TEMPLE MAINTENANCE OF MY OWN

There are 141 dedicated LDS temples around the world. Those temples are divided between designers that are specifically in charge of their upkeep, maintenance, and improvement. Of course they each have a team of designers, architects, and engineers to help, but on top of all of that, the designers also have assistants like me. We are all full time employees making sure that the interior of the temple stays to temple standard and is a place of peace and inspiration for the patrons on a daily basis.

Before this internship, I had no idea how much work and time went into keeping the temples in top shape. It makes complete sense though...any building that gets used has to be constantly maintained, even dedicated ones. More than any other building on this earth, they need to be in great condition so those serving there are not distracted by their surroundings, but instead, uplifted so they can focus on the reason they came...for peace, comfort, service, personal revelation, etc...

Here's where my thoughts have wandered: if there are dozens of people working full time on the upkeep of the temples around the world, who is working full time on maintaining my temple? 

Ever since my good friend and co-worker Ellen brought up the idea a few weeks ago, my mind keeps going back to that question. Not only that...but lessons at church have brought it up, or friends, or family members, or a post online or something, someone, somewhere has brought my awareness back to it every single day since then!

I understand first-hand how much of a blessing it is to have a healthy body. Having difficult ailments of my own and also being a care-taker for a very sick family member...I've realized that it's something to be grateful for.

But there is more.

Being grateful for something means that you respect it. Every LDS member has heard the saying "your body is a temple" and they've probably also had many lessons on not defiling it or on the Word of Wisdom...but that's not all that it is.

Our bodies are gifts from our Father in Heaven that allow us to experience the most wonderful things about this earth. Without them...we literally would not exist. It's part of the plan to have these bodies. The body we have is the only one we'll get.

So what do we do with it? Do we love it? Do we respect it? Do we maintain it? Do we treat it nicely? Do we think about it kindly? Do we smile at it? Do we share it? Do we give it good things? Do we nurture it?

I know I don't do all of those things...but I want to. I want to maintain it and love it just as much as I love the Temples. We would want our own children to feel happy and confident in their own skin, just as our Heavenly Father wants the same for us.

But, ultimately, it's 100% up to us. There are plenty of things about my body that I wish were different...but over the past few weeks, I've been trying to look at myself differently. I've been trying to accept me for who I am. Every temple is different looking, some similar, but not the exact same...just like all of us. That's what makes us all so great and beautiful...us and temples alike. Just like the temples, we have a divine purpose on this earth that no one else can do but us.