Acceptable

I drove down to St. George this morning to attend the Temple with the Cedar 8th Ward Elders Quorum.  There were three members of the quorum there.  The other two were President Whetman and Jay, both of whom brought their wives with them.  I was attending solo. 

During the drive down I was listening to The Book of Mormon in the book of Alma when Captain Moroni hoists the Title of Liberty and then fortifies the cities against their enemies.  The fortifications proved their value during battle when the Lamanites failed to advance against their cities.  The heaps of earth and great works of timber protected the Nephite people.  Those of the Lamanite army who were gaining ground against the fortified cities were then attacked by the armies of the Nephites and pushed back. 

As I listened to this I thought about the fortifications that we make in our own homes.  We have the blessing of having the scriptures to sup from daily.  We call upon the Lord for strength and He provides.  We attend our church meetings and we hold Family Home Evening and are blessed for our faithfulness.  Can I stress that word faithfulness because sometimes these activities can be hard to do.  Sometimes instead of being great spiritual experiences they are our greatest trials and yet we press forward and we try in faith believing that the Lord will bless our families.  I testify that He does.  These are our fortifications but they do not catch all.  The adversary is crafty and he can find a way into our homes through a variety of ways and means.  It is not enough to rely solely on the fortifications.  The Nephites did not.  As their enemies advanced against the fortifications they were ready to attack those that gained ground against them.  We likewise stand guard and when we see the adversary advancing be it in the shows we watch, the music we listen to, the filth that can be found on the Internet and social media we have to be brave enough to attack those things and push them back and away from our families.  Sometimes our battlefront requires that we be the unpopular parent who doesn't allow our child X, Y or Z when their friends are all doing it.  Does that make sense?  I hope that it does.  It made sense to me. 

Well, anyway, I had a wonderful experience in the Temple.  Their is a new video for the Temple Endowment and my goodness, it was great.  Not trying to make light here but  have to report that Corbin Allred plays the part of Lucifer in the video.  He is one of our customers at The Little Brick House and, well, he's starred in a couple of movies - both the Saints and Soldiers movies.  Anyway, I was sitting there watching him and grinning not because I like Lucifer but because I like Corbin, he is a good guy and he did a great job.  I actually thought about what it will be like for him to attend the temple and watch himself in the video playing that role.  What about the guy sitting next to him in the endowment session?  He could have fun with that though I am not suggesting that he would.  I really don't know him other than he is a customer and Dave always talked about what a good guy he is.  Anyhow, loved that and just really enjoyed that session. 

I went in and did some initiatories after.  They are my favorite thing to do in the Temple and since I was there and had the time I felt I needed to do it.  That was a wonderful treat to me.  Before I get to that let me note that I enjoyed being in the Temple with Jay & Sara and Jake & Sister Whetman.  Our turnout was small from the Elders Quorum but it was great to be there with them.  I also saw Jerry Oldroyd there and thought of what a blessing it is to have my kids attending a school with a righteous Priesthood holder as the Principal.  Finally, I saw Doug and Sandra Maxwell and got to visit with them for a few minutes.  I love them.  They are such good people and have such strong testimonies of Temple work. 

So I go into the initiatories and I am the only one.  There were three fantastic brethren in there and the Spirit was strong.  I listen to the blessings as I go through and I feel this peaceful confirmation from the Spirit that my offering is acceptable to the Lord.  It was a bit overwhelming. My eyes are wet, tears running down my face and I think it will pass and I will be fine.  It didn't, I went through for 5 people and felt the love of my Heavenly Father the entire time, cried all the way through it.  It was a humbling moment for me and one that I will forever cherish. 

What was my offering?  I have attended the Temple every week since my children went up to spend the summer with their mom.  This is the third year I have done this.  I cannot be with them, I cannot be there to defend them against the adversary.  I go to the temple with faith that by consecrating my time to serve others in The House of the Lord I can call upon Him to be with and bless my children, to protect them when I am not there to do so.  I go with faith and trust them to His care.  Sometimes all we can do in our lives is look up and call upon God for help.  Today came a sweet confirmation to me by the Spirit that He knows my heart, that my desires are righteous and that my offering was acceptable.    

Finally let me come full circle and go back to fortifying our homes and protecting our families.  There are wonderful blessings in the initiatory that enable us to discern between truth and error and blessings that help us to defend truth and virtue.  There are also blessings related to protection against the adversary.  I am being careful so as not to share things I should not in this setting.  Let me just say that the entirety of these blessings is both beautiful and powerful.  These are gifts that we are given to protect against the adversary, to fortify our homes and to defend our families.  I am grateful for these gifts.  I am grateful for the Temple.  I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who knows us, who loves us and who stands ready to bless us.  I know that He does.