Sister Oscarson Asks 'How Are We Doing' with Baptismal Covenants?

I remember when Amy, our oldest child, turned eight and was baptized. We had been preparing her for this significant event in her life and had taught her that when she was baptized she was making a covenant with her Heavenly Father that she would always keep His commandments. A few days after her baptism, she looked up at her father with sweet sincerity and asked, “How am I doing, Dad? Have I made any mistakes yet?” I have remembered that question for 35 years and the desire of a sweet eight-year-old to be true to her covenants. When we are baptized we make sacred promises to “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death” (Mosiah 18:9). Baptism is the gate by which we enter the kingdom of God, and by entering that gate we agree to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ and keep all of God’s commandments. This ordinance is so significant and important that we are asked to think about it, review our actions, and then renew that promise each Sunday in our sacrament meetings as we partake of the sacrament. Essentially, each and every week we have the opportunity to ask ourselves, “How am I doing?” It is the only ordinance I can think of where we are asked to formally recommit to living up to our promises on a regular basis.