A Beautiful Reason to Keep Going Back to the Temple

There is something that can be learned from every moment — you just have to have your eyes open enough to see it.

This week I was able to go to the temple with most of my family and perform sealings for the dead. The sealer that led the process was very serious in his role — he spoke slowly and intently the entire time, through each of the ceremonies. And after almost every one, he’d share a thought about something related to sealings, or temple work in general.

Patience Opens Our Eyes

I’ll admit, at first I thought, oh great, this is going to be a very long session… I had to remind myself why I was there, and why this “intent talk” from him was good. And then the more he spoke, the more gratitude I had for the things he was teaching and telling us.

Too often we tend to go through the motions of things without actually taking a step back to see what is actually happening, or using these “motions” to our advantage. There is something that can be learned from every moment — you just have to have your eyes open enough to see it.

Keep Holding On To Your Questions

One thing I particularly loved that he said was at the very beginning of the session. He challenged us to think about what the Savior is thinking about us right now.

Sure, it’s good to go to the temple for our own sake — to feel the peace and the spirit, be away from the world for a minute, and to sometimes get answers to complex questions we’ve had. But there’s also a wonderful work going on in our time in the temple. We are providing people who have passed away the opportunity to receive these amazing blessings that come from the covenants we make with God in the temple. They allow us to come closer to Him, and live with Him for eternity — and that’s what Jesus wants! He made so many things possible for us so that we can return to Him.

Doing this work in the temple means so much more than we sometimes think (or remember). This is something I actually really needed to hear. It was definitely one of those moments where I’ve prayed and didn’t get an answer right away, but eventually received it.

Going To The Temple Blesses Everyone Involved

My husband and I have consistently been going to the temple once a month for almost two years now. There have been few times where it’s felt like it’s actually benefited me... You hear all the time in church how important and wonderful it is to attend the temple as often as possible. In my head, I thought this was because we’d get some sort of blessing for every time we went or something like that. And I still think that’s somewhat true — but those blessings won’t always be noticed right away. They’ll be seen either later in the week, month, year, 10–20 years, and so on. Or even when we’re in heaven.

Due to this feeling, though, I just felt unmotivated sometimes to go, which of course made me feel guilty. But hearing what was said by the sealer really helped things click. And this wasn’t like a huge burning in the bosom feeling, but a nice gentle reminder of why it’s great to go to the temple.

It’s not always going to be easy or convenient to go. I’ll probably still drag my feet a few more times. But I know that it’s a great thing to do for everyone involved.

So from here on out, I’m going to imagine Jesus waiting with the person I’m doing temple work for, excitedly holding her hand or giving her a hug, and them both just being overjoyed for their future. It’s a beautiful image to keep in my head as I go to the temple. And of course, I love making Jesus happy :)

If you’ve felt this too, I hope this reminds you that your quiet efforts matter more than you think.

Tell me in the comments below!

I’d love to hear your experiences as well! Have you ever felt like you were just going through the motions? How did you find meaning again? And what helps you remember the blessings of temple work, even when you don’t see them right away?