In an email to the stake dated July 25, 2020, Brother JD Rutledge recently shared an experience regarding his family attending the temple that highlights the joy of participating in the temple together.
On a recent trip to Utah, I was privileged to attend the temple. My nephew and his new wife received permission to be sealed and have 16 people attend to support them in this ordinance. I was excited to be able to attend the temple again. I did not expect the emotions that I felt during this experience.
We were invited to meet outside the main doors at a given time. Walking through the main doors brought the usual spiritual calmness of the temple. We were asked to scan our own recommends at the desk and keep our shoes on. We received further instruction on how to maintain social distancing. In the sealing room, we spread out and the ordinance commenced as usual. The sealer then made a comment that brought everything into perspective. He said that we 22 people were the only ones in the temple at that time and that despite the small numbers, the Lord was still present to witness this ordinance.
It was a beautiful parallel to our daily lives in the current pandemic life we are living. Despite us being unable to gather in large groups, have physical interaction with friends and family, partake of the sacrament together, or worship in the temple, the Lord is aware of and with each one of us, individually. He is there to cheer us on and buoy us up.
I look forward to the day that we can meet together again to sing praises to the Lord and partake of his holy sacrament. I envision the temples filled with standing room only and patrons being turned away due to capacity being reached. I can picture the spirits of those contributing to and accepting our work on the other side of the veil rejoicing. What a glorious day that will be and that day will pale in comparison to the future day when we all gather as children of God under the leadership of our Savior when He rules as King of Kings and Lord of Lords at His second coming. He lives, He loves each one of his father’s children and is always there for us.