I Love to See the Temple - How Speaking in Sacrament Meeting Blessed Me Personally

It was Saturday night before giving my talk on temples. I had been thinking about it constantly, and writing down pertinent thoughts, scriptures, and quotes for the past week and a half, but I hadn't yet taken the time to organize any of those notes into a coherent talk. Since I'd had a busy week, my plan had been to begin writing it that day, but time had gotten away from me, and I decided that since church wasn't until 1:00 the next day and I already had the majority of the substance for my talk, I would just wait until morning.

As I was thinking about it and making the decision, I briefly had the thought that I should text Joseph and ask if he had anything to share about the influence of the temple in his life. Not only did he have some wonderful remarks that I was able to use in my talk the next day, but it provided the opportunity for us to catch up about our lives and connect spiritually as we shared our testimonies of the temple with one another. I was so grateful for that whispered prompting  to text him and that I had taken the time to follow it. What a wonderful conversation I would have missed out on if I had ignored it. I was so grateful for the opportunity that speaking in Sacrament Meeting had created for me to connect with my brother that I love so much. Because we are so close in age, we have always been good friends, but getting married and living so far apart has kept us from having those treasured conversations as often as we used to. I love the opportunities that living the Gospel and listening to the Spirit create in our lives!

After giving my talk, I was feeling very negative. I do not generally open up and share things about my personal life very well, and so I felt like I had "over-shared" about mine and Gabe's struggles having children. That silly feeling was overshadowing everything else for me. As people came up to me after Sacrament Meeting to say thank you for my talk, or good job, I accepted their remarks kindly, but inwardly felt they were not deserved or true. As I sat down for Sunday School, I knew I was being ridiculous and almost thought to pray that the Lord would let me know if He approved so that the negative feelings clouding my thoughts would dissipate. But I didn't, because I decided I should just get over it on my own. Despite my lack of faith and choosing not to take the time to pray about it, the Lord knew that prayer within me, and He answered it with love.

As Sunday School ended I pulled out my phone, and realized I had a new text message from a phone number I didn't recognize. It read:

I wanted to tell you that your talk on temples today was one of the best talks I have ever heard. Thank you for your spirit and your testimony. You have made me a better person. Thank you! I would love a copy of your talk, if you would not mind sharing. May the Lord bless you for your goodness. - Maren Bunderson

Immediately the peace and love of the Lord filled me again, and I knew that the Lord had answered that unspoken prayer. As I left the class (which Maren had actually been teaching) I made sure to stop and thank her for her kind words to me. She reiterated again what she had said in the text, that it was a wonderful talk and she would love to have a copy if it was convenient. She said she loved some of the quotes especially and felt like she was frantically writing them down so that she could reference them later. Her sincerity truly touched me, and allowed me to better accept the kind words of others as well. I am so grateful for the people that the Lord uses in our lives to act as His hands to bless and lift us.