I grew up about 1.5 hours from the Oakland temple.
It wasn’t impossibly far away, but it was just far away enough that we usually did two youth trips a year to go and do baptisms and confirmations.
We would make a whole day of it, and, of course, grab ice cream at Fenton’s afterwards. (If you know, you know.)
When I went off to BYU, I was suddenly in very close walking distance to a temple.
What a shift!
I attended with my roommates, and we all went once or twice a month.
After my husband and I got married and moved to Arizona, we lived about 20 minutes from the Mesa temple.
And suddenly, we realized… we were on our own for temple attendance.
No more youth group trips. No more roommates going with us. If our ward had temple trips, they were often during times when one of us was working.
We had to grapple with the question:
Why do we really attend the temple?
I didn’t love my reasons at first.
But throughout the years, my answer has shifted.
When I read D&C 97:13-14, I was reminded of some of my favorite reasons.
The Lord was teaching these saints, pretty passionately, about why they NEEDED to get to work on building that temple.
Throughout these verses, He mentions 3 things:
1. For a place of thanksgiving for all saints
2. For a place of instruction
3. That they may be perfected
Thanksgiving, instruction, and perfection.
It’s hard not to be filled with gratitude while sitting in a beautiful building surrounded by beautiful reminders of all that God has done for us.
Instruction is given every single time we are in the temple, and the more that I’ve tried to pay attention and learn, the more my eyes have been opened to the wealth of knowledge that is available.
And as we learn more about the power of God and His priesthood, we become perfected. When we do work for our ancestors, we become perfected. When we sacrifice any item on our to-do list for time in the temple, we become perfected.
Isn’t that a beautiful trio of reasons why we need temples?!
What blessings have you seen from worshipping in the house of the Lord?
And what is your biggest WHY right now for wanting to be there regularly?
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
6 Responses
I live over 6 hours from our nearest Temple…. so it’s not a case of just jumping in the car and off we go….. but being at the Temple, opens my spiritual eyes and heart…. I feel closer to my Saviour there …. knowing I am in His service, and serving my brothers and sisters, and my family … I want to get to know Jesus more, and the Temple is the place…. I can be instructed about Him, a place I can give my deepest thanks to Him, and allow Him to perfect me …. It is my happy place. And hopefully…. within a few years, we will have our own Temple in the land of Ireland…. and we will be able to jump in the car …. Have a blessed Sabbath… thank you so much for your insights.
I am just now seeing this comment, but thank you for sharing your beautiful testimony of the temple!
Temple is a place to go pray for my children that are struggling in life. My husband found out from the temple if I’m the right one to be married and seal for eternity. Temple gives me peace when my love one passed on to the other side. Whenever I have sickness I went to the temple to get comforted. I always feel safe from this world when I was sitting inside the temple. I always feel closer to my Savior and my love one on the other side of the veil.
Thank you for sharing! I love this!
Ivan so grateful for people who give me the chance to attend on a weekly base, by public transport it takes me 4 hrs return, by car only 20 min, now I can go every week and I love to visit the heavenly home closest to my Heavenly Home
I love that you have a great support system to help get you there!