A PROMISE TO THE LORD

One summer morning I decided to attend an early endowment session at the Jordan River Temple before going to work.  I had finished my session and was standing in the Celestial room for a few moments of contemplation when a temple worker walked through the group directly toward me.  He passed several other temple patrons on his way to me.  He asked if I would be willing to participate in a sealing session, which usually lasts about an hour and a half.  My first response was that I couldn’t because I had to go to work.  And while technically true, it wasn’t actually true.  I did have to work after my temple visit, but there was no specific time I had to be at work.  I was the boss.  I could start anytime.  As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a piercing sadness run through me.  In just seconds an acute awareness of the Lord’s loving kindness flooded through me and I deeply regretted not making myself available when He had need of me.  I immediately began looking for the temple worker with the intent of instantly repenting, but I couldn’t see him anywhere.  At the time, I didn’t realize I could have just gone to the sealing office and offered to help.  Instead I went down to the locker room to change into my street clothes.  Alone in my locker, tears flowed down my cheeks as I wrestled with feelings of being ungrateful to the Lord, especially considering the abundant and ever-present mercy and kindness He has always shown me.  At the time, the only thing I could think of to mitigate my pain and declare my loyalty to Him was to promise Him that if He would give me another chance, I would not disappoint Him.  I promised that I would make myself available to do whatever He needed of me, whenever He needed it.  After that difficult day, enough time elapsed for my experience and subsequent promise to fade from my short term memory.  The pain of disappointing the Lord had disappeared from my daily thoughts but the recollection of my promise to Him, while not at the forefront of my daily awareness, remained intact.  The Fourth of July was approaching and the annual parade was an event that elicited excited anticipation from our young daughters as that festive day of celebration drew near.  At the time, we lived in a community that held their parade on the evening of July 3rd because it allowed them access to more floats rather than having to compete with surrounding cities for their involvement on the 4th.  This created a delightful circumstance for the girls because my hometown parade was held on the 4th, allowing them to collect and consume candy thrown from the parade entries in two separate parades.  Because the 4th of July fell on Sunday that year, our town parade was held on Friday evening, the 2nd of July, while my hometown held their celebrations on Saturday the 3rd.  On Saturday July 3, our ward was assigned to provide 13 men to attend an all priesthood endowment session in the Jordan River Temple early in the morning.  I had promised our girls that we would go to my hometown for their parade which began at 11:00.  The girls all expressed concern that I wouldn’t return in time to make the long drive and arrive on time for the parade.  I assured them that I had plenty of time to attend the temple, return, and still make the drive in time.  I wasn’t concerned that my time in the temple would impair our ability to get to the parade because I had built into the day’s agenda plenty of time to easily accomplish both.  I had just finished my temple session and was in the Celestial room intending to spend a few minutes in prayer when I caught sight of a temple worker making his way toward me.  The very second I saw him, still several feet away with plentiful options, I knew he was coming for me.  And I knew why.  Ignoring everyone else, he walked right up to me and asked if I would be willing to do some sealings.  He said it would only take about an hour and a half.  I had already calculated the time it would take and what I had available if I was to keep my promise to my girls.  The math wasn’t in my favor.  I wouldn’t be able to get them to Grantsville on time.  I had to choose which promise I was going to break.  The decision wasn’t nearly as easy as I had imagined it would be when I made the promise with tears on my face, alone in that locker stall.  But as I quickly weighed my choice, I knew I had to be loyal first to my Savior.  I had promised Him.  And while it was a choice, it really wasn’t for me.  But that knowledge didn’t make my saddened heart feel any better knowing how disappointed my girls would be.  I informed the temple worker I would be happy to help.  In the ensuing decades, I have come to realize that this is the pivotal choice for all of us.  It wasn’t exclusive to me, countless others have faced the very same choice, though it may be dressed a little differently.  Those making the choice have declared their loyalty either to God or to something else.  That day I chose God and kept my promise to Him.  But as certain as I am of the necessity of making that choice, I have come to realize that choosing God opens to each of us an expanse of opportunity and options that would otherwise be unavailable.  The scriptures are replete with accounts of people who chose God and those who did not.  I reference only one, the widow living in Zarephath whose meal and oil had become exhausted, save for enough for a last meal due to the extended drought.  While not as renowned as her experience, mine was just as miraculous to me.  After the sealing session, I hurried to change my clothes and exit the temple as fast as reverential propriety would allow.  I left the temple at 10:00 a.m. and still had to go home, change, and make the sixty minute drive to my hometown.  When I got home everyone was ready, albeit nervously anxious.  We didn’t make it for the beginning of the parade but we were able to watch most of it.  I have reflected often upon that experience, on that one choice, which I believe was divinely orchestrated to offer me redemption, assess my integrity, but most importantly teach me that choosing to serve the Lord, regardless of the perceived cost, is always, always the best choice.  The Lord never shorts those who choose to obey Him.  His generosity accompanying any choice to serve Him over any other consideration always far exceeds anything sacrificed.  It did that day for me and has become a pattern in my life.  I will be forever grateful for the choice presented to me that Saturday morning, and oh so glad I chose Him.