Temples: Am I Worthy?

Chicago Illinois Temple

This past Friday I had the opportunity to visit the Chicago Illinois Temple with a group from my YSA ward. Like I said in a previous post, temples are houses of God and some of the holiest places on the earth where Latter-Day Saints go to make covenants with God.

These temples are places set apart, where we can go to feel the Spirit and receive blessings.  President Boyd K. Packer says,

“At the temple the dust of distraction seems to settle out, the fog and the haze seem to lift, and we can ‘see’ things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known.”

And although I didn’t have a limited use temple recommend, I decided to go. Why? I had never seen a temple so I was curious. But the real reason why I wanted to go was because I had heard so much about temples and their importance in the Church. I had heard of the great things that happen there. I heard of the great blessings that come from going to the temple. So I figured, even if I can’t go past the recommend desk, I’ll still be in this holy house of God and hopefully God, seeing my desire, would bless me in the temple waiting room.

My bishop agreed. As we walked into the temple he reminded me that God’s presence and Spirit doesn’t end at the recommend desk. He’s all around so even in the waiting room or walking the temple grounds would bring blessings.

Let me just say, the temple is a place of peace. As I sat down and read my scriptures, General Conference talks and BYU devotionals there was just such an overwhelming sense of peace. It’s as if all my problems were left at the door and all that remained was a desire for God and the peace and joy that brings. I began to really know and experience what President Packer means when he said that the temple allows us to “‘see’ things that we were not able to see before and find a way through our troubles that we had not previously known before.”

I barely noticed that two hours had gone by when people from my ward started coming out.

I came out of that experience wanting more. It was Friday when I fell in love with temples.

Cut to this past Sunday.

I had my temple recommend interview with my bishop so that I can get a limited-use temple recommend. It went well and I should be receiving it this coming Sunday at church.

Though there was one question that bothered me. Well, not so much bothered me as much as made me think. The question:

Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances?

Now, remember what had just happened. I had just come back from a great experience at the temple where I felt as if the answers to my troubles and fears were being answered and comforted. It had barely been two days and I was already seeing blessings in my life from it. I was convinced that temples are what the Church says they are and I was convinced of their holiness.

So I am sitting in the bishop’s office and he asks me if  I consider myself worthy to enter. I said yes because according to the Church’s standards, yes I am. But do I really feel worthy?

I know my transgressions, my faults and my troubles. And I’m my own worst critic. Do I feel worthy to enter such a holy and beautiful place as the temple? To be honest, not really. But it anyone? Can anyone say they are worthy to enter the house of God?

Then I remember, it’s all about the atonement. It’s all about what Christ did for us. Through His death and resurrection we are made worthy. His sacrifice on the cross. As Jesus says in John’s Gospel, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up^: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

So it all comes back to Jesus.

Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s house and participate in temple ordinances?

If it were all up to me, no. But through the atonement, yes!