Former General Primary President Rosemary Wixom and her husband served as matron and president of the Salt Lake Temple from 2017 until the temple closed for renovations in 2019.
On the Magnify podcast, Sister Wixom shared three special insights she gained while serving in this capacity. These learnings can enlighten our temple worship in a way that helps us come closer to Jesus Christ.
1. Know Who You Are in God’s Eyes
During the Wixoms’ time serving as temple president and matron, President Russell M. Nelson and his wife Wendy Nelson would sometimes do a temple endowment session. Sister Wixom recalls feeling nervous and anxious the first time they visited when she was new to her temple calling. But afterward, Sister Nelson alleviated her worries, saying to her, “Rosemary, I don’t think you know how good you are. You are spectacular.”
This sweet compliment helped Sister Wixom realize that each of us can feel this same reassurance from the Lord when we attend, reminding us that we are “spectacular” in His eyes.
“Many of us question our unpolished faith,” Sister Wixom says. When these feelings of inadequacy arise, she counsels us to remember that perfection isn’t required to attend the temple and that “we come on a recommendation.”
When we lean into sincerely seeking to come closer to Jesus Christ, we will come to know Him better every time we go.
“Sometimes, we think we need to be redeemed through Jesus Christ before we can be enabled; we think we need to first find Christ and then go to the temple,” Sister Wixom explains. “Yet, like the prophet has just told us, if you go to the temple, there you will find Him. And He’s there for you, and He will meet you exactly where you are.”
2. Remember the Power of the Word Let
Another way to find a deeper connection to Christ in the temple is to understand the power of the word let.
Sister Wixom explains, “The prophet said, ‘Let God prevail.’ Let infers that it is our agency, it is our choice. ... So, if we let ourselves seek and find and look for Jesus Christ and His Atonement in the temple, we’ll find it.”
Sister Wixom suggests we approach the temple as a chance to “see ourselves comfortably connected within God’s family.” Doing this is one way to harness the power of let in our lives so we find a deeper sense of belonging in the temple and with each other, bringing us closer to Jesus Christ.
It can also help to remember that we are meant to learn from the temple throughout our lives. Regular temple attendance is one way of repeatedly choosing to let God teach us in His holy house.
Sister Wixom recommends regularly asking ourselves where we are in our temple journey and looking ahead, pondering where we want to be in the next five years of our temple experience.
“Because it is a journey,” she explains. “It’s kind of a daily cycle of letting go, over and over. But we’re not going in circles. ... We progress with the lessons we learn from the covenants that we live.”
3. Look for the Savior Everywhere in the Temple
When they were called to serve in the temple, Sister Wixom says that President Henry B. Eyring invited them to “create the spirit [in the temple] as if the Savior were around every corner.” Sister Wixom shares that regular temple attendance lets the Savior’s peace “settle in our souls.”
President Eyring also reminded the Wixoms that “the most important thing you can do ... is to live so you can invite the spirit of the Holy Ghost into your life.” Sister Wixom shares that as they did this, they “came to see the Holy Ghost in the temple as an extension of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, as if the Savior were around every corner.”
When we seek the Savior in the temple, we learn to find Him there.
“Let the temple be a personal connection for you with Jesus Christ,” Sister Wixom says. “Go looking and seeking His comfort and His love and His direction for you.”
Learn more from Sister Wixom’s experience serving in the Salt Lake Temple on the Magnify podcast, which is available on all streaming platforms.
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