Mormons wear sacred garments to remind them of sacred covenants made to God.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe in the eternal nature of the soul and the importance of the temple to provide eternal connections with Heavenly Father. We believe in the unchanging nature of God that provides all the same blessings for His children, no matter the age in which they live, as long as they will turn to Him. That means we can be recipients of God’s blessings through the power of the priesthood, which provides man with the keys to act in God’s name in righteousness. This priesthood power provides us with a living prophet and other worldwide and local leaders who can lead and guide us back to Heavenly Father’s presence. This priesthood power is also used within the temple to allow us to make covenants with Heavenly Father.
So, how does the Latter-day Saint view the temple? What is its place in his life and heart? It can and should be a place we go often to reconnect with heaven. It should represent our hopes and ideals for becoming more like the Savior. It is a symbol of His love for us.
Even at an early age, Christ showed us an example of the importance of the temple. He lingered there, learning and growing in the things of the Spirit. He returned often, honoring the temple’s place within the Jewish religion. He cleansed it when His Father’s spirit had been driven from it by those who would take it lightly and defile its sacred purposes. Christ valued the temple, and so should His people.
This is one of the sweet lessons I learned from my guide Helaman. Within the city of Tulum, the temple is the very eastern point, and the focal point of the entire village. It stands on a cliff, overlooking the Caribbean Sea. It also marks the only safe passage way through that sea to the village. It took the Spaniards a long time to pass the barrier reef surrounding the area because they did not know the significance of the building on the hill. Those who lived there knew: if you want safe passage, look to the temple.
That message still holds true today. The disciple of Christ longs to become as close to him as our weaknesses will allow us. The best way to do this is to look to the temple. An LDS temple is not open to the general public. To many it is a place of beauty, and perhaps secrets, but it has little to do with them personally. They may be having a difficult time making it through the rocky patches of life because they are missing a valuable secret about what a temple can do for them. Even those who are members of the church do not have free access to these places, it is a privilege earned with worthiness through obedience to God’s commandments. Why? For the same reason Christ lingered and cleansed. It is God’s house on earth. It is where we, as His children, can touch His presence and understand our worth to Him. It is where we go to make promises with Him that we will live our lives as He would have us. It is where we bind ourselves together as families. It is the source of our salvation, our safe haven, and the center of our commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
If it isn’t right now, perhaps we should take a look around and reorient ourselves to what matters. The Mayan’s knew this. Even after they lost the memory of the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, they still knew that the temple mattered.
