Sacrifice

I’ve had several very surreal experiences in my life. Winning a national championship in Latin ballroom dancing when I was 11 was a big one. The day I actually left for college was another one. Receiving my mission call, going through the temple, and entering the MTC was a big one all tied together.

This week I had another very surreal experience.

I received a personalized letter in the mail signed by all three members of the DC temple presidency asking me to come in and have an interview. That was cool enough by itself.

As per their request I arrived at the temple on Tuesday evening, dressed in my white dress that I bought the day I received my endowment, and walked to the temple president’s office. He greeted me with a friendly smile and handshake, already knowing my name, and invited me to his office. After briefly getting to know me he then told me I had been called to be an ordinance worker within the temple and wanted to know when I would be available to attend.

It was one of those happy moments when I felt the Lord confirming to me that my life was in accordance with His will and He needed me to do more.

You see, when I went to Boston a couple months ago and heard Clayton Christensen speak that Saturday morning he said something really profound for me. He explained that the Church and its programs are requiring less and less of us. We’re asked to spend an hour or two a month visiting teaching, three hours at church on Sunday, several hours more magnifying our calling. We’re asked to study the scriptures, pray, and attend the temple. All those things are the things we should be doing, but all together they still don’t add up to a lot of time (unless of course one is serving as a bishop, stake president, or in another capacity that requires more time than usual). In essence, the Church is not asking us to sacrifice a lot.

On the other hand, the Lord expects us to sacrifice all that we have.

Part of the covenants we make with Him teach us that we are to give everything that we have to Him and His kingdom. There’s a gap then between what the Church is asking us to sacrifice and what we must sacrifice of our own will in order to sacrifice everything for Him in the end.

Are you following me here?

What I’m trying to say is that I realized how much more I needed to sacrifice for the Lord. A lot more. I made the decision right there that I was going to commit myself to sacrificing as much as I knew how for the benefit and happiness of others. I wanted to show the Lord that I was willing to sacrifice all that I had.

When I sat in President Swinton’s office on Tuesday I was grateful for another large opportunity to sacrifice. As I’ve alluded to in previous posts, my life is a hectic happiness full social events, work, and dating. Not only are my weekends full of things to do but somehow I’ve managed to fill up my week days too.

Sacrificing my Thursday night every week to work in the temple is something I’ve looked forward to for a couple years now. It’s something I’ve wanted to do so badly but haven’t had the right circumstances.

The time is right now. I’ll be able to be in the temple of my Lord every week, be His representative within those walls, help others make their own covenants.

President Swinton laid his hands on my head. Using his holy priesthood he set me apart and gave me a blessing.

It was a surreal experience and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.