I attended the baptism of a dear 8 year old girl recently and was touched by the symbolism of that ordinance and the priesthood power radiating through that process. Her experience and journey is the journey for all of us who choose to live a life in Christ.
She willingly and joyfully entered the water with her father, whom she loved and who has provided for her every need in her life. Her trust in him and his teachings (along with his wife, of course) led her to experience the love of her Heavenly Father and to her desire to enter into a covenant relationship with Him; to trust Him to provide for her every need and to in turn live her love and gratitude by seeking to follow His plan and His Son. She received the grace of an opened gate to the kingdom of God at that time and the promise of a companion for her journey, to help and guide her way and to make sure she could reach her ultimate destination. She came out of that water a new being–reborn to a life with Christ and in Christ. Her new ‘birth’ allows her to walk the covenant path with Jesus Christ, a gift offered by love.
After the baptism, she received the further ordinance of confirmation which allowed the Holy Ghost to be her companion, the means by which she is able walk that path with Christ. To receive that gift, she was surrounded, literally, by priesthood power. Dad, grandpas, uncles, friends–worthy men representing the Savior–surrounded her with God’s power and conferred this priceless gift on her. A circle of love, sharing God’s influence and presence is a beautiful symbol of the power of that covenant.
When we make and keep covenants with God, we are surrounded by His power. That power is protection and life. It is strength and deliverance and healing. It is knowledge and loyalty and love. In a very real sense, the access we receive to God’s power through ordinances and covenants looks and feels like the surrounding by love that little girl experienced in her baptism and confirmation. The ordinances of salvation “constitute authorized channels through which the blessings and powers of heaven can flow into our individual lives.” (David A. Bednar, “Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins,” Gen. Conf. April, 2016) We can receive that every time we partake of the sacrament. Every time we attend the temple. Every time we act in accordance with the covenants we have made. In fact, every minute of every day that we are living a covenant life. Fortified and surrounded by the power and love of God, we walk that path and live that life that leads us to know God and Jesus Christ and become like Them.
