March 20: Provo City Temple Dedication

Welcome to the official first day of spring! After going to the Provo City Temple dedication, we changed into our shorts and flip flops, opened up the patio door, and started grilling on our new BBQ. (Thanks to those generous souls who gifted us Target gift cards for our wedding). 

I loved witnessing the dedication of another Utah temple. The speakers were inspired, as many of them spoke of the horror they felt at finding out a fire had destroyed the Provo tabernacle over 5 years ago. On speaker explained, "In that moment, many people wondered, 'Why had God not stopped the fire before it destroyed everything?' He could have, but our limited minds/view could not imagine what God had planned for that building, and what he has planned for us. 5 years after the fire that destroyed its historic beauty, this building now stands as a beautiful and sacred temple."

It is hard to see the end from the beginning. When hard things happen (the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, a plan that has fallen through, financial struggles, complicated and unhappy relationships, illness, etc.), we often wonder, "Where was God? Why did he not stop this disaster and save me from this pain?" However, we often fail to see that God has bigger plans for us. Sometimes he has to burn the tabernacle to make way for a beautiful temple in us. 

I say that, and I BELIEVE that, but I also know that it is much easier said than done. But today I am especially grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the hope and faith I can find through Jesus Christ. I can lean on him through the ups and downs of my mortal journey, and hopefully I will allow God mold me into the woman I should be.

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