I Love to See the Temple

I gave a little presentation in Relief Society today, and thought I'd share it with all of you too.

Ezekiel 11:19 says, ". . . I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of [your] flesh, and will give [you] an heart of flesh."

A little over a year ago, in August of 2008, I went to the temple—this is embarrassing to admit—for the first time in over a year. That is definitely my record for temple non-attendance, and I was determined that it wasn't going to happen again.

Not coincidentally, at that same time I had some intense spiritual experiences that were the culmination of a process that I had started at that time three years before. I attend an LDS Family Services Addiction Recovery Family Support Group, and I have for four years now. I could talk for a long time about the twelve steps and what an inspired program it is, but I'll just say that by earnestly working those steps, at the time that I went back to the temple I had received, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, that new heart the scripture talks about. I felt like a new person, like I had actually been reborn. Outwardly, the difference was probably not that big, but inside, it was huge.

Part of that change of heart for me was a whole new perspective and love for the temple. It's not like I didn't love the temple before that; I did. But it felt like such a chore to go. Oh, we're so busy, there's so much going on, it takes so long. Let's just wait for a more convenient day. Well, sometimes a more convenient day didn't come for a while, like fifteen months.

Now, I feel differently. As I said, that came with a mighty change of heart. Now my feelings for the temple are more like this scripture in Alma: "Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there."

Okay, I have never seen a vision of God, I've never even had any big Wow experience in the temple, but it does feel like that to me now. I feel so much peace and so much love and joy. It feels like coming home, and my soul longs to be there. I can't wait to go to the temple. I look forward to it. Instead of months, I think, I haven't been to the temple for like three weeks. I want to go again.

How wonderful was it to have two temple open houses and dedications this year? That was so exciting for me, especially because I could take my kids. Most of them could even go to the dedications, and did you notice how it felt different in here during those dedications? It really did become a part of the temple. I have a love for the temple now that I just didn't have before.

To go along with that, Elder Christofferson, Elder Scott and Elder Bednar all spoke on the subject of temples and our covenants in the April General Conference. Those talks, along with all the lessons we've had this year in here and in Sunday school about the early saints and the first temples in this dispensation, have given me a deep and profound gratitude for my temple covenants that bind me to my Heavenly Father. Nothing can ever change that. Nothing any other person could do to me, nothing that could happen to me in this life can ever take those covenants away from me. I might choose to be disobedient and break those covenants, but it would be my choice. Heavenly Father will never break the covenant, and no other power on Earth or hell could do it. Those promises are sure and they are beyond comprehension. That is such a blessing and a comfort to me to know that.

When I drive down the canyon, I can look across the valley and see the Provo Temple and I can look across the other end of the valley and see the Mt. Timpanogos Temple and the feeling of love and peace comes back to my heart just from looking at them. So even though I can't always be inside the temple, but I can always have the temple inside of me.

I want you to know that all of this came to me as a gift through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement, from a loving Heavenly Father who wants me to come home.