A few years ago, as I was busily cleaning up the perpetual mess that is our basement, I pulled out an IKEA bin filled with mega blocks for my then three-year old daughter to play with.  I wasn’t sure how long this would keep her busy, but I was anxious to take whatever amount of time I could get.  She sat on a small, carpeted area and began to play and build with great purpose and intent.  “Perfect,” I thought to myself, “this should buy me at least 30 minutes. . . maybe even an hour!”

Of course, it was only a few moments after this thought entered my mind that Brooklyn’s sweet angelic voice called out, “Mom, do you want to build a temple with me?!”

My heart swelled.  How could I resist such an innocent and faithful request.  I responded immediately, “Of course I want to build a temple with you Brook.”  I sat next to her on the hard basement floor and together we began to build tall, colorful towers of different shapes and sizes.

Unlike so many other memories of the adorable things my children do or say that are eventually lost to my memory over time, this moment has a permanent place in my heart as I can hear those precious words ringing in my head. . .

“Do you want to build a temple with me?”

I have pondered on the depth of that question many times over the years since. . . if she only understood how truly significant her simple request was.  It has caused me to reflect on my own efforts in creating a home that can compare to the temple in sacredness and peace.  A place where covenants are kept and the love of God is felt. 

David A. Bednar taught, “Leaving our homes to worship on the Sabbath and in the house of the Lord certainly is essential. But only as we return to our homes with the spiritual perspective and strength obtained in those holy places. . . can we then sustain our focus upon the primary purposes of mortal life and overcome the temptations so prevalent in our fallen world.” 

In other words – covenants are made in the temple and kept in the home. 

If I promise God in his holy house that I will sacrifice my time and talents to build his kingdom on earth, but upon returning home I refuse an opportunity to help a neighbor, serve in my church calling or take the time to pray with my children – I am not keeping my end of the deal. 

This is of course not to say that God requires perfection, nor am I implying for a moment that I am the embodiment of a flawless covenant keeping woman. 

However, this is to say that, as our dear prophet President Nelson has taught time and time again,

“The Lord loves effort!” 

He wants us to try and fail and repent and change and grow.  He wants us to – line upon line, mega block upon mega block – create a home environment where our consistent efforts to keep temple covenants will be seen by our children and invoke God’s blessings in our lives.  He wants us to build a temple together. 

As I listened to the words spoken at General Conference a couple of months ago, I was overwhelmed with the number of talks that focused their remarks on temples and covenants.  In fact, these two words were referenced over 400 times over the course of the five conference sessions!  Coincidence – I think not. . . I’m pretty sure the Lord is trying to teach us something.

One: He is teaching his saints how sacred and essential his holy house is and reminding us of the eternal nature of the covenants we make with him there.

Two: He is pleading with us to recognize that these promises we make are not limited to a certain time (Sunday only) or place (in the temple alone) but are literally woven into the minute fabric of our everyday lives. 

Building a temple with our children does not only look like taking them to primary on Sunday – it looks like taking primary to the children who weren’t there on Sunday.

Building a temple with our children is not only showing them a picture of Jesus Christ – but teaching them to live in a way that the love of Jesus Christ will be reflected in their own picture.

Building a temple with our children is not only making covenants in the House of the Lord, it is creating a home where temple covenants are cherished, embraced and kept daily.

Now just remember, I am certainly no expert at this.  Sometimes I feel like I’m creating something more akin to a nuthouse than a sacred house.  I told my second daughter yesterday as she came roaring down the stairs with a blanket over her head trying to scare her sisters that she has so much energy radiating off her that any room she enters is literally vibrating!  And you should have seen the state we were all in the day before that trying to get everyone ready and out the door for my girl’s dance recital.  And don’t even get me started on getting to church on time.  Honestly, I think we could have made it last Sunday if I didn’t have one child pee the bed and another child poo!  Keep in mind I no longer have babies in the house. . . sometimes I’m convinced they just do this to me on purpose! 

However, regardless of these or any other ridiculous circumstances our crazy family may find ourselves in. . . we always end the day together with scripture study and prayer.

My husband and I try but don’t always achieve our goal to attend the temple monthly. . . but we are reminded daily of our covenants as we wear the temple garment. 

We are certainly not always on time for our church meetings on Sunday. . . but we strive to keep the Sabbath day holy and have taught our children that the sacrament is the most significant part of our Sunday worship. 

My point is that we are far from perfect, but through our daily efforts we have also come so far!

It’s hard.

It takes time.

Rome was not built in a day. . . nor was any temple on earth. 

There will be setbacks and challenges, ebbs and flows, periods of construction and demolition.  You might feel a sense of completion as you carefully place a mega block on the top of your tower, only to have your three-year-old kick the bottom brick out from under everything you have built. 

Time to begin again. 

I often think of the experience of the early pioneers as they labored and struggled to build the beautiful Salt Lake Temple.  After four years of construction, cracks were discovered in the foundation and the sandstone bricks had to be dug up and removed. 

Time to begin again. 

As we find cracks or flaws in our own foundation, this can be an opportunity to repent and start fresh. . . remembering that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ that we must build our foundation.

My oldest daughter turned 12 yesterday.  I have been a mother for 12 years.  This temple our family is striving daily to build has been under construction for 12 years and is still a work in progress – but that’s the point.  The Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to build and ours will take a lifetime.      

Turning my thoughts again to building a block temple with Brooklyn three years ago – I could have easily told her to keep playing by herself as I was busy and had things to do. . . and I can’t tell you how many times I have done just that.  But remember as we take the time and make the time to carefully place one block on another, often sacrificing the things we want  – our family’s foundation will be strengthened, we will grow to new heights and we will build a temple that will last not only for this life but into the eternity’s. 

“Mom, do you want to build a temple with me?”

“Yes, yes I do!”