Fin

I love me some Brock hugs. 

And the final section... 

In the home is where children are first going to learn they are children of God, where they will come to know and love our Heavenly Father and Savior, where they will grow the desire to serve a mission, where they will learn to never settle for anything but a temple marriage. We can help grow the desires to enter the temple by hanging photographs of temples in our homes, visiting temple grounds, teaching about the temple in family home evenings, and making constant, revered comments about the holy house. But this is still not enough. 

We must be examples. Just as Faith without works is dead, speaking highly of the temple is not as effective as actually attending. Consistent temple attendance will have a dramatic impact in your children’s spiritual lives, as well as in our own lives. Attending the temple blesses us in many aspects of our children’s lives. For example, one sister noticed that when she was able to attend the temple regularly, her life seemed more ordered and she was better able to solve her problems. But she was especially pleased when her teenage son remarked, “I think my week goes better when you and Dad go to the temple.” 

But, not only will temple attendance strengthen your children’s lives, but it will strengthen your own marriage. Contemplation in the temple is on way Elder Russel M. Nelson suggests we strengthen our marriages. He states, “If couples contemplate often—with each other in the temple—sacred covenants will be better remembered and kept. Frequent participation in temple service and regular family scripture study nourish a marriage and strengthen faith within a family. Contemplation allows one to anticipate and to resonate (or be in tune) with each other and with the Lord. Contemplation will nurture both a marriage and God’s kingdom.” By setting aside time to attend the temple with your spouse, not only are you drawing closer to God, but you are preparing your family for the Celestial kingdom. 

Elder Franklin D. Richards taught, “A temple is a retreat from the vicissitudes of life, a place of prayer and meditation providing an opportunity to receive inner peace, inspiration, guidance, and, frequently, solutions to the problems that vex our daily lives.” I have felt the inner peace personally in the temple. It is truly a house of rest and peace. Every time I attend I never want to leave and always wonder if I could just unroll a white sleeping bag in the corner and live there. *that’s a joke* The peace affects everyone in the building, and you can tell. Smiling faces greet you around every corner, and everyone, anyone is willing and ready to help you with any questions, concerns, problems, you could face in the temple. Ultimately our temple attendance makes us a more agreeable person, making the lives of everyone around us better. 

And when this light rubs off on your children at the age of 12, and are willing, excited, and able to participate in baptisms for the dead, make sure they do so. The positive experiences they have doing these will create an unquenchable desire to return time and time again. Go with them. Your child doesn’t have to just go with the ward to have this experience; they can, and should, go with you. Entering the temple with your child allows the private time to teach about the sacredness of the ordinances they are participating in. We have been taught, “If young people come to the temple for the wrong reasons, like peer pressure, they usually don’t have a desire to come back. If they go with the right spirit, they’ll be hungering and thirsting and wanting to find out all they can about what’s taught in the temple.” That’s what we should be aspiring for- for our children to hunger and thirst to learn in the temple. To grow spiritually. To prepare for life eternal. 

I suppose having 5 months to wait for my mission was a good thing. I’ve been able to attend temple sessions nearly every week since I received my endowment. Going to the temple will never get boring, or mundane though, I can promise you that. I come home from sessions in a better mood. I love reading my scriptures and praying more than I ever have. And the experiences I’ve had in the temple have helped me understand that every single person you meet is a son or daughter of God. There’s nothing better than sitting in the celestial room contemplating about the premortal world- maybe the people in this room were my best friends before we came to Earth. That little thought has pushed me to be more loving and open to other, and removed any fear I had of talking to them. I’ve had the opportunity to meet a returned sister missionary and a returned elder, where we sat and talked about missions and the historic age change. I have met, and come to love many of the temple workers. One sister in particular made an impact on me as we sat and discussed ordinances, scriptures, and missions for an hour. As I left we both shed a few tears. I am extremely thankful I was able to meet her. 

Temples are a blessing. They can change your life if you are willing to consistently attend and continue to prepare yourself each time you return. Prepare to feel God’s love for you, to have your questions answered, to have special blessing you need in your life given to you. Take your testimony and continue to grow, prepare yourself, and your children to attend the temple, to make sacred covenants, and to grow to love our Savior with each passing day.

XXo,

Mo