Dear Brothers and Sisters, Here we are again in November. It feels like the year has flown by, and before we know we will be celebrating Christmas. I am so grateful for this time of the year when we get to reflect on all the things that we are grateful for. We certainly have much to be grateful as we see our Heavenly Father’s blessings in our lives on a daily basis. President Dallin H. Oaks recently wrote an invitation to all people to come and visit the newly remodeled Mesa Arizona Temple. This invitation was written in the Arizona Republic newspaper, and it reads “I extend a personal and sincere invitation to all Arizonans to come and see the temple that means so much to the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and to others in the community.” He then added “ they provide visual reminders that there is more than the here and now.“ This a great reminder to all of us. Temples are a great reminder that the best is still to come for those who make and keep sacred covenants. Especially in the world we live in today, it is easy to get caught up in the instant gratification that is so craftily presented to us every single day. But the temples and the covenants we make there, remind us that this time is a time of preparation. It is a time that we have to prepare to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father. At times in our lives, we must prepare for an important event, and because of the importance of this event, we treat the preparation as a priority. There are many examples of such events in our lives such as school exams, a marathon, a job interview, and speaking assignments. However, the preparation to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father should be our top priority. One main difference between the preparation to live with our Father in Heaven and the other examples I mentioned above, is that our eternal preparation does not come with a deadline. The parable of the ten virgins, in the New Testament, is a great example of how we just don’t know when our time will come. So our savior provided a way for us to become prepared, and he has instituted a pattern for us to be accountable each week. Dear Brothers and Sisters, we must not wait until the last minute to prepare for the time when we will face our Savior on judgment day. Just like with the school exam, a marathon, a job interview, or speaking assignment; the practice and preparation is what will give us the comfort level needed to do well in the event we are preparing for. Likewise, in our spiritual preparation, we have opportunities to do practice tests, and these tests can help us know where we stand before the Lord. These practice tests are administered during a temple recommend interview, during tithing settlement, or when we are extended a call from our church leaders. How are we doing in these practice tests? Are we truly making the progress we need to one-day feel comfortable in the presence of our Heavenly Father? Are we practicing our temple attendance to become comfortable being in the presence of our Heavenly Father? The beauty of this gospel is that there are no dead ends. If we’re not truly happy with our preparation, we can make the adjustments necessary. Your bishop is there to help you and to guide you in this preparation. Because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, this is a gospel of do-overs. If a course correction is necessary in our lives, let us make that correction now. Do not wait any longer. Decide today to be the best version of yourself that you can be. The Lord will guide you through that journey (Prov. 3:5-6). We love you dear brothers and sisters, and we pray for you and for the well-being of your families. I am grateful to be on this journey together with each of you because together, we can strengthen one another and help us achieve our goal of eternal life. President Emerson Carnavale
Washington Stake President
Comments