The Peace of The Temple

As I hugged my good friend in the Celestial Room of the Salt Lake Temple after receiving his endowment, I was filled with the deepest sense of peace and gratitude. We were in--I firmly believe--the house of the Lord. Every corner, hallway, ritual, and room of that building draws a visitor closer to the true owner of the building.

Our temples are edifices that naturally cause our hearts and minds to transcend the temporary things of this world. I can go to the temple and be taught pure truth, feel nearer to my Heavenly Father, and receive guidance in my life. I love attending the temple.

The temples in our LDS culture stem from ancient traditions of God's people. We believe even Adam and Eve worshiped the Lord in similar ways as we do today: "And he [God] gave unto them [Adam and Eve] commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord" (Moses 5:5) Moses and the children of Israel, obviously practiced temple worship within the famous traveling tabernacle of the time. Later Solomon's temple provided the same temple worship. Though we do not perform sacrifices as did our predecessors, because Christ's sacrifice was the "great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled" (Alma 34:13).

We go to the temple to worship the Creator of All Things and to learn how to become more like our Savior and our Father in Heaven.

During His earthly ministry the Savior would often teach in parables using metaphors familiar to his audience. He would use analogies to enable the honest-of-heart listener the ability to understand the core concepts of his teachings while protecting the insincere from being accountable for these deeper meanings.

One of my favorite parables He gave was that of the good shepherd. In it he teaches us the difference between a shepherd and a hireling. "I am the good shepherd" the Savior says, "the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd," he continues, "whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep." (John 10:11-12)

What was the Savior teaching us here? Well to answer that we need to look into the motive of both parties. The shepherd is driven by His pure love. His love is blind, endless, patient, hopeful, and faithful. His love is not contingent upon the immediate circumstances the sheep or he are in. Nothing, including approaching wolves, will change his converging love for the sheep. However, the hireling's commitment to the sheep was menial. His impetus for watching the sheep was all selfishness, whether it was for money, possessions, or even for a returned favor. His love has no roots; therefore, he "leaveth the sheep, and fleeth."

One of the principles we can glean from the parable is how to found lasting relationships. With friends, family or our romantic partner, we can and need to be like the Good Shepherd and not like the hireling. So many friendships and marriages unfortunately shatter. Children grow up almost expecting to go through more than one marriage. Siblings all over the world don't speak to each other. Though I don't claim to understand the complexities and pains of those that struggle with these issues, I do have a testimony that if we turn to the Savior and become more like him we can mend and progress every relationship.

The Sacred Rule of Law

Do we have any respect for rules anymore? What is law or order or integrity to our society? I fear when faced with the answers to these questions. As the product of the parents who grew up in a whatever-goes era, my fellow Generation Y has been instilled with a very diluted sense of these vital ingredients to a healthy civilization.

In a nation where most children grow up without a stay-at-home mom, and where the parents don't really parent their children, how could there be any order in the next line on the pedigree chart? How many parents have lowered their standard of morality to the point of helplessly discussing forms of safe sexual intercourse instead of abstinence? Sometimes I think the very first word most of my generation learned was "NO!" and--in the fear of getting slapped with the flabby arm of P.C.--their parents didn't discipline their children.

Will it get better? I think that conclusion is completely contingent upon us, the rising generation. If we don't teach our children truth and have a sense of order and law in our homes, the failure in the failure/success ledger will lean overwhelmingly left in not too many years.

Abraham Lincoln vehemently warned against the ills of mobocracy, the disregard of the rule of law. An immanent fall of a civilization follows the desecration of the rule of law by it's populace. For proof of this process I turn you to the Bible and all of its examples, to Rome, to France, to Germany and a myriad of other examples.

We must sustain the rule of law and infuse this unshakable belief to future generations. I have an optimistic outlook on the good faith of my peers to carry out this vital effort.

Specializing Our Time

One of my favorite pastimes is painting. I have noticed that my best works have been the product of focus and purpose of the selected colors individually and separately. When I tried to mix too many colors together, a drab gray would result. Too many times I would have to throw away the entire batch of paint because of a horrible homogenization.

In connection with the Lord’s counsel to “seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom” (D&C 88:118), I have tried to embrace the teachings of Adam Smith’s revolutionary book, A Wealth of Nations. Just like painting, Smith taught that people, communities, or even nations should focus on a task (a paint color): specialize. As each person correctly specializes in a specific product, service, or activity (paint color), the individuals and community as a whole (the entire painting) is far better off than without specializing. In interest of your and my time, I will avoid delving into the mathematical “economiracle” that proves this theory. For that evidence I will appeal to Smith’s A Wealth of Nations.

Too often we find ourselves running around like a chicken with our heads cut off. Why; because we try to accomplish too many different things at the same time. Let me explain. How many times do you sit down on the couch trying to finish your homework while your friends are chatting about you? Amidst the half-hearted effort to stay focused, your friends begin IMing you on both Facebook and Gmail. To add to the cacophony, your roommates begin a conversation with you. Does this sound familiar at all? And do you get anything accomplished during those times?

I would guess that most of us desire better time management skills. I believe Smith's principle of specializing can solve this prevalent dilemma.How? It’s simple. If you're a student, ask yourself which hours you can most effectively study. Naturally you should exclusively focus on studying during those hours. Then split up the time you spend with friends, the time you use emailing people, and anything else on your plate. If we avoid mixing our activities and instead segregate our endeavors, we will be able to be more effective and efficient in all of our pursuits. A wise man once told me, "Give 100% to whatever you are doing during the day." I think these principles of Smith can help us find more piece and success in our lives.