Being a child of the covenant isn’t just an identity. It’s a responsibility and a source of blessings.
President Russell M. Nelson has told us that being a child of the covenant is one of our most important identities, but being a child of the covenant can feel like an obscure concept. Put simply, a child of the covenant is someone who is part of the Abrahamic covenant. This covenant promised that Abraham would have a large posterity, that his posterity would receive the gospel, and that his posterity would be a blessing to all the earth. But how does that relate to our daily lives? It all has to do with the responsibility to be a blessing to all the earth and with the blessings we can expect to receive in return. In his 2024 BYU Women’s Conference address, “Children of the Covenant,” Elder Brent H. Nielson shares examples of blessings that young adults have received as they fulfill their responsibilities as children of the covenant.
Elder Nielson worked extensively with young missionaries around the world, and through that he gained some powerful insights. He shares the story of missionaries who were caught in a devastating typhoon. “After watching their house disintegrate, these two elders somehow survived and turned their attention to serving others. . . . This was certainly a modern miracle.” These missionaries experienced a miracle as they faithfully honored their responsibilities and put their trust in the Lord. While the blessings we experience as part of our identity as children of the covenant may not be so grand, they can still be incredibly impactful.
Elder Nielson goes on to explain that because of this experience, he “knew without a doubt that the Lord loves His missionaries, that He knows them name by name, and that He numbers them one by one.” Not only does the Lord love his missionaries, but he also loves all his children, including you and me.
So what does it mean for us to be children of the covenant? It means we have a responsibility, a direction, and access to countless blessings. God’s love is complete and powerful, and we can feel it as we trust in him, fulfill our responsibilities to him, and become a blessing to all the earth.
For more examples of young adults who are fulfilling their responsibilities as children of the covenant, read the full speech, “Children of the Covenant,” by Elder Brent H. Nielson.
Source: BYU Women’s Conference
—Brooke Francis, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
Find more insights
To learn more about the impact of covenants, read “Children of the Covenant” by Brett Peper Ruff.
To learn about your divine identity, read and watch “Choices for Eternity” by President Russell M. Nelson.