Holy Places

Last few days, the thought of…” Standing in Holy Places” has been going in and out of my mind.

I work in a facility that is full of crudeness, rudeness, and foul sense of humor. Even though, individually, all the guys I work with are good and decent people. When the mob gets worked up, its combustible and a lot of junk gets thrown out.

I have a family, specifically myself, that has struggled with conflict resolution, temperance, and meekness, as well as being open to other’s ideas, thoughts, opinions, and paths. There is a stubborn streak in me and it’s a lack of trying to understand where that person stands.

If I am the one standing in a Holy place, I hope that I will see that person as our Father sees them…someone struggling in life, trying to the best they can when what they know. I don’t know their environment, or the circumstances, or the demons that have a grip on them. BUT I can understand the feeling of wanting to be better, the pursuit of a better life, the want to be happy…

So, I’m reevaluating how, what, and if I can do anything to put myself in a Holy place.

Here are my locations I find myself in, HOME, WORK, GYM, NATURE, CHURCH, TEMPLE, HOMES of FRIENDS, FIRE STATION, STORES, VENUES, PARKS, etc. Those are the ones that came to mind…

If I really want to stand in Holy places, there is only so much I can do to affect the physical location, but where my mind and heart are will have a great impact on my attitude, perception, and understanding of being Holy.

I can give a blessing on those places I reside, but what really matters in filling my mind, my thoughts and consuming my life with the pursuit of God, salvation, kindness, and service. Praying for those opportunities and more importantly, acting when I am prompted. The more I can tune my heart, eyes, ears, and being towards those worthy things in life, the more I will stand in Holy place.

It’s not going to hurt, to make the goal to get to the temple once a week. It will be more difficult having the Star Valley temple 90 min away compared to 15-20 mins for the Mesa or Gilbert Temple.

A thought from President Erying, write down something…where I felt like the hand of the Lord was part of my day. The other day, Ryan Davis, a missionary friend reached out to me asking about life…I appreciate that now even more than when he did…he’s always been in tune and really needed it when he did. I want to be that kind of friend.