"The importance of having a sense of the sacred is simply this--if one does not appreciate holy things, he will lose them. Absent a feeling of reverence, he will grow increasingly casual in attitude and lax in conduct. He will drift from the moorings that his covenants with God could provide. His feeling of accountability to God will diminish and then be forgotten. Thereafter, he will care only about his own comfort and satisfying his uncontrolled appetites. Finally, he will come to despise sacred things, even God, and then he will despise himself."On the other hand, with a sense of the sacred, one grows in understanding and truth. The Holy Spirit becomes his frequent and then constant companion. More and more he will stand in holy places and be entrusted with holy things. Just the opposite of cynicism and despair, his end is eternal life.
(D. Todd Christofferson, "A Sense of the Sacred," CES fireside for young adults, Nov. 7, 2004)

The above statement gives even more meaning to President Eyring's invitation to write those things down that are seen as the Lord's hand moving in my life and the lives of my family. It is imperative that we acknowledge the 'holy things around us' or we will become casual and self absorbed. Reverence begets gratitude.

I just returned from working at the Temple. I got to sit at the feet of one of the sealers, Brother Hardy, as he shared wonderful insights about the covenants and promises of the sealing ordinances. I truly have the spirit of Elijah upon me once again and am excited to find my ancestors and get the work done for them. I have several name cards to submit for Temple work and am going to send them to my kids so that they can start to get involved in this most glorious work.