Holy places

What is a holy place?

A holy place, to me, is a place where I feel closer to God.

It is different than the ordinary. It is special.

Unique.

And when I think of holy places, there usually is something different that I do with my outward appearance in order to reflect the holiness that I feel.

One of my favorite parts of learning about Moses seeing the burning bush is one of the first things that the Lord says to him:

“And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” (Exodus 3:5)

Moses was asked to make a change, a symbolic change, to reflect how his heart felt about entering a holy place.

My church building is a holy place to me, a place where I partake of the sacrament and renew powerful covenants.

And so I dress a little nicer than I do the rest of the week.

When I attend the temple, I also dress nicer as I enter, and I prepare for more opportunities to make my outward appearance reflect the uniqueness of the temple spirit.

I know that God is with me in the casual moments, in the messy house and the undone hair and the random sprinkles of shredded cheese that somehow always make it on the floor. (Anyone else?!)

But I also love being able to take opportunities to show God that I am willing to make an effort to show my gratitude for the holy grounds that I am able to walk on.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black