The Temple

With so many temples under construction or being renovated, my heart is turned towards the meaning of temples in our lives. I love this quote from President Packer:

May we each dedicate ourselves anew to the service of the Lord. 

Say the word temple. Say it quietly and reverently. Say it over and over again. Temple. Temple. Temple. Add the word holy. Holy Temple. Say it as though it were capitalized, no matter where it appears in the sentence. 

Temple. One other word is equal in importance to a Latter-day Saint. Home. Put the words holy temple and home together, and you have described the house of the Lord! 

May God grant that we may be worthy to enter there and receive the fullness of the blessings of His priesthood. (Boyd K. Packer, "The Temple, the Priesthood," Ensign, May 1993, 20-21)

In the March 2011 New Era, the story "Breaking New Ground" by Breanna Bennett Olaveson really touched me. Breanna describes how she was able to attend the groundbreaking of the Rexburg Idaho Temple. As she stood there reflecting on the ceremony, she "realized they were doing more than moving dirt around. The hardened ground needed to be softened before there could be room for the temple, and [she] knew [she] could learn from that." She decided that her life needed some changes so she could be ready for the temple when it was finished. Breanna started to better herself by finding new friends who made better choices and reading her scriptures more regularly.

In February of 2008, Breanna was able to attend the temple's dedication.

She said, "...I didn’t feel like the same person. As I sat beside my parents in the newly completed Rexburg Idaho Temple, I reflected on how far I’d come in the years since the groundbreaking. I sang the hymn “The Spirit of God” (Hymns, no. 2), and I knew that unimaginable blessings still awaited me in that holy house.

"The temple was ready and dedicated to the Lord. And so was I."

 

Whether we live near a temple that is being dedicated soon or not, may be strive to align our lives with God's and prepare to be worthy to enter Heavenly Father's Holy House, today.

Sincerely,

Sal