Temples and Homes

 In a General Conference talk given by Elder Stevensen in 2009 entitled Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples he stated that "under the definition of 'Temple' in the Bible Dictionary, we read the following: “It is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth,” followed by this insightful statement: “Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” For me this suggests a sacred relationship between the temple and the home. Not only can we turn the doors of our homes to the house of the Lord; we can make our homes a house of the Lord. 

While reading D&C 94-97 this week I looked for the temple building principles that the Lord was teaching these early saints and how they apply to our family as we strive to build our home. Here are a few of the principles that stood out to me...

1) It's important to have a foundation (94:1,6,12)

2) Our homes need to be dedicated to the Lord (94:6-7,12)

3) The home is a place of preparation (95:4)

4) Endow those within your walls with power from on high (95:8)

5) Our homes need to be different than those of the world (95:13)

6) In our homes we are responsible to teach both spiritual and scholarly things (95:16-17)

7) Seek diligently to remove any barriers to your family’s progression (96:8)

8) It's going to take sacrifice to build a home that can provide salvation for your family (97:12)

9) The home should be a place of thanksgiving (97:13)

10) The home is a place of instruction where we can come to understand things pertaining to the kingdom of God on earth (97:13-14)

11) We should not allow unclean things into our homes (97:15, 94:8)

In the same talk by Elder Stevenson, he challenged his listeners to take a virtual tour of their homes with spiritual eyes. He said: "Wherever your home may be and whatever its configuration, the application of eternal gospel principles within its walls is universal... Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”

I was grateful to participate in this little exercise and to have the spirit direct my thoughts to certain areas where I can do better to help make my home feel more like the temple, and I'm also grateful for the feelings of joy that came from the spirit that allowed me to rejoice in the areas where I'm doing well. Hopefully we can all follow the spiritual promptings we receive to help make our homes more like the temple.