Not Enough Time?

By Hong Ook Son

I didn’t think I had time for institute. But the Spirit prompted me to make time.

In late December 2008 I sat in the celestial room of the Seoul Korea Temple, thinking about the new year ahead. I had been married in this same temple some two months earlier, and lately my days and weeks had seemed packed full with work, my Church calling, and my newly established family. I had been going to institute classes regularly, but now I considered that perhaps I would stop attending.

As I prayed for direction for the new year, I felt a distinct impression to continue attending institute. I also felt prompted to increase my temple attendance. As I left the temple that day, I was filled with a sense of peace and gratitude for the new direction the Lord had given me. I felt strongly that if I would follow the direction I had received, I would be blessed.

Beginning in January I began serving as a temple worker in the Seoul Temple. This required that twice a week I travel about an hour to the temple to fill my shift. In addition, twice a week my wife also made an hour-long trip, one for serving as a temple worker and the other one for attending a Book of Mormon institute class with me.

As I took on these additional commitments, it soon became clear that I would have to cut down my work by several hours each week. Since I work in sales, I am paid according to how many clients I maintain. I realized that by cutting back my work hours, I might also face a substantial cut in pay. However, I remembered the impression I had received, and I knew that everything else would work out if I fully committed myself to following the Lord.

As I attended institute and the temple more regularly, many blessings began to flow into my life. I noticed some marked changes. I felt the Spirit closer and more often, and my testimony of the restored gospel grew. My wife and I received great benefit from serving in the temple and attending our institute class. And unexpectedly, I also received temporal blessings. Somehow, despite my reduced work hours, I was able to meet more clients than ever before. My income didn’t decrease; instead, it almost doubled.

I know that these wonderful blessings came from the Lord. I am grateful that He gave me the comfort to know that when we “seek … first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, … all these things shall be added unto you” (3 Nephi 13:33).

Illustration by Scott Greer