Earlier this week, I watched the “Don’t Miss This” podcast, which goes along with “Come Follow Me.” In this podcast, one of the hosts, Grace Freeman, talked about sitting on the front porch of Heavenly Father’s house. That image has stuck with me.
Yesterday, I went to the temple as a patron. As I looked down at my slippers, the experience struck me as different from when I go as a temple worker. As a worker, I wear white shoes, but when going as a patron, I usually wear white slippers specifically. While all of these things can apply to visiting our Heavenly Father’s house, no matter what shoes you’re wearing, my slippers can be symbolic of several things.
We Should Be Comfortable There
I think most people would agree that you wear slippers in places where you are comfortable. Most often, I wear them at home. I might wear them at a friend’s or family member’s house, especially if I’m spending the night there. If I’m wearing slippers at their house, it is likely someone that I know well. That’s how we should view Heavenly Father’s house. It should be a place that we feel comfortable visiting.
One of the keys to making the temple a place that we feel comfortable visiting is to go often. “Often” will mean different things depending on your circumstances. I know that there are some people, especially retired individuals who live near a temple, who go nearly every day. For others, once a week might be more realistic. For some people, especially those who live far from a temple, once a month or even just once or twice a year, might be a more realistic goal.
As we make it a goal to go often, we become more and more comfortable being in the temple. It truly begins to feel like we are in our Heavenly Father’s house.
Of course, we shouldn’t confuse comfortable with casual. As we become more comfortable in the temple, we should also come to better understand its sacred nature.
Plan to Stick Around a While
If I’m stopping by someone’s house for a quick in-and-out visit, I’m not going to take the time to change into slippers. I’m generally going to wear the same shoes that I was wearing when I arrived at their house. If I’m taking the time to change into slippers, I’m planning on sticking around for a while. I’m likely going to enjoy some good conversations with that person. That should be our attitude when entering Heavenly Father’s house. We should not rush through the experience but should instead take the time to enjoy our visit and communicate with our Heavenly Father, seeking His advice and direction.
The Sacred, Pure Nature of Heavenly Father’s House
As is the case with almost all temple clothing, temple slippers are white. The temple is a sacred place, and the slippers’ white color emphasizes this. By remembering this, we can come to understand and appreciate the temple more.
Ultimately, the temple should be a place we feel comfortable, a place we want to stay a while, and a place that we view as sacred.
