I have really enjoyed the opportunity of evaluating myself on many different levels these last few weeks as I focused on this aspect of Sister Becks talk. I feel that because of time spent pondering at home, at church and within the walls of temple, I have seen and felt my desire to live these principles grow.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Washington D.C. Temple with other sisters from our ward. I was really excited and looking forward to the day and felt that I "prepared" more then ever to go to the temple. Because this paragraph was on my mind I was grateful to share some of that preparation with my children. They saw me take time to wash and iron my temple dress and get things ready the night before. With Zachary by my side as I was ironing I was able to testify to him of the importance of Temples and how blessed we are to have them on the earth today. I was able to share with them how excited I was to go to the House of the Lord, how I had been praying to receive answers and to feel an abundance of the spirit. I felt that not only did I put in more physical preparation to the attend the temple but spiritual as well, having a strong desire to get the most out of my time there as possible. Knowing I was going to be attending the end of the week, it became the focus of my personal prayers and as a result I experienced the spiritual difference as I went through the temple that day. I felt a greater renewal of body, mind and spirit. I felt a greater sense of peace and assurance. I felt an increase of confidence in my mothering. And I have felt the influence of the temple continue with me longer then any other time.
This being said, I also felt the "inconvenience" of it all. I have been blessed my entire life of living within a close proximity to a temple. The longest I have had to drive was 45 min. when we were living in Arizona. From Georgia, Utah, Arizona and Texas I have taken for granted and not appreciated the close proximity of temples to the fullest. As a ward here, we were to meet at 6:00 a.m. last Saturday to make it for the 9:30 session. Living 30 min. away from the church I had to leave my house at 5:30 a.m. and did not get home until 4:00 p.m. I couldn't help but compare in my mind with how much easier it was to attend the temple other places we have lived. It was a hassle, a challenge, and yes, an inconvenience. But as I sat in the temple that Saturday morning I had a complete shift in my thinking. I was overcome with gratitude for
only living 2 hours away from a temple of the Lord. Yes, it is more difficult to attend then other areas, but it is manageable and doable. It can still be done in a day. I don't have to scrimp and save only to be able to attend the temple once in my lifetime like many other Latter-day Saints around the world do. It was wonderful to feel such a sudden change of thought and know that it came about only by and through the spirit.
I have pondered deeply how I personally and as a family we prepare for the Sabbath Day. I have been praying about this, desiring to improve our preparations as a family and today had that prayer answered in sacrament meeting. With having church early in the morning and Bret being gone for early meetings much of our marriage we have gotten the Saturday night routine down. From baths and showers to getting the cloths and shoes ironed and ready we are set. But the last few weeks I haven't been able to get out of my mind the primary song, "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday." And I've asked myself the question, how am I helping my children get ready for Sunday on a spiritual level, especially when more often then not Saturdays have become busy and full of projects, errands, or fun family outings. Today a friend spoke on preparing ourselves to partake of the sacrament and part of her talk answered this concern I had been feeling. It's not just Saturday to prepare for Sunday, but Thursday and Friday as well. She expressed that as she did this and prepared in advance physically for Sunday so it was not a Saturday night rush, she was able to prepare spiritually and mentally as well because her thoughts were naturally drawn to that sacred day. This is where I stand in need of improvement! Preparing physically well in advance by getting cloths washed and ironed as well as Sunday dinner plans so I'm not running to the grocery store every Saturday night at 8:30. I don't think her talk would have impacted me as much if I had not been pondering, praying and studying about this these last few weeks.
The words that made an impact on me from this paragraph were "great care." I thought of teaching my children the importance of preparing for church with "great care." Talking to them of the temple and sharing appropriate experiences there with "great care." Teaching them with "great care" how vital these ordinances and covenants are in our lives. Knowing that "if I am not pointing my children to the temple, I am not pointing them toward desired eternal goals."
