I have been asked to be in charge of getting thoughts posted in our elevator. I have several weeks ready to go, and Claudia selects the one she likes. Here is the one for this week:
Translated into English it says "Narrow is the Way." It was taken from 3 Ne 14:14. In the Spanish Book of Mormon, the word "camino" is the translation for the word "way." It can be translated as path or way.
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
The photo was taken on the road just north of Fort Bragg, California. The Eucalyptus trees form a canopy over the road. There was a mist in the air from the nearby ocean.
Another topic, again slightly different. Before going to Argentina we had three days of training in the Salt Lake temple. A fair amount of the content was delivered by Elder William R. Walker. He is in the second quorum of the Seventy, and had just been released as the executive director of the Temple Department. One if his topics was about learning in the temple.
As I officiate in temple sessions it amazes me how many people are actually sleeping, or at least dozing. I understand that we have been trained since birth that when we are sitting without much to do we are really resting. But this action makes it really difficult to learn anything in the temple. The Lord wants us to learn when we go to the temple. Most folks think that when we go to the temple we are doing the work for the dead, and that is true. But we are also there for ourselves, and what we can gain in the temple for ourselves is at least as important as the work we are performing for our ancestors.
Because the temple endowment seems to be very repetitive, we think we have heard it all before. But what does it really mean to us personally? Why do we pay so much attention to the creation story, and the time in the Garden of Eden? What are the blessings we can receive as a part of the endowment? Actually, everything in the temple - everything - can teach us something about our own life. The story of Adam and Eve has a deep meaning in each of our lives, and can go much deeper than the fall. The same is true about the rest of the endowment. It is a series of qualification, verification, and blessing steps.
How can we learn in the temple? Elder Walker gave us a marvelous tool to use to learn. It can be shown in the following drawing:
Everything in the temple refers to Christ. Each time we attend the temple, if we pay attention, something will be impressed upon our mind. The trick is to take note and remember it. Many times it is not about anything in the endowment, but is to help us with our own life. The above Learning Triangle helps us cement it in our mind.
As a teaching is brought to our mind, it will be through inspiration. It is usually one of the first things we notice as the endowment session begins, but not always. That principle is represented in the lower left corner of the triangle. The other two vertices of the triangle are ourselves, and the Savior. We should think of how that principle relates to us and our lives - the lower line of the triangle. Because everything in the temple is a reminder of Christ, we should then think of how the principle is related to Him - the left side of the triangle. Completing the triangle is how the principle brings us closer to Him, what is our relationship with Christ with respect to the principle we have been taught.
It is also helpful to write down what we have learned. We do need to be a bit careful to not trifle with sacred things. The act of writing down what we learn does two things. It helps engrave that principle in our minds, and it gives a place where we can go to refresh our thoughts as well.
This is a very powerful tool to help us to learn in the temple. And, by the way, it will help us keep our minds alert and our eyes open during the session. In the coming weeks I'll mention some of the things I learn in the temple, and how they fit into my life using the Learning Triangle.
Nice photo! We were just down that road not long ago. We were on our way to Taqueria Ricarda and to Cowlicks. I think the temp was high 60's. Hope we can show you this way again!
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