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| Phoenix, Arizona LDS Temple. |
Over a period of 8-ish hours, we walked from our church building in Tolleson, Arizona to our nearly completed new Temple in Phoenix, Arizona. For those of you who don't know much about LDS temples or church buildings, or their differences - From Mormon.org:
"The temple is a beautiful, serene place, and it is unique among buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church members gather in meetinghouses for weekly worship services. There, they enrich their lives by studying the gospel; they minister and serve among each other. But they attend the temple in part to bless and serve those who’ve gone before them. Every person who has lived on the earth is entitled to the opportunity to receive the blessings of eternal life and eternal family relations. Performing temple work by proxy for those who have gone on before allows God’s blessings to extend to all of His children."
This walk was hard. It was painful. It was emotional. It was many things. What it was not was lonely, unsupported, or scary.
Even now, three years later, I still reflect on the experiences of that day - and the lessons I took away from it.
learned that the body is capable of much more than I have ever thought it was.
I learned that through simple acts of service from those around me, I am capable of almost anything.
I learned that when I was ready to give up and be done - when I felt I could not go one more step - that through gentle encouragement and love from those around me, one more step was indeed possible.
I learned that serving and encouraging others as they struggle on a journey can bolster your own faith in completing a task.
I learned all those things as I walked today. But like I said, the journey did not end, nor did the lessons.
The actual physical journey is over, the lessons of love and service and friendship have been learned. The spiritual lessons linger and are constant reminders of His love.
1) We never walk alone. Trials of faith are never experienced without a helping hand, whether it be a friend with words of encouragement, or a kind-hearted neighbor or stranger who is willing to serve you and your family. He always provides a way to overcome anything. You just have to be willing to recognize His hand when he offers it.
2) True faith and spiritual strength come when we are at our most vulnerable. We cannot start to build ourselves back up if we have not yet been completely knocked down. The feeling of completing the walk was amazing. The absolute humility I felt as my husband helped me to walk because the pain was too great, is comforting and overwhelming. At the beginning I felt accomplished for a task completed, now I am humbled for a lesson well learned.
3) The lesson isn't always in the journey, but in the moments afterward. Sometimes you can be so focused on the current task, journey, or trial, that reflection is the only way to truly learn what you need to know.
4) Every day, we put one foot in front of the other moving forward in faith. Just when you think the journey is over, another starts. I was so grateful to be done walking and to be home with my children and loving husband. There was pain, but I was still standing. Once I was home long enough to let my body relax enough, I realized the full extent of the pain and recovery there would be to come.
Moving forward and continuing to put one foot in front of the other while you are facing the trial is important. Remembering to continue on the path once it is over is vital. The lessons you learn in each step need to be carried to the next. They build on one another.
Put One Foot In Front Of The Other.
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| Our Amazing group of strong, spiritual, women. |
