More Temple Thoughts

The Givens, in their book “The Crucible of Doubt,” point out that, contrary to the norm promoted by our secular culture that the primary sources of truth are science and logic, much truth can be discerned from love.  Recent experiences related to the Payson temple seem to confirm this.

Our ward testimony meeting this morning exhibited some differences from usual, with a surge of young people and parents who have toured the Payson temple in the last few days, trying to express the wonder of their experience. 

For example, one of my favorite persons, Randy R. talked about not really feeling much of anything as he struggled to help contain two rambunctious pre-schoolers, as the line progressed from room to room.  Then suddenly he and his wife and all six of their children were together in the Celestial Room.  They stepped into a corner of the room and thought of the significance of this–that their entire family was together in the temple.  He was able to express a strongly felt hope that this pattern would continue both in this life and in eternity.

Another example was the Juan S. family (whom we home teach), where the dad expressed to Wendy after the meeting the overpowering sense of love he experienced with his family as they toured the temple.  Both of these dads had daughters, ages about 11 an 12, who gave their testimonies of what they experienced as they walk through the temple with their families, and who seemed moved to make personal commitments to make the temple a lifelong pursuit.

As our family members toured the temple on April 25th, one experience stood out to me.  Our part of the line stopped briefly in one of the spacious and beautiful sealing rooms, where an elderly couple spoke briefly of their love of the temple.  The reported of having a non-temple marriage, but at some time the wife had expressed her love to her husband her desire to be sealed to him and their grown children for eternity.  He decided to make this his goal also.  They reported with great emotion how he then knelt before her and formally proposed marrying her for eternity, to which she said "Yes."  They met with their bishop and began to prepare themselves for the temple.  At some point, they also called all of their 5 children and their spouses together and asked if they would like to be sealed to them.  Then the whole family worked together to go to the temple and be sealed together as a family.  I had tears come to my eyes as they expressed how the temple had enhanced their family and their love for each other.

So, what is the message of these feelings, in which love seems to dominate, especially love in families?  It seems to me to testify that we are built to form relationships, and that the love and joy and meaning that these relationships promote give hope and promise of enduring into eternity.