The Blessings of Being a Temple Worker

By Robert Parry

The author lives in Utah, USA.

Serving in the temple made the ordinances and blessings even more special to me.

When I first went to the temple, I was awestruck by the majesty of the Lord’s house. I felt clarity about who I was, why I was on earth, and where my path could lead me when I focused on Christ.

I had just been called to serve a mission in England, and I was excited to go through the temple before I left. I prepared beforehand by learning about temple ordinances and preparing myself to make covenants with the Lord.

Afterward, I knew I wanted to go there consistently throughout my life. And that decision influenced my desire to serve as an ordinance worker too.

Sacrificing to Serve

As Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught, “Attending the temple increases our understanding of the Godhead and the everlasting gospel, our commitment to live and teach truth, and our willingness to follow the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”¹

I wanted to invite those blessings into my life, so when I returned home from my mission, I spoke to my bishop about becoming a temple worker. I was eventually called to serve in the Washington D.C. Temple for a few months while I was working to save money for school.

I served in the temple during the 6 p.m. shift every Friday night. This schedule required me to leave my job early and travel for two hours. It was a big and sometimes tough commitment to keep every week.

At the time, I was working long hours doing lots of physical labor, so I was usually pretty tired for my temple shift. I was also mentally exhausted most of the time with preparing to go back to college and figuring out what I was going to do for the rest of my life.

But during my shifts, I was always excited to learn more about the ordinances. And despite my constant fatigue and endless to-do list, I somehow found peace in the temple. I always left feeling grateful for the chance to serve the Lord there, and I felt spiritually renewed at the end of each shift as I focused on the Savior. The peace I felt also helped me find direction and answers for my life.

Making Time

My temple service ended when I moved away to attend college. And I was so busy and overwhelmed with my studies that I didn’t attend the temple as often. I started to notice a nagging feeling that I needed to serve there again, so I met with my bishop to ask about it.

I received a call to serve in the temple on Saturday afternoons.

Yes, I was so busy, but I was thrilled to make time to serve in the Lord’s house every week. With each shift, I grew closer to the Savior and to Heavenly Father, and I was able to enjoy the peace that is unique to His house.

Enjoying the Blessings of the Temple

My temple service has been somewhat brief, but I can testify that my time serving has changed my life for the better.

Because of the sacrifices I made to serve and because of the goodness of the Lord, I truly feel like I received the blessings of the temple that President Russell M. Nelson once described: “I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”²

I have experienced those miracles. And I know you can too as you make temple service a key part of your life.

We won’t all have the opportunity to serve as a temple worker. But by participating in temple and family history work, keeping and honoring our covenants, and attending the temple when we are able, we can all come closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and invite Their guidance and goodness into our lives. And when They are our focus, we can always have peace in our hearts, no matter what challenges we face.