“In that spirit, I bless you to identify those things you can set aside so you can spend more
time in the temple. I bless you with greater harmony and love in your homes and a deeper
desire to care for your eternal family relationships. I bless you with increased faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ and a greater ability to follow Him as His true disciples.” That promise and
blessing was so impactful to me that I printed it out and it hangs by my bathroom mirror.
As a mom of young children, serving in the temple regularly is a little tricky. However, this
promise from President Nelson sank deep into my heart. Somewhere along the way,
attending the temple changed from a checkmark box of things I should be doing to a true form
of self-care. Often our society touts self-care, especially for moms, as “treat-your-self”
chocolate eating, bubble bath taking, time for yourself. But I have found that making time
for myself to be able to attend the temple, feed my spirit, and connect with my true
purpose has been more impactful to my happiness in motherhood than anything else
and has been my greatest form of self-care, spiritual or otherwise, from the past 5 years.
My covenants bound me to the Savior and gave me the fortitude to stay fast while I navigated some
tricky questions and experiences. I held on to every covenant I had made and every
promise that I had received from the Lord. My faith grew and my determination to serve
Jesus Christ increased.
My faith is still growing and it is growing into something stronger than it was before. I
am more committed to the Lord and I am more confident in my determination. This is
what binding ourselves to the Savior can look like.
Each of you is a beloved child of God with a divine nature and destiny. In addition to the
eternal blessings He promises to the faithful, He wants to bless you now, during this life.
Each child of God is needed in the work of building His kingdom. Let me repeat: Our
Heavenly Parents love us individually. YOU are loved right where you are, right to
the very center of you, and YOU are needed here. The Savior is there for you and
HE will work miracles in your life as you come to Him.
I'm grateful for the Power of God in my life and the blessings I have received through binding
myself to Jesus Christ through my covenants. I share my testimony of the power of holding an
active temple recommend and keeping your covenants, even when you have different
struggles in your life or are navigating difficult questions in your faith journey. I testify that
you have Heavenly Parents, who love you. You have a Savior who is infinitely invested
in your life. I do not know the trials, struggles, questions, or details of your life (although, I
know that each one of you has them), but They do. When we bind ourselves and commit our
lives, we give them opportunity to bless us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
