Prepare

Dreams are strange, aren’t they? I can remember having one particular, recurring dream. Here are the details.

I am back in college.

In my mind, I know that I have enrolled in a class that for some reason, I never attend. I walk by the class occasionally, and glancing in, think “I should be in there.” I also imagine how much homework is not getting done and how far behind I must be. In the dream, I am caught up in other things that somehow keep me from going to the class.

There is an overwhelming feeling of eventual accountability that will reveal the fact I am unprepared. That impending, failing grade weighs heavily on my mind throughout the experience.

Have you ever had that dream?

At this point in my life, I feel like I am on a spiritual sabbatical – an upper-level class. I am in the Nauvoo Temple every day that it is open. In the temple, l hear the word, preparatory many times. The ordinances prepare a willing and faithful individual to make promises with God. Those promises in turn help prepare a person to return to the presence of God.

I believe that a heavenly home awaits me. I believe that here, I am a fish out of water. I believe in a Heavenly Father and Mother. Beyond the experiences in life that help me to grow, I know that They are extremely interested in preparing me to return home. The temple is the culminating part of my earthly preparation. I have learned more in this heavenly class than anywhere else. I trust that God knows best what I need to prepare for my return to his presence. Along this current path I am on, I receive frequent validation that it is right. I want to be prepared.