I woke up to a text from my brother-in-law, saying his cute little family was stranded in Beaver. Their "new" car broke down on the way home from California, and they had had an awful night of cold, so many car problems, and a janky hotel. My parents and I scrambled to find a way to help them, finally landing upon my brother, who was able to take work off and drive down to rescue them.
MEANWHILE..... I dropped my Mom off at work, then drove to Bountiful to take care of my sister's dog and tidy up a bit. From there, I drove to Farmington to pick up something from the alteration lady. I flew home, showered, drove to my Mom's work to pick her up, flew back home, got dressed and ready, and then my Mom and I headed back to Bountiful.
All this crazy stuff happened on the day that I was going to the temple, to receive my endowments. Ha, it was the craziest of days! But once we were at the temple, after my nerves had settled, I found so much peace and calm. My brother made it back from Beaver in time to attend, along with other members of my family.
I never planned on going through the temple until I was about to be married. I remember, when I was younger, thinking that I would never go through the temple before marriage, because I wanted to wait as long as I possibly could before I had to wear the restricting garments.
Oh how misguided and wrong I was.
The temple was beautiful. It was peace, it was light, it was a bit confusing, it was beautiful. I still didn't feel like I was 100% ready to go through the temple. And I still kind of feel that way. But I don't think I will ever feel 100% ready. Do we ever feel completely ready for the things life throws at us? We have to be willing to try, and to progress, even though we may feel inadequate.
And can I just say, I LOVE wearing garments!!!!! I love them for so many reasons, one of which being that they are actually quite comfy.
One of my sweet sisters sent me a book (and lots of candy which I consumed in a matter of days) by Wendy Watson Nelson called Covenant Keepers. It talks about covenants and the power they can have in our lives. One of my favorite quotes says,
"Making covenants with God calls forth the divine within us. Keeping our covenants with God allows Him to pour His divine power into us."
What a beautiful thing to consider. We all have divine within ourselves, and that divinity can be magnified through God as we keep our covenants. And I'm not just talking about temple covenants. We all made covenants at baptism, and we make promises when we take the Sacrament. We can have that divine power within us at all times!
Going through the temple was what I needed. But I still have so, so, SO much to work on and improve upon. (Number one probably being my candy consumption....) This Gospel truly is a Gospel of light and joy. Heavenly Father has provided a clear way back to Him. I believe that He misses us, and is eagerly awaiting our return. Mistakes happen to us all. We take one step forward and two steps back. But there is ALWAYS a return path, always someone who is waiting to help us back. And I am indeed grateful for that.
No comments:
Post a Comment