Latter-day Saint Life

A Quick Crash Course in Temple Preparation

Years ago, I had the great blessing of having close contact with a dear friend who was passionate about the doctrine of the temple.  This friend knew the scriptures and Old Testament history very well, and she treasured opportunities to learn and teach about the temple. While she wasn’t one to just give away sacred answers, she did share resources, information, and tips, based on her experience, on how to engage the temple in a spirit of earnest seeking.

For example, in my scriptures I wrote words down that she liked to call ”cues and clues,” words like light, veil, gather, shadow/pillar, covenants, windows, mysteries, keys, sacrifice, altar, naked, clothed, robe, garment, seek/hear, power…and the list goes on. I’ve mentally added to the list as I have learned more myself about the temple. (For some of the things that have helped me in my study, see What Can You Tell Me About Mormon Temples and The Connection Between LDS Temples and Ancient Temple Worship. I would also recommend a thorough and prayerful study of Elder Nelson’s talk, “Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings.”

When I had my first epiphany about the temple after ten years of temple attendance (a decade is a blink of an eye in eternity), I wondered why we didn’t hear more about temple worship. What I had learned and felt was so exciting!  Open on my bed was this article from Elder Nelson. And in the footnotes of that talk, he had outlined all the things I had been led to read as I was seeking to learn. I was sobered to realize I could have learned more sooner had I been more willing to engage what an apostle had so willingly and thoroughly shared. I don’t pretend to understand anywhere near all there is to understand, but I did learn something that day. Tapping into truths about the temple takes a lot of personal effort and trust in the prophets.)

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