Early this year I received a text message from a great friend inviting me to go snowmobiling in Alpine, Wyoming with a group of friends from our previous ward in Mesa, Arizona and their 20-something year old sons. I was so excited not just about the fantastic snowmobiling opportunity but even more so about the tremendous people that I would be getting to spend time with. This was the perfect group of people to go snowmobiling with: great friends to enjoy the friendship and comradery with and their strong sons to help me get my snowmobile unstuck! I quickly called my friend and shared with him my total excitement to join such a great group for this amazing trip. As we spoke over the phone, I found myself bombarding him with endless questions from worries that I had being new to this kind of trip: “Where will we be staying?” “Who will be my roommate?” “Where can I get a snowmobile for 5 days?” “Do I need to bring any groceries or will we be eating out?” “What is the avalanche danger this year?” “I don’t have any snowmobile gear…where can I get that from?” My anxiousness was soon soothed by his calm response: “You just show up and everything will be wonderful.” Seriously?!?!? This just went from being an exciting trip to an inexpensive dream vacation!
Similarly, I have heard many members of the church express these same types of questions and anxieties about returning to the temple for regular temple worship. They may think of questions like “I have forgotten where to go. How do I get dressed? When do I stand up? What if people I know see me fumbling around not knowing what to do?” These are all very natural questions that may make returning to the temple more difficult, but please consider what President Nelson said just a few weeks ago in General Conference:
“My dear brothers and sisters, here is my promise. Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mists of darkness. Nothing will bolster your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help you understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe your spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing!” (Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys, April 2024)
If being in the temple will protect me and my family from the mists of darkness, help me understand the atonement of Jesus Christ and God’s plan, soothe my spirit during turbulent times and open the heavens to me, then any of the questions or anxieties that I had about returning to the temple are superseded by these amazing promises from our prophet.
If it has been a while since you have been to the House of the Lord, I invite you to do two things: 1) Get a current temple recommend, and 2) Just go! There is nothing else needed. If you will follow these two steps, I promise that the words that my dear friend said to me will be true for you too; “You just show up and everything will be wonderful.”
Feel loved!
President Scott McAllister
1st Counselor, Stake Presidency