What I Learned Today

I went to the temple today. My mind was swirling with different thoughts; thoughts about the recent press coverage of the Ordain Women movement and the subsequent excommunication of the movement's founder; thoughts about the different commentary and blog posts that I have read recently about OW; thoughts about my own limited understanding of eternal things and how we all see through the glass darkly. The thoughts were a bit noisy and clogged up my brain. I couldn't shut them completely off when I entered the temple and that turned out to be OK. For as I was pondering on those thoughts, other thoughts, thoughts that generated more understanding and growth, soon crowded out the previous thoughts.

As I sat down for the session I noted how many women were there with just a handful of men. I wondered to myself what would happen if there were no men available for a session? Would the session be cancelled? No, probably not. There are always men in the temple; it just might mean that a man who hadn't planned on doing an endowment session was called in to serve during the session. And the session wouldn't go on without men, just as it wouldn't go on without women. Heavenly Father has made it clear that both men and women are necessary in the temple. Each holds a unique and significant role.

Once that thought was settled, I focused a bit more than usual on the words of the endowment session. Full admission here: sometimes my mind wanders far from what I am supposed to be paying attention to during the session and I'm really just going through the motions of the whole process. Words that I have heard many times before struck me in a different way today. The things that I learn in the temple are for my own salvation and path back to Heavenly Father. I make the choice on how I will fulfill the obligations and covenants I make in the temple.

Then there were some thoughts on covenants and our Heavenly Father's grace He extends to us. I learned some things about Eve today that I hadn't really paid attention to before. Some of what I learned was in a blog post I read before attending the temple today and some was taught to me as my spirit communed with the Holy Ghost in the temple and was thinking about the blog post. It was fascinating to me today that I finally saw that Heavenly Father offered Eve the first chance to repentant, not Adam. Yes, Eve partook of the fruit first, but that sin was not any greater than Adam's so all should have been equal. Yet, Eve was granted pardon first. I don't want to get bogged down in why it had to be done through Adam. Right now, that doesn't matter much to me although I know it causes hurt and confusion for some LDS women. I just was touched that Eve was forgiven first.

As we approached the part in the endowment about the crucifixion of Christ my mind turned to a Facebook post I had read this morning regarding nails, boards, priesthood and women. As I thought about what the young man had shared regarding a single nail not being strong enough to hold something in place, that another nail is needed to hold things secure, my heart was touched that this is exactly what Christ's crucifiers had done. They drove two spikes; the first into his hands and the second into his wrist. Both were necessary to keep him on the cross. Now I realize that this analogy might break down a bit, but I don't pretend to be a great philosopher. But if the first nail represents the priesthood (and by extension, men), then one could view the second nail as women. One without the other cannot support the load. Okay, I'm drifting a bit here because I don't want to imply that one cannot "nail" themselves to Christ without someone else; but I do see how two nails, working together, can provide strength in keeping each other connected to Christ. In the LDS church, we don't focus much on the meaning of the cross and Christ hanging on the cross so I may be making a total mess of that analogy and if the cross is viewed as a positive or negative in other denominations. If it's a negative, well then the whole analogy breaks down before it even gets going. But whatever. It worked in my mind for my learning and understanding.

Then the session ended and I was left again thinking about covenants; the covenants I had made. The covenants Kate Kelly, the founder of OW, had made. With her excommunication, she was released from those covenants and the responsibilities associated with them. I was again struck by the wisdom of the 14-year old boy who had composed the Facebook post and his observation

Excommunication is a way God shows his love erasing your covenants you made with him so you will not be condemned by them in the end. It allows you to start over.

Whew, it was a day full of learning for me. My spirit needed it. And as usually happens with learning, once one concept/thought has been settled, another pops up. So next time I go to the temple, I'll have more things to contemplate.