Elder Bednar taught that, “The Lord provides both sacred times and holy places to help us learn about and live the truths of His restored gospel and have enduring joy with Him.” Elder Bednar then stated: “The principal purposes of both sacred time and holy places are identical: to repeatedly focus our attention upon our Heavenly Father and His plan, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, the edifying power of the Holy Ghost, and the promises associated with the sacred covenants and ordinances of the Savior’s restored gospel.”
Sacred Times and Holy Places...both of these are familiar concepts to us and principles that I have testimonies of, but I wondered a bit about what I could share that would be beneficial to you. I hope that the Holy Ghost has led me to share a few of my experiences and insights that will encourage you in your quest to experience sacred times and holy places.
Sacred Times:
Any time that our minds and hearts are turned toward our Savior is a sacred time. Sacred means holy, devoted to God, consecrated to God and His service, dedicated, reverence of God, and worship of God. When we were baptized, we covenanted to always remember Him. So each time we keep that covenant and sincerely remember Him, we are participating in sacred time.
Sacred times can happen in a variety of locations...at church, at home, in the mountains, in our cars, as we wash dishes or change a diaper or fold laundry...if our minds and hearts are turned to God and we are reverencing, worshipping or serving Him.
Let me tell you about a few of my sacred times and perhaps they will bring to remembrance some of your sacred times as well.
One of my sacred times happened right next to the BYU football stadium years ago while I was a student at BYU. I had finished reading the Book of Mormon and decided to follow through on Moroni’s promise. I wanted privacy and quiet, and since I lived close to the stadium, I walked over there and knelt on the ground by the stadium and prayed to know whether the Book of Mormon was true. I loved Elder Dushku’s talk in conference...because I didn’t have an angel appear or a pillar of light descend to witness the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. But I felt peace and a feeling of conviction enter my heart. As Elder Dushku described: “Rather than sending us a pillar of light, the Lord sends us a ray of light, and then another, and another. Those rays of light are continuously being poured down upon us.” I had a ray of light that night. When I went back home, I knew the Book of Mormon was true...and that conviction has only grown and been strengthened as I have studied the BOok of Mormon and seen its power in my life, year after year.
I receive additional rays regularly. Each Monday night, I invite my older daughters to join us via Facetime to read and discuss a conference talk from the most recent conference. I often feel the Spirit and sometimes receive inspiration and guidance for my life as I study these talks with my family. This also happens as I study my scriptures and write what I’m learning.
Any time we are thinking of the Savior or we are following a prompting from the Holy Ghost is a sacred time. A year and a half ago, I received a prompting (or really a series of promptings) that I needed to start an Instagram account with the specific purpose to share the gospel. Back in 2015, Elder Bednar extended this invitation: “What has been accomplished thus far in this dispensation communicating gospel messages through social media channels is a good beginning—but only a small trickle. I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood. Beginning this day, I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood (see Moses 7:59–62)...
Imagine the impact we can have as hundreds of thousands and millions of members of the Lord’s restored Church contribute in seemingly small ways to the rising floodwaters. May our many small, individual efforts produce a steady rainfall of righteousness and truth that gradually swells a multitude of streams and rivers—and ultimately becomes a flood that sweeps the earth.” And I had often shared bits and pieces of my testimony and beliefs via social media from that point on. But the Lord made it clear that it was time to do more. So—even though I am not an expert or well known and my contribution really is small—I began to share my testimony on Instagram. And there have been many sacred moments in this process. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I didn’t expect to make friends with people I’ve never met in person but who I feel a camaraderie and sense of purpose and who are also courageously sharing their faith and even more than that, I hadn’t realized HOW OFTEN I would receive inspiration and guidance about what to share. Sometimes I feel like the words I’m to write are given directly to me and other times just the ideas for a post. But I have had guidance and wisdom and help beyond my own. Believe it or not, Instagram has become a sacred space and helped me participate in holy time.
Scripture study and studying the words of prophets, sacred music, prayer, uplifting podcasts, and worshipping in the temple also allow me to engage in holy time. Let me share one more thing that has helped me to engage in holy time. Acting upon the counsel Back in 2018, President Nelson urged us: “If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord—to be in His holy house—then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. 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.” I received a prompting for the frequency with which I should attend and it was more often than I had been. At first, I thought it was impossible to do what the Lord was asking me to do...I have a full time job, I have a family, I was YW President at the time...my life was very full. But I prayed, asked for help, and acted. And while occasionally circumstances prevent me from making it to the temple, I have followed through on that counsel. It has blessed my life immensely...I have felt the Lord’s love, and I have seen miracles and blessings from my worship in His Holy House. A year ago, I began a temple journal. Each time I go, I record which ordinance I completed and the names of those I completed work for. I also write down questions, insights, words/phrases to ponder or study. I have found that I am learning more each time I go because I’m asking the Savior and the Holy Ghost to teach me. I believe they are EAGER to teach us, and if we ask for holy or sacred times and seek for learning and revelation, they will open the windows of heaven to us and give us knowledge, insight, guidance, and an abundance of rays of light. We will have sacred times often if we seek them.
Holy places:
As we know, the temple is the House of the Lord. Each temple is inscribed with the words “House of the Lord, Holiness to the Lord”. It is the most holy place on Earth, and as we enter the temple, we learn of the Savior, the plan of salvation, and our purpose, we make sacred covenants and are endowed with power, and we bless the lives of our deceased ancestors and others as we vicariously receive ordinances for them. I have already talked about the temple just a bit, but I invite you to make worship in the House of the Lord a pillar in your life. Such remarkable blessings are found in our service there!
A few other places that have become holy to me:
*In college, there was a spot near Bridal Veil Falls that I would often go to study the scriptures and pray. It became a holy place to me as have the paths I use to take walks.
*Girls camp—both the girls camp I attended as a youth...Camp Lo Mia...and the girls camps that I've had the privilege of attending as an adult...are sacred places to me. There my testimony of the gospel has been fortified and I have felt the Savior’s love and felt unity with others.
*The church. I have had sacred times in the church, and I’m grateful for the needed blessing of partaking of the sacrament, worshipping together, serving in callings, and being edified together.
*Church history sites...I’ve had the beautiful blessing of taking each of my children to church history sites when they turned 12. I took my oldest to Nauvoo and Carthage and my younger two girls each to Palmyra and the surrounding sites. I’ve visited the Sacred Grove and the Priesthood Restoration Site, Carthage Jail, and the Nauvoo Temple as well as other sites where miracles took place and where the restoration of the gospel began. I KNOW from both my study and my time there that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I KNOW that Christ lives. I KNOW that our Savior leads this church. And I know that we are led by a prophet today. These church history sites are sacred places to me though I hasten to add that you don’t need to visit a church history site to have the Holy Ghost witness to you of the truthfulness of the restoration.
*Our homes...next to the temple, our homes should be one of the most sacred places we spend our time. Elder Bednar said, “Our homes should be the ultimate combination of both sacred time and holy place wherein individuals and families can learn and remember that God is our Heavenly Father, we are His children, Jesus Christ is our Savior, and enduring joy is found in the Lord.” As we participate in sacred times in our homes, they WILL become holy places. As we pray for the Lord’s spirit to be with us and to be in our homes, our homes will become a refuge from the world. I have mentioned already some of the things I do to try to have sacred times in my home...prayer, scripture study, studying conference talks, listening to sacred music, seeking to have the Holy Ghost. A few other things that I have done...I have tried to choose artwork and decorations that point my mind to Christ and help me to always remember Him. I keep my scriptures out in a visible location which not only reminds me to study, but often leads me to think about the scriptures even when I’m not in the midst of reading them. I have tried to prioritize scripture reading as a family...in a way that works for us. When my kids were little, scripture study sometimes looked like me reading scriptures to them while they were in the bathtub or us watching a scripture video and then reading just a few verses from the scriptures about that video or me getting a book from the library that told a scripture story and reading and rereading that story. When Come Follow Me first began, part of what that looked liek for us was having two other families come to our homes after church on Sundays and having a lesson together and a treat. That continued for a couple of years until Covid, and as I remember those experiences, I consider those sacred times in a holy place, my home.
Your sacred times and holy places might be similar to mine or they may have some differences. The way you feel inspired to create sacred times and holy places will certainly look different based on your circumstances and may look different at different stages. However, I invite you to consider your sacred times and and holy places and ponder ways to invite more of these into your life. As you do, I testify that your testimony and conversion will deepen, you will experience more and more rays of light and truth, you will be led by the HOly Ghost, you will experience JOY, and your relationship with the Savior will grow. You will come to know Him as a friend, and it will become easier and easier to remember Him always and to keep His commandments and to become like Him.
When we walk with the Savior, every time and every place can be a sacred and holy one!
"We do not give thanks because we are happy. We are happy because we give thanks." --Douglas Wood
