What We Learn from Emma Smith about Cleaving Unto Our Covenants

By Anne Maxson

Author’s Note: There are many resources to learn about Emma Smith’s life and experiences. Many are much more articulate and comprehensive than what I share here. I share a couple of snippets that have stuck out to me recently. As I’ve learned more about her life, I can’t help but admire her dedication to her faith. 

In Doctrine and Covenants 25:10, 13, Emma Smith is counseled to “And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better. Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.” This revelation was given in July 1830. Emma had just been baptized on June 28th and was confirmed in August. 

In the video “An Elect Lady,” we are able to see some experiences from Emma’s life and the growth of her faith and testimony. At a particularly trying time shown in the video, Joseph is standing with his mother, Lucy Mack Smith. Joseph says, “Emma is strong, mother.”  Lucy Mack Smith replied, “Being strong can be a very lonely thing.” 

Of Emma, Lucy Mack Smith also said, “I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, for month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done.” (see “Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1845,” p. 190, josephsmithpapers.org, and “Emma Hale Smith,” Church History Topics).

Emma’s struggles included poverty, displacement, persecution, loss of children, and her husband. At times, it may have been difficult to find something that would feel stable and steady in such tumultuous times and uncertainty in many aspects of her life. As Lucy Mack Smith alluded to, I also imagine it would be very lonely. I would imagine that it was likely difficult for her to find someone who could really relate to her life experience. 

My experiences have been nothing like Emma’s, but I believe many of us experience those moments of wondering if anyone, anywhere, truly understands what we are going through. Additionally, we often experience times of uncertainty and just wanting to find something solid to hang on to, or, in other words, to “cleave” to. Both of these struggles can find solace in the counsel given to Emma so early in her journey to cleave unto the covenants she had made. 

By cleaving to our covenants, we can be reminded of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We can recognize the ways in which He took upon Himself all things so that He can succor us. As Jeffrey R. Holland has said, ”To succor means ‘to run to.’ I testify that in my fears and in my infirmities the Savior has surely run to me.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “He Hath Filled the Hungry with Good Things,” Ensign, November 1997, 66.) Because of His Atonement, Jesus Christ can understand whatever it is that we are going through. 

Further emphasizing this, David A. Bednar shared, “There is no physical pain, no anguish of soul, no suffering of spirit, no infirmity or weakness that you or I ever experience during our mortal journey that the Savior did not experience first. You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, ‘No one understands. No one knows’...But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden…He can reach out, touch, and succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying only upon our own power.” (David A. Bednar, “In the Strength of the Lord,” BYU Speeches (BYU-Idaho), October 23, 2001.)

When life feels uncertain and it seems as though the very ground we are standing on is shifting and swaying beneath us, our covenants can provide a solid foundation. In October 2024, Bradley R. Wilcox said, “With each new covenant—and as your relationship with Him deepens—you hold each other tighter and tighter until you are firmly clasped together. In that sacred symbol of His grace, you will find both the desire and the strength to live exactly how the Savior lived—differently from the world. You’ve got this because Jesus Christ has got you!” (Bradley R. Wilcox, “O Youth of the Noble Birthright,” Liahona, November 2024, 95.) As we strive to cleave unto our covenants, we find firmness, strength, and certainty in our knowledge of our Savior. 

I love that Emma was given this counsel so that we can learn from it. She had faced trials and uncertainty prior to Doctrine and Covenants 25. That said, it was still very early in the grand scheme of all that she would experience and endure. As we focus on cleaving unto and keeping and renewing those covenants made at baptism as well as in the temple, we will be fortified and strengthened. And when the hard times come, it may be easier to ensure that our focus is on those covenants and the promises associated with them.