As the membership within the Church continues to grow throughout the world, so has the need for temples. In 1985, President Hinckley declared:
The sacred and important work that goes on in temples must be accelerated, and for this to happen, it is necessary that temples be taken closer to the people rather than having the people travel so far to temples (in Conference Report, Oct. 1985, 71; or Ensign, Nov. 1985, 54).
These words of President Hinckley were inspired, and he was certainly committed to fulfilling this inspiration (D&C 88:119). When President Hinckley became the Prophet of the Church, 77 temples were built and dedicated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And even with the passing of our beloved President Hinckley, this work continues to progress; there continues to be a commitment to building new temples. Now, the Church has 143 operating temples, 13 under construction, and 14 announced. Temples now begin to dot the earth, making available sacred ordinances to more saints and their loved ones that have gone before them.
And what a great blessing this is to us all. To reiterate the magnitude of this blessing, President George Q. Cannon said:
Every foundation stone that is laid for a temple, and every temple completed … lessens the power of Satan on the earth, and increases the power of God and Godliness (Logan Temple cornerstone ceremony, 19 Sept. 1877; quoted in Nolan Porter Olsen, Logan Temple: The First 100 Years [1978], 34).
Undoubtedly, this stands as a witness to the Lord’s plan in bringing the Church forth “out of obscurity and out of darkness” (D&C 1:30). President Hinckley added his testimony to this by stating: “The latter-day work of the Almighty, that of which the ancients spoke, that of which the prophets and apostles prophesied, is come. It is here” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1999, 94–95; or Ensign, Nov. 1999, 74).
As temples dot the earth, what does this mean for us as Latter-Day Saints? If the time is now, what is our role in the Lord’s work?
I believe it all begins with being worthy and prepared to enter the House of the Lord. Today, we need to prepare our hearts, minds, and souls to enter the doors of the temple. Within the temple, there are very sacred and beautiful ceremonies performed. In explaining the sacredness of these ceremonies, President Hinckley explains that the ordinances administered in the temple “represent the ultimate in our worship. These ordinances become the most profound expressions of our theology” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 72; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 53).
With this being said, members must prepare themselves for such an experience. All too often, curiosity is constituted as ‘preparedness’. With interest and questions in hand, members struggle to understand the doctrine of the temple. Here, answers are sought and confusion may be experienced. While this may be an honest ad true attempt at preparing for the temple, this is not the correct way of going about this. In order to truly prepare for the ordinances of the temple, simple steps must be made. Faith, repentance, baptism, and confirmation are among these steps. In doing these things, we should approach the Lord with a humble heart, willing to put the cares of world aside. I believe these things enable the Spirit to abide with us and our hearts, minds, and souls are better prepared to receive the further light that the temple offers.
We must also enter the temple worthy and clean, unspotted from the world. At times, this requirement involves members overcoming addictions and turning their hearts over to Christ, our Redeemer. In addition to this, members must strive to maintain the covenants that they have made, and keep their lives in harmony with the commandments of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to have a goal to be worthy, and we should not let anything overcome this target.
Once the time is right and priesthood leaders determines worthiness, a temple recommend will be given. Of this temple recommend, President Hinckley has this to say, “ I urge our people everywhere … to live worthy to hold a temple recommend, to secure one and regard it as a precious asset…” (“Of Missions, Temples, and Stewardship,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 53). If we were to regard our temple recommends as a precious asset, I believe our attitude would change. Perhaps then all members would ensure that their temple recommend is current; we would not allow them to expire, and we would always remain worthy of them. Perhaps then, members would come to realize of things of most importance. To value a temple recommend in such a way would mean that members would treasure the temple and hold it most dear above other worldly things.
With a temple recommend in hand, we must then go to the temple. And we must continue to attend the temple.
I come from an area where I was among a few members of the Church. With that being said, one could imagine that there was not a temple close by. In order to partake of the blessings of the temple, the local members would have to travel two hours to the temple. And while two hours is not much, it was a sacrifice. Nevertheless, it was a sacrifice that members were willing to make. However, this meant that attending the temple was not something done on a regular basis. Personally, this taught me much, for while in the House of the Lord I tried to appreciate every moment. It was a very sacred and special time for me.
Upon coming to college, I remember being delighted to learn Rexburg had a temple. Amazed, I found that the temple could be seen in almost every part of the city, and I soon found that it could even be seen from my living room window. It was as if it were there, standing tall as a constant reminder: look to the temple in all things. Looking at it, I promised myself that I would not take such a blessing for granted.
My first year in college, I was diligent to this promise. Each week I set aside time to serve in the temple. At this time, it did matter the workload or stress, temple attendance was a priority. Unfortunately, since that time, I found that I was breaking the promise that I made. I began to realize that I was taking the blessings of the temple for granted.
Since that first year of college, the temple became a beautiful piece of scenery, rather that a place of worship. I would pass by the temple day after day, appreciating the grandeur of it all, but yet not taking the time to go inside. Since my first year of college, I have gotten married and life has gotten a little more hectic. There seemed to be not enough time to attend the temple.
‘Not enough time’ is the lie that I accepted, but in my heart in knew the truth: in my busy life, I was not finding time for the Lord. The realization of this truth hurt. I could find time to complete my homework, clean my house, all the while maintaining a marriage and friendships, but I could not make time for the thing that mattered most. This was my own personal challenge.
In order to overcome this, I had to turn to the Lord for strength. With devotion, I decided that I would begin to attend the temple regularly. I would like to say that this was an easy thing to do, but it was not. Before going to the temple, I would worry about the homework that was due, along with any other responsibilities that seemed to be demanding my time. I prayed that I would have the time to complete all things that were required of me, and I prayed for faith. I wanted the reassurance that everything was going to work out; I wanted to know that I could make it through my busy schedule. I had to put my trust in the Lord. And as time progressed, I found that He is the very best one to put your trust in.
It is my belief that each of us has some sort of personal challenge. And attending the temple requires us to work and sacrifice to overcome these personal challenges. For some the challenge may be not having a temple near by. In these instances, extensive time and money must be given in order overcome such challenge. For others, such as us, we encounter other battles. Some among us may be fighting against bad health; for others it may be a busy schedule. There are also those that have families, making it hard to set aside time to attend the temple.
The reality is this: there may be a million reasons to not go to the temple, but there will always be more important reasons to attend the temple. And while sacrifices are difficult, I can promise that these sacrifices are worth it.
While in the House of the Lord, our minds are able to reflect upon eternal matters. It is here that we can escape the world and all of the worries that are encompassed therein. Here, we can reflect upon saving ordinances. Here, we think about our loved ones. We can serve and help bring salvation to those that are dead (D&C138: 48). And it is here that we are blessed.
In regards to these blessings, President Thomas S. Monson beautifully offers us these words:
As we go to the holy house, as we remember the covenants we make therein, we will be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation. The temple provides purpose for our lives. It brings peace to our souls—not the peace provided by men but the peace promised by the Son of God when He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (“Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, Oct. 2010)
It is my testimony that temples are truly the House of the Lord (D&C 109:13). While in the temple, I know that we participate in sacred, saving ordinances that enable us to return to the Father’s presence. I am so thankful for the temple that we have here, and I know that it is a great blessing to us all. I pray that we may not take this blessing for granted. It is my witness that temple attendance blesses our lives, as well as others. It is my hopes that we may overcome personal challenges in order to attend the temple. As we do so, our lives will be blessed beyond measure.
It is also my testimony that we can feel closer to the Lord as we attend the temple. Let the temples stand as a constant reminder of Christ and His sacrifice for us. Let us reflect upon the covenants in which we have made. And when we have doubts, concerns, questions, or desires, may we look to the temple and find peace in knowing that Heavenly Father in never far away.
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