I’ve been wanting to write about temples for awhile and I finally sat down and wrote down my thoughts. I could honestly talk all day about the house of the Lord and fill this post with scriptures and quotes and write you all a mini book. But for this post I’m going to keep it short and sweet and mostly focus on the basics of temples.
For those of you who aren’t LDS, temples are a sacred place of worship for the Mormon church. We pray about where to build it, use tithing money to pay for the land and building, and perform acts of service for both the living and the dead inside. Anyone is welcome to visit the beautiful, sacred grounds, but only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can go inside.
To get inside, you have to have a piece of paper called a temple recommend. This recommend can be achieved by any member who worthily keeps the commandments of the Lord and the standards of the church. We perform things like proxy baptisms for the dead, eternal marriages, and family sealings. We believe that families are eternal and families who are married and sealed in the temple can be together forever, even after death. A lot of people say that we are pretty secretive about the temple, but we don’t share everything because the temple is sacred. It is where we can go to be close to God and Jesus Christ and where we can receive spiritual instruction and insight. A lot of temple worship is personal and sacred.
One thing I love about the temple is that it is not only a place of worship, but is it a place of service. Every ordinance performed in the temple is done once for yourself and from then on, everytime you go to the temple you perform the same sacred ordinances for someone else who didn’t get the opportunity to do them in this life. As Mormons, we believe that families can be together forever and to do that, we need to make and keep several sacred covenants with God such as baptism and temple marriage. Everyone in mortal existence gets an equal chance to accept these ordinances done for them, so we perform them for those who have passed on, and they get to choose whether to accept it or not.
I just love that the temple is about service. The scriptures say that, “when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). Nothing can bring more joy and draw you closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ than serving their children. It fills me with joy to know that I am helping others in the next life to progress and continue their spiritual journey.
I also love that temples are all about Christ and learning about where we came from, gaining spiritual strength for this life, and where we go after this life. For me (and for many others), the temple is a spiritual refuge from the world. If I am really struggling with depression or I just feel overwhelmed by everything that is going on in my life, I go to the temple to escape for awhile. Being on the grounds is like being in a different world. There is really no way to exactly describe the feeling you get from being at the temple. You can tell as soon as you step through that gate and onto the grounds that you are on sacred ground. I love spending time just on the outside of the temple on the grounds because my heart is filled with love and peace while I am there. It is one of the only places on earth where satan can’t go, so I don’t feel his negative influence trying to get me down and I can just breathe and remember that I am a daughter of God.
The veil between heaven and earth is very thin at the temple, so you can feel your Father in Heaven and your Savior, Jesus Christ, when you are there. Sometimes I can feel them so close that when I close my eyes and pray, I know that Jesus is beside me and that I am loved. I often feel as if I am in the garden of Eden. It is an unforgettable experience and it has helped save my life on several occasions. The temple is a place of spiritual instruction and service, but it also is a place where we can be endowed with the power of God and receive the strength to overcome the temptations and trials of this life. I know that I have only been able to overcome some of the things in my life because I was able to go to the temple and receive the extra spiritual strength and guidance that I needed.
Sometimes I go to the temple to serve, sometimes I go to escape, and other days I just want to draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Both the inside and the outside of the temple are filled with the spirit and I never want to leave. I always feel at home and I love feeling so close to my Savior. Sometimes it is hard to go back out and face the world. But I am so thankful that I am blessed with a temple close by.
I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed us with temples so that we may have a place to focus on Him and feel that peace and love we need. The Lord’s house is my favorite place on earth and only a slice of heaven. I cannot even begin to imagine how amazing it will be to one day live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ again. I miss my Savior very much and I look forward to running into His loving arms as well as being embraced by my Heavenly Father when my time in this life is up. Nothing is greater than knowing that you are a beloved child of God.
Salt Lake, Utah LDS Temple
Tucson, Arizona LDS Temple
Rexburg, Idaho LDS Temple
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