Well this is from yesterday. So maybe I'll just be a day behind.
I've added in reading talks from conference with my daily scripture reading. It's been amazing to see how the Lord is even in tune enough with me to lead me to the talk I need most that day. I do not read in any order. Instead when I'm praying before my study, I tell the Lord what I will be reading in the scriptures, and then I say "Then I'll read a conference talk from..." And then the first session that comes to mind is the one I choose. I then look through the talks and one usually stands out. I've done this in the past and a specific name has come to mind. So I read that. Every time there is an important lesson for me to learn. I'm humbled by the countless things I need to work on. But thankful that the Lord is patient with me and I know he will teach me little by little.
So yesterday I read Elder Scott D. Whiting's talk "Temple Standard". He spoke of the time he was the coordinator for the Laie Hawaii temple re-dedication open house.(I've been to that temple. Happy 23rd birthday to me!) He gave stories of two instances where the inspector of the building finding grit on the walls and a small 2 inch piece of glass out of place. Then when going through the temple again to only see that wall paper covered the wall and a plant stood in front of the glass window.
I then thought about me as a temple. As we're told we are. 1 Cor 3:16-17,19. I thought of all the grit and two inch piece of glass that exist within me. How the smallest things are important to the temple of the Lord. So the smallest things that need adjusting in my life are too of great importance to the Lord.
I continued to reflect and thought of how careful I must be to not allow grit on my walls, and two inch piece of glass to be out of place. And not in the sense that I have to be perfect, but how often I invite grit onto my walls, and glass to be out of place. How often I justify it being okay to be there. How easy it is to bring it in and allow it to stay. But how much easier it would be to just not let it in at all. To refrain from creating these circumstances in the first place.
There are so many different forms of grit. The older I get the more I learn about the ones I have on my walls to get rid of. I was faced today with a slap in the face, (I shall write about tomorrow). I'm uncertain as to how I am to fully get this grit removed from my walls. It's so much a part of the decoration of my temple that it almost seems improbable that it can be removed. But I have faith that with God all things are possible. I have faith that Christ can help change me. Bring about the power of repentance and build me into the temple he knows I can be. Even if I doubt at times that it can be done, I must have faith in him. Not me. Not someone else. But him. My Savior. And him alone. He will not fail me.
I recently renewed my temple recommend. I love this process. I wish it could happen more than every two years. I find strength and power come unto me when I am able to answer those important questions. I feel it's almost a process for me as well as the judge in Israel to know of my worthiness. Then being able to be in my Fathers house, close to him... that's were I hope to always be. Close to him. So though I may have grit on my walls, or a scratch on my floors, and I anticipate it will take much work to remove them, I also know that these are not things that keep me from the love of my Father. Nothing can keep me from that. Except myself. His love is unconditional. Meaning, even with grit, or scratches, or mud, or breaks, or missing pieces, he does and will love me. And when I'm ready to fix those blemishes He is more than willing to help me and teach me the process. This I know to be true.
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