Returning to the Temple

By Kerry Griffin Smith

Maybe it’s been a few years or even a decade since you last attended the temple. With that absence might come feelings of nervousness and uncertainty about returning. 

Yet we’re so excited that you’re coming back! You don’t have anything to fear or worry about. There’s guidance along each step of your path in the temple.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you return or to do in preparation for your return visit:

Help is at every turn. There are literally temple workers every few feet inside the temple to guide you. Ask them questions. Don’t hesitate. They’ll be glad to instruct or show you where everything is.
Attend with a friend. Many endowed members in your ward or branch would love to attend with you to help ease your transition. Simply ask in Relief Society if you’re a sister or in a priesthood quorum if you’re a brother.
Focus on one thing. Each time you go, try to learn and remember one new thing. If there’s anything about the process that seems overwhelming, take a mental step back and just focus on your one thing.
Ordinances have been simplified. The covenants we make in the temple have not changed at all. But the procedures we use to receive and commit to them have been shortened and simplified in recent years after Covid, making it easier for all patrons to participate.
Ask questions. Talk with a priesthood or ward leader before attending again. Or read information on the Church’s website about temples. 
Study. There are also a variety of books on the subject: The Holy Temple, by Boyd K. Packer quickly comes to mind. While there is much we do not discuss about the temple while outside its holy walls, there is also much we can discuss and learn. 
President Russell M. Nelson also encourages a study of the Bible Dictionary under these seven topics: “‘Anoint,’ ‘Atonement,’ ‘Christ,’ ‘Covenant,’ ‘Fall of Adam,’ ‘Sacrifices,’ and ‘Temple.’ Doing so will provide a firm foundation.”
Prepare spiritually. Most importantly, do your part to prepare by praying, fasting, and nourishing your spirit as you plan to attend the temple again. Your mind will be increasingly at ease as you realize how much you are loved and wanted by God.

“To those who have long been absent from the temple,” President Nelson invites, “I encourage you to prepare and return as soon as possible. Then I invite you to worship in the temple and pray to feel deeply the Savior’s infinite love for you, that each of you may gain your own testimony that He directs this sacred and ageless work.”

Kerry Griffin Smith is a writer and editor, most notably from the former Ensign magazine. She enjoys sharing clean reads, creating printables, and sharing book reviews on social media. You’re welcome to follow her on Facebook and Instagram.