For the Temple is a Holy Place

Have you ever been in a place so quiet that you don't dare to breathe for fear of breaking a silence so vast you can almost hear it? One of my favorite places in the world to go is to the grounds of LDS temples. There is a peace there that can only be found in the rarest of places. Not very often can we find such places in this world today. A place where you can think, contemplate and ponder without interruption. I remember a time when I was on BYU campus, and while waiting for my dad to finish work I decided to go up to the LDS Provo Temple. I decided that I would walk around behind the temple. As soon as I walked around to the back, it was as if the rest of the world suddenly no longer existed. The quiet was almost deafening, if you know what I mean. But it was a peaceful quiet, a relaxing quiet. I remember just sitting there, feeling an overwhelming sense of peace, of comfort and joy. I knew that just up the hill from where I sat lay a road with cars and homes just across the street. But it was as if a sound barrier had been put up and no sound was allowed to escape into the perimeter surrounding the temple. Even the birds had stopped their singing as a sign of respect to the sacredness of the temple. It was an experience that I will not forget in a hurry. The temple truly is the House of the Lord and it is a very Holy Place. Every temple I have ever been to has had the same feeling of security and peace about it. Just a few weeks ago I had the oppurtunity to go on tour to Idaho, Montanna and Canada with a commuinty choir. We stopped at a couple of different temples, but it was always the same in that each temple seemed so cut off from the hustle and bustle of the 21st century. Walking onto the temple grounds is an amazing and joyous experience. I like to think that leaving the world and going into the temples is a lot like what it is going to be for us when we return back to the gates of Heaven to live with our Heavenly Father in his Heavenly home.

What do I have to cry about?

So many times I have felt depressed or sad and I have just wanted to cry. Sure sometimes crying is good for you. Sometimes it is better to let it out rather than hold everything in. However I have on occasion felt sad for really no apparent reason. I just want to cry because I want comfort and I want attention. The best way to describe this emotion is that I want to cry but I can't. Part of that is because I do not feel like I have any real reason to be upset. It's like I am looking for ways to be unhappy and that is where the problem is. Crying is not a bad thing, it is only when we constantly feel sorry for ourselves that it can be damaging to us. I believe that Satan, the devil and enemy to all mankind, wants us to feel this way because when we are so emotionally down on ourselves it is easier for him to take place in our hearts and to tell us that we are worthless. When we feel sorry for ourselves we are feeling a worldly sorrow rather than a Godly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is a selfish sorrow and can only lead us to feel worse about ourselves. So many times we have felt feelings of despair and grief; these feelings are confusing because we do not fully understand what we are so depressed about. The best and only way to get out of this trap is to turn to a loving God who wants nothing more than for us to be happy. He will help us if we just turn to him; I have experienced these desperate feelings of despair. You will feel as though there is nobody to turn to and you will feel helpless; but you are not. Just remember that when you do feel this way and you wonder to yourself why you are so sad or what you have to cry about, remember that the Lord is always just a prayer a way. You just have to make the effort to go to him.

Accepting Ourselves- Getting rid of the Mask

Too often, I think we find that we are unsatisfied with ourselves. We all have various perks that we would like to change. A lot of people find themselves desperately searching for ways to fit in and become one of the crowd. I have in my life time, seen many people fall victim to this; they become in a way two-faced. It can be very annoying and frustrating to see certain people do this, especially when you have seen their other side rather than the mask that they put on for certain people. Don't get me wrong, I have found myself guilty of this at certain times but I also realize that is exhausting, trying to keep up with what you believe others will want to see. The funny thing is that most of the time people really don't care what we are doing. We all worry too much about what others think when really they probably don't even notice. I have come to realize that being myself has gained me just as many friends as I may have had, pretending to be someone that I am not. But the important part is that the friends that I have are the good ones. They may not be popular, and they may not be the best looking or have the best hair or the best clothes, (at least according to the worlds standards) but they are my true friends and they have helped me through so much. I know that if I needed them, they would come immediately to my aid. A friend very dear to me has helped me so much with this. He has taught me that I am perfect the way that God made me. I don't have to be dissatisfied with myself or worry about my imperfections and faults. The reality is that if you find satisfaction with who you are and what you have, you will be the happiest person on this earth.