Temple Moments

After my sort of rushed job on Sunday I wanted to give another go. Yesterday I found myself sitting next to an indoor swimming pool in Wyoming feeling rather alone and forsaken. I'd received some discouraging news the night before, had a night full of disturbing and distressing dreams and wasn't quite sure where to go from there. So I found myself next to a pool contemplating how life goes in circles and how I hoped I'd handle this loop around better than the previous one.

I had brought my Book of Mormon with me to the pool (ask those who know me, I bring books everywhere, even near water) and so I opened to Moses 1 and started reading out loud. As I read and listened to my voice echo over the water, seeing my angelic guard smiling in my mind's eye and feeling a love and peace there I haven't felt often outside the temple, I realized I wanted that feeling all the time, not simply in a place I have to travel to, but have something that can come with me. I loved the messages in conference about making the Spirit our constant companion so that we can become true disciples of Christ. Sacrifices are required as we seek to live a celestial law in a telestial world, distractions abound, selfishness arises, rebellion rears its ugly head. Even as I sit here trying to cherish the moment of quiet peace from yesterday I realize afresh what Moses 1 teaches us, Heavenly Father desires to speak with us and abide with us, equally Satan seeks to distract and detract from that goal, if we are faithful to the testimony with in us we can receive that spirit to be with us always, but it will take consistent effort and constant vigilance.

As one who gave up his birth right Satan is always at work for us to sacrifice ours, he wants us to forget who we really are and sacrifice moments of peace, hope and knowing for moments of faux independence. The call to be a disciple of Christ isn't without its sacrifice and growing pains, but moments of divinity remind us who we really are, children of God, heirs to a divine and eternal birthright. We work to become worthy to enter the temple and then go to the temple so we can learn to feel what being with God is like, so we can learn to create a life where we can feel His presence daily. As we work to take in less of the world and allow our appetites and passions to seek after the light we will begin to find more temple moments in our everyday lives and learn how to find our true selves.