John H. Groberg - Refuge and Reality: The Blessings of the Temple

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Groberg, John H., author.

Refuge and reality : the blessings of the temple / John H. Groberg.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60907-206-3 (hardbound : alk. paper) 1. Temple work (LDS Church) 2. LDS temples. 3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. 4. LDS ChurchDoctrines. I. Title.

BX8643.T4G76 2012

246'.9589332dc232012023486

Printed in the United States of America

Malloy Lithographing Incorporated, Ann Arbor, MI

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Courtesy Robert Boyd.

To my wife, Jean, and the children God has blessed us with, who are striving to make the temple a bigger part of their lives.

To my parents, Delbert V. and Jennie Holbrook Groberg, who served as president and matron of the Idaho Falls temple from 1975 until 1980. They made the temple a major part of their lives and taught their children to do the same.

To Jeans parents, Merrill R. and Marie Huber Sabin. They were faithful temple ordinance workers and taught their children to love the temple.

Acknowledgments

With gratitude to my counselors and their wives, Harold W. and Enid Lee Davis and P. Roger and Laura Jo Dunckley DeMordaunt, and to the sealers, ordinance workers, volunteers, staff members, and patrons of the Idaho Falls temple. One could not find more loyal and dedicated helpers anywhere.

And to the thousands who, from everywhere over all time, have served in temple presidencies; the hundreds of thousands who have served as ordinance workers and sealers; the millions who have served as temple patrons; and the billions who have received or will yet receive the blessings of the temple.

Left to right: Harold W. and Enid L. Davis, John H. and Jean S. Groberg, and Roger and Laura Jo DeMordaunt.

Chapter 1

Introduction

We all need a place of refuge from the storms of life. We also need a clear understanding of what is real and eternally important. The temple provides both of these and much more. It is the ultimate refuge from loneliness, uncertainty, darkness, cold, and every other trial and storm of this life. It also teaches us what is real and lasting and brings eternal joy.

Children find love and security in the arms of their parents and peace and safety within the walls of their homes. We are Gods children. The temple is His home on earth, and He wants it to be ours as well. He invites all of us to come home to the temple, where we will feel His love and bask in the aura of heavenly light and love that comes from the expanse of eternity.

This book is about individuals who have sought refuge in the temple and found not only safety but understanding and the courage to carry on. Many of these experiences took place in the Idaho Falls temple, but similar experiences occur daily in temples throughout the world. As these examples show, I know the temple will bless all who worthily enter and serve therein.

Image by Tyler Cahoon. Courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Used by permission.

Chapter 2

The Real World

When I first began serving as temple president, I often heard people say, I wish I didnt have to leave the temple, with its peace and quiet, and go back into the real world, with its noise and frustration. I tended to agree with them but for some reason felt uneasy with that thought and prayed to know why.

One day something special happened. I cant say exactly where or how the words or feelings came, but the concept was clear: That which lasts forever is real; that which does not last forever is not real. The temple is the real world, not this temporal one.

From then on whenever I heard someone say they were sorry to have to leave the temple and go back into the real world, I would take them aside and say something like the following:

I understand your feelings, but actually, it is the other way around. You are not leaving the temple and going back into the real world, you are leaving the real world (the temple) and going back into the unreal (temporary) world. Only that which lasts forever is real. That which is done in the temple lasts forever; therefore, the temple is the real world. Most of what we experience out there, such as sickness, wealth, poverty, fame, etc., lasts for only a short period of time, so it is not the real world.

Because you have been in the temple, however, you can take the truths of the real world with you as you live in the temporary world. As you do, you will see more clearly that which is important (real, or eternal) and that which is less important (unreal, temporal, or temporary). This view of things will increase your peace, understanding, and joy.

Most would respond, That is an interesting thought. Later, they would say, Ive been thinking about what you said. I do understand better what is real and what is not real, and I do feel more peace and joy in my life. Thank you.

I would tell them to thank God, not me, for all truth comes from Him and should be shared with others.

What we do in the temple clearly demonstrates the difference between real (eternal) and unreal (temporary). In the temple we are reminded of other opposites that we experience in lifeopposites such as truth and error, light and darkness, life and death, and especially the difference between Jesus and Satan. That which comes from Jesus is light, lasts forever, and therefore is real; that which comes from Satan is darkness, has an end, and in that sense is not real. The fact that Satans temptations come to us and must be dealt with is very real. With the light of the Lord in our lives, we can see that these temptations are based on lies and deceptions; if we resist them, they will fade away into the nothingness they really are.

The viewpoints of this world change quickly. For example, medical science tells us today that something is good for us, but tomorrow that same thing is bad for usdepending on what the latest experts say. A song is popular today but mostly forgotten tomorrow. An investment is good today but a disaster tomorrow. Something that is acceptable today becomes politically incorrect tomorrow. The best computer today becomes outdated tomorrow. And fickle fashion changes so rapidly we never know for sure whats currently in vogue.

Any worldly praise or position we might attain here is temporary. Eternal joy comes only by keeping the laws of the real world as set forth in the temple. Keeping the covenants made in the temple allows us to experience real peace and joy in this temporary world even while laying the foundation for an increase of those precious commodities in eternity. As President Thomas S. Monson taught, True joy is found in holy temples of our Heavenly Father. And that is why we should not let the cares of this temporary world keep us from the temple and the assurances of the real world we find there. Regular temple attendance therefore provides an answer to the Saviors prayer: I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil (John 17:15).