The Discipline of the Covenant: Making Time for the Temple

When we discuss the sacred ordinances of the temple, the conversation often quickly devolves into logistical concerns: time, scheduling, and the simple act of showing up. It is easy, in the clamor of modern life, to treat the covenant path as something we navigate around, rather than the very path upon which we walk. We hear the phrase, 'I'm too busy,' and while the world certainly demands our finite hours, the gospel has a far more challenging message regarding the allocation of our spiritual resources.

The Center of Our Lives: Pointing to Christ

The prophets have consistently taught that the temple, whether architecturally at the center of a city or simply conceptually at the center of our spirit, is fundamentally designed to do one thing: to turn us wholly to Christ. As the manual teaches, the temple is not built 'after the manner of the world, but rather after the manner which I shall show.' This divine pattern anchors us to the central truth that all covenants point back to the Atonement and the Savior's divine power.

The struggle to attend the temple, therefore, is not merely a scheduling conflict; it is a measure of where we have placed our spiritual priorities. We must differentiate between two forms of spiritual struggle. First, there is the legitimate period of spiritual preparation—the time required to overcome personal 'barnacles' of stress, sin, and distraction, making us worthy to enter the sacred space. This is a process of sanctification, a necessary labor that requires diligence and humble repentance.

The Pitfall of 'Too Busy'

However, there is a second, more insidious struggle: the spiritual fatigue that leads us to rationalize our inaction. We find ourselves thinking, 'I went last month, that was enough,' or, 'My work schedule is too demanding for temple attendance this month.' This attitude is not merely pragmatic; it is fundamentally covenant-disobedient.

The covenant demands that we view time not as a finite resource to be managed, but as a currency to be invested in eternal principles. The Lord does not ask us to count hours; He asks us to make those hours count.

To treat temple attendance as a repetitive, optional chore—a box to be checked off a spiritual calendar—is to misunderstand the nature of the covenant. The temple ordinances are not mere ritual; they are covenants that connect us to eternal life, strengthening the divine pattern of our families and our relationship with the Father. They are the means by which the Spirit works upon us, drawing us closer to the fullness of the restored gospel.

Making Time Count: The Covenant Mindset

To genuinely commit to the temple means shifting our perspective from one of scarcity to one of divine prioritization. When we are truly taught by the Spirit, the excuse of 'too busy' evaporates. The Lord is not concerned with our academic credits, our work hours, or the demands of our temporal lives; He is concerned with the condition of our hearts and the integrity of our covenants.

This requires a renewed scholarly study of the covenants we have made. We must remember that the temple is the physical manifestation of the covenant keeping process itself. It is where we learn that the greatest sacrifice is not physical, but the surrender of our will to the divine will, aligning our lives with the restored pattern.

Discipleship, as taught by the restored gospel, is a continuous process of refinement. It is the daily choice to scrape off the 'barnacles' of secular distraction and worldly stress, making room for the quiet, profound whispers of the Spirit. Let us approach our covenants not with the weary resignation of a routine, but with the eager anticipation of one who knows the eternal reward awaiting in the presence of the Lord.

We are called to be diligent students of the gospel and dedicated keepers of the ordinances. Let the pattern shown in the temple—pointing always to Christ—become the unwavering center of our lives, eclipsing the demands of the world.