(Late) Sunday Soliloquy: The Temple of Our God

(I apologize for posting this today instead of yesterday. Yesterday was crazy for me.)

This weekend, the Gilbert Arizona Temple was dedicated, following a cultural celebration put on by the youth. 

I haven't been able to watch the cultural celebration yet, because my internet connection was whacky during the live feed on abc15.com. I was planning on giving an overview of the performance, but since I haven't watched it yet I've decided instead to just give my thoughts on temples in general.

I'm sure there are a lot of people who have seen all the hubbub surrounding the temple and wondered why we're all so excited. Why do we build such a huge, ostentatious, glowing-white building in the middle of the city? Why did the temple have an open house for everyone, only to lock its doors and suddenly become exclusive? Why did 12,000 youth come together to celebrate it like it was the greatest thing since Netflix? Why did the prophet himself come to see it? 

Well, let me tell you.

This is the temple in Oakland, California.

Just look at that picture. The temple is (often literally) a beacon of light in an increasingly dark world. I often find myself surrounded by noise and conflict and distractions, but when I go to the temple, all of that melts away. Some temples have large lawns and gardens surrounding them to provide a refuge from the storm. But even the little Asuncion temple in Paraguay, crammed on a busy street corner, with a very small lawn, had such a peaceful feeling surrounding it. 

And when you actually go inside, all noise is cut off. The temples are quiet and reverent, and going inside makes it feel like all your worldly problems are melting away. Every time I go, I feel revitalized. I can briefly forget all my worries, and instead feel close to God. I receive strength to overcome my weaknesses and avoid temptation. I feel loved and valued.

The temple really is the House of the Lord. They're different from any other building, in appearance and in feel--cut off from the world even though most are right in the middle of their cities. Similarly, those who strive to have a connection with the Lord try to be a beacon and a source of refuge in the middle of a chaotic world. 

Why do we go to temples? For further instruction. After really dedicating ourselves to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we continue to progress and seek more knowledge and make more covenants. That's what we do in temples. We are taught how to further prepare to meet God.

We have to prepare ourselves before we even enter the temple, and then once inside we are inspired for further preparation throughout our day-to-day lives. Going to the temple reminds me that I can always improve in some way or another.

I need to improve a lot spiritually, but temples also inspire me to strive to improve relationships, as well. In the temple, we make covenants that seal us to our families and our spouses. Seal us. For eternity. That's something I desperately want, and so I'm going to work for it. When I fight with my sisters, I'm going to apologize and mend the rift between us, because I want us to be an eternal, happy family. When I look for a spouse, I'm looking for someone who will work at a successful marriage no matter how hard things get, because I want us to have an eternal, happy marriage. In the meantime, I try to be the kind of person that others will want to spend eternity with.

So, in short, temples motivate me to be better. First I needed to prepare to enter the temple, and then the temple showed me that I need to prepare to enter the Kingdom of God. It inspires me to strive for an eternal marriage and an eternal family, and not to settle for anything less. Without that kind of guidance, I don't think I would try as hard to make lasting relationships.

And one thing I love best about the temple is that they're not exclusive, as opponents of the Church always claim. The only precursor to entering the temple is personal worthiness and a dedication to following the gospel of Jesus Christ. There's no minimum wage requirement. No ethnic discrimination. No physical fitness qualifier. No matter who you are, if you've been striving to do your best to keep God's commandments, you are welcome in His house. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to wear Prada. You don't have to be the prophet himself. God loves YOU and He wants YOU to visit Him. 

In the temple, we are reminded that we are all brothers and sisters, all striving for happiness together. It's not a competition. It's not a race. We are all here together. The temple reminds us that there is a plan and an order and a purpose to everything. We are not alone. We are not unknown. We are significant. We are loved. 

We want everyone to go to the temple, which is why we have the open houses. But once the temples are dedicated, only those who really want to be there are invited in, to maintain the peace and reverence of such a sacred place.

So that's why we're all so excited about the Gilbert Temple. That's why 12,000 youth put on a performance in the pouring rain of their own free will. That's why the prophet himself came. Because now, we can visit the temple more. Before this temple was built so close to home, we hardly ever got the chance to visit the House of the Lord. The Mesa Temple was always too crowded to allow the youth to visit whenever they wanted. In my high school years, I only actually went into the Mesa Temple three times. Now my sisters live five minutes away from a temple, and they'll be able to go much more frequently. It's something we're all excited about, even people like me who don't even live in Gilbert (anymore).

I wish I could write more about why I love the temple--because there is a lot more--but real life calls and I think this is enough for now. I just hope that, even if you haven't been in a temple before, you have felt the peace and power that comes through being close to God. Even the simplest home can be a temple of God if those who live inside its walls strive for love and harmony. I'm one of those who needs to strive to make my daily life more temple-like, and I testify that all the preparation and gospel living is worth the effort.

(Also, here's a link to the cultural celebration, which I haven't even been able to find the time to watch yet.)