The Mountain of the Lord's House

©Darrell Wyatt

I have a temple 3.63 miles from my front door.  I know, because I just mapped it.  According to the map, it would take me 12 minutes to get from my house to the Logan Temple.  In fact, if I were to travel around 8 hours in any direction, I could have the pick of 24 temples.  Eight hours!  Twenty-four temples!  I've heard stories of people who sell everything they have and travel for days, just to be able to attend the temple one time.

Isaiah foretold of the building of temples in the last days:

And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it.

And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob...(2 Nephi 12:2-3)

And people are coming from all nations.  Right now, there are 178 temples, including the ones just announced or under construction.  There are temples on all but one continent.  That is incredible to me.  

I remember watching General Conference in 1998, when President Hinckley made this announcement:

As I have previously indicated, in recent months we have traveled far out among the membership of the Church. I have been with many who have very little of this world's goods. But they have in their hearts a great burning faith concerning this latter-day work. They love the Church. They love the gospel. They love the Lord and want to do His will. They are paying their tithing, modest as it is. They make tremendous sacrifices to visit the temples. They travel for days at a time in cheap buses and on old boats. They save their money and do without to make it all possible.

They need nearby temples--small, beautiful, serviceable temples.

Accordingly, I take this opportunity to announce to the entire Church a program to construct some 30 smaller temples immediately. They will be in Europe, in Asia, in Australia and Fiji, in Mexico and Central and South America and Africa, as well as in the United States and Canada. They will have all the necessary facilities to provide the ordinances of the Lord's house. (Gordon B. Hinckley, April 1998)

Goosebumps.  At the time that he said this, there were 51 operating temples and 17 under construction, with these 30 smaller temples bringing the total number to 98.  Then he said, "I think we had better add 2 more to make it an even 100 by the end of this century."  I remember thinking that this was almost an unreachable goal.  The Church was almost 170 years old, and only 51 temples had been built.  President Hinckley wanted to double that amount in just two years!  Here we are, 17 years after his talk, and 125 more temples have been built or announced since then.  What a testimony to me of the greatness of having a living prophet on this earth.  Just as Isaiah did almost 2700 years ago, President Hinckly knew, without a doubt, that this almost impossible undertaking would be possible.  He knew that all nations needed to be able to attend the temple.  And knew that this would make it much easier for them to do so.  I can only imagine the excitement of those in other countries who were watching conference or who read his words later in church magazines.  I bet the feeling of gratitude was overwhelming.  The Lord had remembered them!  He knew of their desire to perform temple ordinances and to move the gospel forward.  He knew them.

Prophets and temples and prophesies fulfilled. What a glorious dispensation in which to live!

This Wilderness of Mine

 I've spent some time this week thinking about the wilderness.  Lehi and his family had traveled for eight years in the wilderness at this point in my reading.  Nephi writes, "And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness;".  I'm sure it was miserable!  And adding to it, their wives bore children during those eight years. Nephi's very next statement is so touching to me - "And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us..."  He was so grateful that they'd had enough food along the way that their wives were able to nurse the babies, and that they remained strong and did not murmur.

And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness. (1Nephi 17:3)

While Lehi and his family faced a literal wilderness on their journey to the promised land, I believe that each one of us has our own figurative wilderness that we must wade through on our journey back to our Father in Heaven.  Whether this journey is through trials of poor health, poor finances, death of a loved one or something else, it is our personal wilderness. Sometimes, we feel completely alone and utterly helpless.  It can be a very dark and barren place if we let it.

©Darrell Wyatt

I know that when I have felt the most down, the most tired, the most alone, I have sometimes forgotten that I am never, ever truly alone.  I forget that there is One who loves me above all, who wants the best for me, and who can look past my many faults.  

I have a quote on the wall of my entry way:  "This time, like all times, is a very good one if you know what to do with it."  Every time I look at this wall, it helps me to remember the lessons I've learned from my struggles.  When I've struggled the most financially, I have learned to be frugal.  I learned to make meals that I wouldn't have tried had we not struggled.  When I've struggled with depression, I learned that I have a husband and children who love me and will help me through.  When I've struggled with having a special needs child, I've learned patience and tolerance and love.

My wilderness is unique to me.  Only I can figure out what tools I need to make it through this journey.  But I am not alone. I need to lean on my Heavenly Father for help.  I need to be worthy to receive that help by keeping the commandments and following His plan for me.  I need to never be "slow to remember" the Lord.  I will make it!  I will forge my path through this wilderness of mine and I will make it to the promised land - back home with my Father and Heaven and my eternal family.

And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.
(1 Nephi 17:13)

Back to the Books

A couple of months ago, we had a Family Home Evening lesson about the importance of the scriptures. I asked the kids to pick their favorite scripture and, without telling anyone what it was, draw a picture that represented it. After all of the pictures were drawn, they took turns seeing if the rest of the family could guess their favorite scripture by just looking at the drawing. This one was my favorite:

My son held his picture up, and we were stumped. What could it be? A pinata was the most common guess, but we knew that there were very few scripture references to pinatas, so that couldn't be it. He finally tired of waiting for us to guess correctly and told us that his favorite scripture is 1 Nephi 4:6 which says, "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." Can you see it now?

I also love this scripture. Nephi and his brothers had gone back to Jerusalem to retrieve the plates of brass. After one unsuccessful attempt by his brother, Nephi went into the city. Not knowing how he was going to accomplish this task, he displayed incredible faith by following the spirit. And the rest, as they say, is history. Because Nephi was able to retrieve the plates, his family's genealogy was preserved and the records were able to "go forth unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people."

I'm at the beginning of a journey of my own. I felt prompted that now is the time for me to go back to school, and about two weeks ago I followed that prompting. I feel like Nephi, being "led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand" how I will accomplish this hard thing. I have many, many reasons why now is NOT the time to begin a four or five year adventure - all of my six kids are still at home, including one with special needs and one who is struggling to figure out her place in the world and is still really dependent on us. I don't know if we will be able to financially handle it. I don't know how I will find the time between soccer and gymnastics and basketball and running forgotten papers and lunches to school. There really are so many reasons that it won't work. There is, however, one very important reason that it WILL work: the Lord is on my side. I know that it is His will that I follow this path at this particular time and that He will prepare the way for me, as he did for Nephi.

"For behold, he is mightier than all the earth, then why not mightier" than all of my excuses and tendencies to procrastinate? I know I will not be alone in my journey, and I am so very grateful for that knowledge. 

To My Daughter

My Dearest Daughter,

You might not remember this, but when you were very little, you taught me a very important lesson.  You were following me around the kitchen.  Every time I would take a step, your little feet would take two or three to catch up.  In my efforts to get dinner on the table, I impatiently asked you what you were doing - why you were following me.  Your reply will forever stay with me.  "I learned that I'm supposed to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, but I can't see him, so I'm following in yours."  From that day, I have tried to remember that I have six of His children following in my footsteps.  I have faltered, for sure.  I am far from perfect.

You said something this weekend that has weighed heavy on my mind.  Something that makes me feel that I have not just faltered, but perhaps failed, in my duties as your mother.  We were passing the protesters on Temple Square, and they were being particularly raucous and aggressive.  Horns were blowing, people were shouting and large, hateful signs were being waved in the faces of passersby.  "I would give anything," you said, "to drop mom off in the middle of that group."  "Really? Why?" I asked.  "So you could debate them.  I love listening to you debate people."  My heart dropped.  The only reply I could come up with is that I don't debate with people anymore.  It doesn't do any good.  And then I changed the subject, but my mind was racing.  Is that what you've learned from me?  From the depths of my heart, I'm sorry.

Now that I've had time to ponder, this is what I really want to tell you:

I want to tell you that those protesters are people just like you and me.  They have families at home.  They have jobs and friends and pets and mortgages.  They also have strong beliefs.  Just like we do.  Their beliefs don't align with ours, and that's ok.  We are more the alike than we are different.

I want to tell you, though, that there's one important way in which we MUST differ from the protesters and from the debater that you perceive me to be.  Instead of using hate and words to convince others that their way of thinking is wrong, we must use love.  However cliche, it is true that our actions speak louder than our words. Jesus taught through love and example.  He did not stand outside and protest against those with differing beliefs.  He did not argue and debate.  But He also did not mock those who did.  He lived and loved in such a way that people became drawn to him and his way of life.  We must do the same.

 I want to tell you that there are times in your life (perhaps you have already come across these times) when you will have questions.  You will wonder if the things you've always felt to be true really are true.  There will be times when people you love and respect in positions of authority will say things that you aren't sure about.  I want to tell you that that's ok.  I can't say that strongly enough.  It's ok to have questions.  It's alright to wonder.  Never forget that we are where we are today because a boy had questions.  The important thing to remember is that you need to ask those questions of the One who has all the answers.  Go to your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with your concerns.  I promise you He will answer.  There has never been a question that I have taken to the Lord with a sincere heart that has not been answered to my satisfaction.  He loves us more than we can comprehend, and He doesn't want to see us hurt or confused.  He WILL answer.

Lastly, I want to tell you how much I love you and how proud I am of you.  You are so strong and loving.  I hope that it's not too late to change the direction of my footsteps.

Love,
Mom

Look at my Eyes

"Travis, look at my eyes."
For 15 years, my husband and I have used this phrase to capture the undivided attention of our autistic son.  We learned that, unlike most children, eye contact does not come easily for Travis and other children with autism.  So, in order to be sure that he is listening, we give him this prompt almost daily and sometimes many times a day.  It comes so naturally to us now that we often use the phrase with our other children when we need them to focus on something of particular importance.
"Look at my eyes."

I read a news story this morning about a young boy who had been kidnapped by his father and taken to another country.  For nearly two years, he lived in fear as his father attempted to "change him to a Muslim".  For nearly two years, he lived without seeing his mother.  One day, as he was getting off the school bus, a woman in a burqa grabbed him by the arm and put him in the back of a waiting car.  "My first reaction was [to wonder] if that was my mom or not, and then I saw her eyes," the boy said.  Her eyes.  The ones he hadn't seen for nearly two years.

In reading the scriptures, the phrase "and thus we see" is used whenever the writer wishes to convey a message of importance.
"Look at my eyes."

Of all the gifts bestowed upon me by my Creator, today I am most grateful for my eyes.  They aren't anything special to look at - I have fairly short eyelashes, bushy eyebrows and they are just an average shade of blue - but oh, how special they are to look through.  Through these eyes, I witness miracles.  Every single day.  I see a daughter, usually apprehensive about getting hit on the soccer field, stand her ground against a much bigger girl and save her team from being scored upon.  I see a son, who should be "too cool", bring up coloring pages on his iPod so that the neighbor's toddler will sit still in Sacrament Meeting.  I see the flowers fighting their way to beautiful blooms in this colder-than-usual Utah spring.  I see so many things.

Look at my eyes.

Glad Tidings

Copyright Darrell J. Wyatt

It never ceases to amaze me that each time I read the Book of Mormon, I can come away with a completely different thought than I did the last time.

I've mentioned before how much I love these few chapters in the Book of Mormon (Alma 36-42) because of the great example that Alma sets for me as a parent.  He talks to each of his sons in a very personalized manner - holding back neither candor nor unconditional love.  He praises Helaman and Shiblon for their straightness in following the commandments and he chastises Corianton for his rebelliousness.  He talks to them individually and pointedly, but lovingly.  Usually, this is the focus of my thoughts when I'm reading these chapters, but this time my mind took me in a different direction.

I have been, on occasion, questioned about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon by close friends and even family members.  They quote verses from the Bible that they interpret to mean that there can be no other scripture apart from that great Book, which invalidates any Word beyond the New and Old Testaments.  I have always maintained that it is impossible that Christ would only speak to a portion of the people on the earth, that there were "other sheep" who were surely awaiting his birth and that it only makes sense that they would have kept a record of such.  Reading Alma 39:15-19 this morning reinforced this thinking.  Corianton must have been questioning the need to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and his impending coming, thinking it to be in vain.  His wise father said:


 15 And now, my son, I would say somewhat unto you concerning the coming of Christ. Behold, I say unto you, that it is he that surely shall come to take away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare glad tidings of salvation unto his people.

 16 And now, my son, this was the ministry unto which ye were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this people, to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might come unto them, that they may prepare the minds of their children to hear the word at the time of his coming.

 17 And now I will ease your mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?

 18 Is it not as necessary that the plan of redemption should be made known unto this people as well as unto their children?

 19 Is it not as easy at this time for the Lord to send his angel to declare these glad tidings unto us as unto our children, or as after the time of his coming?

All souls are precious to the Lord.  Why would He ignore an entire continent?  He would not.  He could not.    I also thought, as I was reading, that these verses really are applicable to today.  Missionary work is so important!  Heavenly Father needs all of his children to know that Christ is coming, that they may prepare for that great day.  The work is going forth as never before.  The time is near.

I love scriptures like this which seem to serve the purpose of buoying me up and building my testimony.

Time Out for Tears

Copyright Darrell J. Wyatt - All Rights Reserved

I pulled into the parking stall at the grocery store, put the car in park and leaned my head against the headrest.  Without warning, my eyes welled with tears.  The people walking from their cars to the store and from the store to their cars became a blur.  I was so tired.  I had stopped to grab a few groceries after dropping my son at football practice and my daughter at volleyball, and before running another daughter to soccer and then starting the pick-up round.  I decided to sit until I got my emotions under control, and I sent a text to my husband.  "I just need a day of nothing," I said.  "Sunday can't get here soon enough."  He replied that he was sorry and asked what was wrong.  Through tears, I typed that it was just the normal running around and that I was just probably exhausted.  I knew that I was being silly and that it was just the four hours of sleep I got the night before that was taking its toll, but I couldn't seem to stop the waterworks.

"Heavenly Father," I silently prayed, "I don't think I can do this anymore.  I'm trying so hard, but I am SO tired.  I want to keep up our morning scripture study, but I really don't know if I can."  I opened my eyes and  was almost ready to venture in to grab a few things, but I still needed a moment to compose myself.  By habit, and for the hundredth time that day, I checked my email.  Normal junk - coupons, ads, newsletters - greeted me, but there was one from an unfamiliar sender.  I opened the file and began to read, and whatever composure I had regained disappeared in an instant.  The email was in response to a contest I had entered more than a month before.  I had sent in a blog post detailing our early-morning scripture reading adventure, and I had won!  My prize was two front row seats at an upcoming inspirational women's conference and lunch with the conference presenters.  A two-day break from my hectic life to be uplifted and inspired.

I realized that, had I given up on our morning routine, I would not have this amazing opportunity.  Even more than that, though, I realized that my Heavenly Father knows ME.  He knew what I needed at that exact moment.  He heard my cry.  He knows my name.  What a profound and instant realization.  What an incredible blessing.