When I read about people who live in places so remote, so far from any temple, they have to traverse significant hardship to get to the House of the Lord, I think about the Los Angeles traffic as nothing more than a short cakewalk.
Our lives in Illinois were very blessed as we were living in the Nauvoo temple district. Although the drive to Chicago or even to St Luis took less time, the trip to Nauvoo was always very enjoyable. I never did mind the three-hour drive. Temple attendance was hardly something we could accomplish on a whim but still it was nothing more than a day trip.
Incredible hardship stands between many saints and the temple. I recently read an account of the trip the saints living in Manaus, Brazil, endured to get to the temple. They would travel for two days on a crowded riverboat on the Amazon River only to spend another two days on a bus through the hot tropics so they could attend the Recife temple. Now, that takes a true commitment of time and effort!
So, what excuses do I have that would sufficiently explain any deficiency in my temple attendance? Oh, the traffic? Hardly.
2 comments:
I have thought a lot about this lately, especially after General Conference this month. I live less than an hour away from the Oakland Temple, and yet my attendance has been less than regular. I know my excuse is understandable, but not one that would stand up well if I were to present it to my Father in Heaven. Weekday attendance is out of the question for me, and Saturdays are just plain hectic. But even single moms can find ways to get to the temple if enough effort is put forth. If I set aside every weekend my ex-husband has the kids (about every 4-6 weeks), I could be attending the temple almost once a month! Why don't I? Because I always seem to find something "more pressing" to do. Sheila! Priorities! Time to get to the temple!!
I've been living here long enough I should have a few more trips to the Upland Temple under my belt. Like you, there's always something that seems a little more pressing. Sadly, that is always going to be the case. There will always be something a seemingly more pressing. I remember one of our trips to Nauvoo. Since we had to plan these trips, the week before the trip was filled with emergencies that seemed to tell me we could not go. Thursday's emergency aside, Friday presented another reason we could not spend Saturday on a temple trip. We discussed the issues and decided that we would push those issues off until the next week. We were going to the temple. Saturday morning, was replete with feelings that we were shirking our duties to these other problems. Still, we held fast to our convictions and headed out to the temple.
I do not remember a lot about what the problems were. I do remember how much I was edified by going to the temple. This story would probably be a lot more interesting to read if there were those details but I think it more poignant to consider this: Temple blessings are so much more than any of the world's bustlings.
Hang in there, we all struggle. I know we have not lived up to our duties. It is, however, time for us to make a change.
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