Lately I've been thinking a lot about temples and why they are so important. One day in particular was when I got a little glimpse of why. Back in May I was able to go to the Payson temple open house. During that time I was in a really dark place (If you read my Motivation Monday: Trials and struggles I talked a little bit about it there.) Mentally I wasn't really all there, as I was trying to push through this certain trial. That also crippled my spiritual state. I was eager and excited to attend the open house hoping that I would receive the spiritual lift I desperately wanted but most of all needed. Exiting the freeway, you could see the temple plain as day. I can't exactly put into words what I felt but I just KNEW i was meant to walk into that temple that day. Despite the gloominess around it, the temple had its own glow to it. It shown brightly on a particular dark and dreary day. So we( My mom and my older brother) parked, got out of the car, and noticed that we had some time to spare before we were able to walk to the nearby church and watch the video they have set up before walking through. We walked around the grounds and snapped a few pics of the flowers and all kinds of different angles of the temple. I stopped and looked up to the very top of the temple where the angel Moroni was standing and observed the sky as a little black bird flew across and thought "Are you really there? How long is this going to last? Why can't this end already?" being a little bitter I just walked around- waiting and hoping for an answer. It didn't come. Yet.
Our spare time was up and my phone said 2:00pm so we headed over to the church just several feet away. We gave the door greeters our ticket and went into one of the rooms, sat down, and watched as people piled in. 2 sister missionaries waited quietly until everyone was ready to start. I don't remember exactly what the video said but I remember little bits and pieces of several apostles talking about the importance of temples and all the close opportunities that we have to go to the temple with so many surrounding us in Utah. I was able to snap my brain out of the bitterness and thought of how lucky I was to be able to walk through the Payson temple that day. Very few people get to experience that. I stopped thinking of all the things going wrong and began thinking of things that were going right. I simply counted my blessings. Walking through was just the best thing ever. I really began to actually feel my Heavenly Father's love for me, my family, and every one of his children. If I thought he didn't love me, why would he make such beautiful temples just for us? The adversary tries to sneak in that way telling us lies and deceiving us. That's what Satan does best. He deceives. He lies. He has no good to offer us. I thanked Heavenly Father for that opportunity and apologized for my bitterness. Temples are an amazing blessing. Making covenants with God in them is the most beautiful thing. Ever since I was little, I dreamed of being able to go through the temple with my future husband. I plan on fulfilling that. I couldn't imagine being married in any other place than that. I am so grateful for the help of my Heavenly Father and my Savior for pulling me out of that dark place and helping me TRULY see and notice the light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn't have done it without them. No doubt about it. All I had to do was reach up, and they took my hand and refused to let me fall. Happy Sunday everyone. Have an amazing week. Count your blessings. God loves you. Amen.
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For my 1st blog post and since it being Sunday I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I've been thinking about the idea of the Sabbath a lot lately. In Russell M. Nelson's talk he said "What sign do we show to God?" What exactly does he mean by that? To me it means showing God in our thoughts and actions that we remember Him and are willing to do the things he asks of us. The Sabbath is day and night experience for me.
I remember one Sunday a couple weeks ago where I had done none of the things I knew I should be doing. In my mind I decided that day that I would just sit back and relax to have a day of "rest". That week had been stressful and the last thing I wanted to do was to put in effort. The things I did that day had no meaning and purpose and I spent a lot of time on social media twiddling my thumbs. That Sunday night as I went to bed I felt kind of empty. Why was I feeling that way? I realized it was because of the way I decided to spend my Sabbath. I felt empty when that was a time when I needed the spiritual feast the most. I'm not saying we should all be perfect and do everything in a specific way because that is not what Heavenly Father would expect of us. He wants us to try our best. Just because we scroll through instagram for a couple minutes doesn't mean we have sinned. I think we all realize that. I like the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 59: 9-10 it says "And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day. For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;" I love that the Sabbath is a day that is different from any other in the week. It is when we can strengthen our faith and our testimony. It is a day that we can go to church for 3 hours out of the day and hear others testimonies. I find that I strengthen mine the most when I hear about others. I used to only focus on the "cannots" of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is so much more than the "cannots". I like what D. Todd Christofferson said "Take where you are, and build from there." I feel like Sunday is a day for me to start my week off right. I'm so grateful that we have a day called Sunday. It is a day where I can focus on my Savior and the ultimate sacrifice he made for us. This is the day where my testimony is most strengthened. The Sabbath truly is a delight. |
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Ponderize Of The Week:
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6 Quote Of The Week:
"Give it to God and go to sleep." - Unknown |