This month’s topic is Temples.

I love the Temple.
I love the feeling I get when I even just see a picture of the Temple.
I love seeing the Temple from afar, and up close.
I love being inside the Temple.

In our church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), we believe that only through sacred Temple Ordinances and Covenants, can we live with our Heavenly Father and loved ones again. When we enter the Temple, we make sacred covenants with our Heavenly Father. As we continue to keep these covenants, and keep coming back to the Temple to gain more knowledge, we are prepared to meet our trials with a smile, and prepared to eventually return home.

Everything we do in the Church is to lead people to the Temple and the blessings that it brings.

Elder Scott said this:
“What I am trying to teach is that when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent.”

And President Monson said this:
“The world can be a challenging and difficult place in which to live. We are often surrounded by that which would drag us down. As you and I go to the holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we will be more able to bear very trial and to overcome each temptation. In this sacred sanctuary we will find peace; we will be renewed and fortified.”

I completely, 100% agree with these two statements. The peace that I  feel, and the knowledge that I  gain in the Temple make me joyful and ready to face any challenges I may have to face. I feel blessed, and happy. I feel “renewed and fortified”.

Salt Lake Temple // Photo taken by me, December 2012.

What goes on in the Temple is so special, so sacred that it can only be shared with those that are prepared to enter and partake of what goes on there. We do not want something so special to us to be defamed by those who do not understand the true meaning.

Gaining entrance into the Temple may be difficult. It may require sacrifice. But President Monson also said:
“Why are so many willing to give so much in order to receive the blessings of the temple? Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings. There are never too many miles to travel, too many obstacles to overcome, or too much discomfort to endure. They understand that the saving ordinances received in the temple that permit us to someday return to our Heavenly Father in an eternal family relationship and to be endowed with blessings and power from on high are worth every sacrifice and every effort.“

I love the Temple because it is a literal house of God on Earth, and we can feel his Spirit there so strongly. You can rest from the cares of the world, and go to a place of peace. It is where families become forever.

May 6, 2010 // Salt Lake Temple //  Photo credit: Pictures By Missy

4 years ago, on a beautiful (but cold!) spring morning, Kyle and I were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity. Kyle is my very best friend, and I am so glad that we will be able to be together forever. I am so grateful that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I do not know where I would be today without that membership and the knowledge I have of the Gospel. It has helped me through hard times, and I know it will continue to, throughout my whole life.
I love my Savior.
I love my Father in heaven.
I love to see the Temple.