In 2011, President Monson gave some advice for people who are not able to go to the temple right now he said:
“If you have not yet been to the temple or if you have been but currently do not qualify for a recommend, there is no more important goal for you to work toward than being worthy to go to the temple. Your sacrifice may be bringing your life into compliance with what is required to receive a recommend, perhaps by forsaking long-held habits which disqualify you. It may be having the faith and the discipline to pay your tithing. Whatever it is, qualify to enter the temple of God. Secure a temple recommend and regard it as a precious possession, for such it is.”
President Monson’s advice for teenagers and the temple:
“Now, my young friends who are in your teenage years, always have the temple in your sights. Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there. I commend those of you who already go to the temple regularly to perform baptisms for the dead, arising in the very early hours of the morning so you can participate in such baptisms before school begins. I can think of no better way to start a day.”
President Monson ended with this advice for the little kids:
“To you parents of young children, may I share with you some sage advice from President Spencer W. Kimball. Said he: “It would be a fine thing if … parents would have in every bedroom in their house a picture of the temple so [their children] from the time [they are] infant[s] could look at the picture every day [until] it becomes a part of [their lives]. When [they reach] the age that [they need] to make [the] very important decision [concerning going to the temple], it will have already been made.”
One of the best things about the Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the feeling you can feel when enter the temple property. If you go with the right intentions it can feel different from the rest of the world, quiet, serene and peaceful. Focusing on that feeling will help you get more from your temple trip than any thing else.
Another, wonderful thing about visiting the Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the symbolism behind some of the architecture on these wonderful buildings. Sometimes the symbolism is very easy to recognize and on other temples you have to look a little closer to see different symbols on the outside of the temples.
Hopefully, sharing some of the symbolism will help enhance your visit to the temples. The focus of the temples should always be the importance of the promises made inside the buildings, but spending time outside the temples and pondering what the symbols can mean to you can be a spiritual uplifting activity!
The temple doors of the Washington D.C. Temple are something that could easily be overlooked, but if you take time to notice the details, these doors are pretty awesome! The bronze medallions on the doors have symbols etched into each one, similar to the different stones on the Salt Lake temple.
The Medallions symbolize the creation, mortality, and the degrees of glory. Take a look at each one. Maybe, you can take time to ponder why those symbols would be put on the temple.
On the doors on the Washington D.C. Temple there are eight bronze medallions on the gates and eight on the doors.
These medallions were done by Latter-day Saint sculptor Franz Johansen. He portrayed the Big Dipper and North Star, the earth, the planets, the moon, the stars, the sun, concentric circles representing eternity, and seven concentric pentagons representing the seven dispensations.
It’s pretty fun taking your time around these beautiful building and seeing things that you would not see by moving quickly.
President Monson invited us all to go to the temple, the young, the old, people with recommends and people without recommends. There is something for each of us to learn as we walk around temple grounds, from the peaceful feeling to the symbolism on the temple walls, we can learn something. If possible make the temple a priority in whatever way you can!
References:
http://thetrumpetstone.blogspot.com/2010/11/washington-dc-temple-doors.html
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1977/10/the-washington-d-c-temple?lang=eng