Sometimes we get stuck seeing things our way. Would you like to see some things through another set of eyes? Maybe it will make you think and stretch or maybe just chuckle or shed a tear. Here is my world through my eyes...

Friday, July 15, 2011

Temples: the great leveler

Orlando Temple
I attended a funeral today for Ruby Alderson.  She used to live in our ward many years ago.  She was a gentle and kind person, always willing to serve and to help others.  When she lived here she was a member while her husband attended another church.  He would make sure she made it to church and then attend his own church.  After they both retired they moved to a retirement community in Orlando Florida.  While there they continued that arrangement until Ruby had a stroke.  At that point her husband became her caretaker and on Sundays he would take her and stay with her at her church.  In the funeral today it was said he did this because "her religion meant more to her than his did to him".  He knew she wanted to attend church despite her physical infirmity after the stroke.

Preston England temple
After attending church for a while with her he decided he wanted to be baptized and so he was.  Immediately their goal was to go and get sealed in the temple.  A few months into preparing to get sealed in the temple her husband became sick and he called his daughter for help and she came out, took him to the ER and got him help.  They immediately moved back to Virginia to live with their daughter so she could provide the help they both needed at that point.  Within two weeks of the move he died.  So Ruby realized that she would need a proxy for him so they could be sealed in the temple.  While preparing for that Ruby worsened and got so she couldn't travel.  Now Ruby has died and their wish to be sealed for eternity in the temple has not occurred...yet.
Washington DC temple

That is one great thing about the temple.  It is the great leveler.  It equalizes everyone, able to provide necessary ordinances even if they died before they could be done on their own.  Possibly before they had the chance or before they even had the opportunity to make a decision about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Today many argue whether this doctrine or that doctrine is really of Christ.  Some don't even care anymore what Christ taught or has revealed through his prophets deciding that they will do what they want anyway and hope that all will be accepted by the Savior in the end.
San Diego Temple
 The temple gives all mankind a chance to have the saving ordinances done and then they individually will have the opportunity to accept or decline for themselves.  God is fair and gives opportunities to his children when they didn't have them in life.  Situations in this world that seem unfair are made right-in the temple.  That is what temples are for, to level the "playing field" so to speak so that all can have access to Christ's greatest blessings.  Who can deny that the temple is necessary for that purpose, to make things fair and to repair hopes that were dashed or never even conceived.  People through many ages of the world have yearned to understand or to have things be fair.  The temples do that.
Freiberg Germany Temple

So our part is of service.  We can provide service to those that have not had these ordinances done for them by being worthy to act for them in the temples to assure that they have a choice that will guide their future, or to be "imprisoned" as it were, by "the luck of the draw" and fickle fate.  Our energy and service is needed to be the hands of God to bless these people with a choice, a real choice, and not lock them into decisions made or a lack of opportunities based on ignorance or unavailability in their life here on earth.  I vote for choice.
Provo Utah Temple
 Let's do the work that gives all of God's children the opportunity to be blessed according to their desires and not their circumstances.  
Mexico City Temple

2 comments:

  1. yay for temples!!! i think it's awesome that the full blessings of the gospel can still be had by ruby and tom even though they aren't here to perform those ordinances themselves. just knowing how the temple works and gives the maximum opportunities for people to have all the blessings from our Heavenly Father makes me realize even more how much He must love every single one of us!!! :)

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  2. "The temple gives all mankind a chance to have the saving ordinances done and then they individually will have the opportunity to accept or decline for themselves. God is fair and gives opportunities to his children when they didn't have them in life. Situations in this world that seem unfair are made right-in the temple." Love these words.

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