I believe that in the work of the Lord there is no such thing as a coincidence. -David A. Bednar
It is eye-opening to look back; notice seemingly unrelated dots in your life and realize how they actually connect. Once we see the connection we can write it off as coincidence or acknowledge that life is more than a series of random events.
Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you ever noticed how different things in your life are connected?
Connecting the dots helps me learn where I could have made a better choice; or it gives me peace and confidence that I am where I’m supposed to be. It helps me know that God is aware of me and will continue to guide me until line by line, dot by dot the picture takes shape and becomes more than I could have ever imagined.
On a recent trip to Utah I got stuck by myself at the historic Temple Square in Salt Lake City. I ended up having to stay there all day long. I guess it wasn’t so bad. It was where I had been married years before and it was home to my Faith.
I contemplated my wedding day as I walked around the temple.
It was my husband who expressed his desire to be married in the Salt Lake Temple. It was where his parents were married and he thought it would be neat to be married there as well. I remember wishing the Salt Lake Temple had sentimental value to me; but I was still happy to be married there.
It was as I was sitting outside thinking and soaking in the beautiful surroundings that I saw dots connect that I’d never noticed before.
Dot #1
My mother’s parents were not the church going type. In fact, my grandfather didn’t even believe in God. My grandmother wasn’t sure what she believed but she said “I’ll keep my eyes open when I die and see then.”
They got married in August of 1936 and traveled around several states for their honeymoon documenting everything in a scrapbook. Religious or not they decided to include a stop in Salt Lake City on their trip.
The first day as a married couple they stayed on one of the top floors of the Hotel Utah (now the Joseph Smith Memorial building). As the sun rose the next day they had beautiful views of the Salt Lake Temple from their room.
They snapped a picture to put in their scrapbook. It was taken on the exact day that I would be born 41 years later.
Dot #2
When my father was 11 years old his parents took him on a cross-country trip. They were tired of living in Detroit, Michigan and wanted to see which state out west would make a good home.
Yep, they ended up at Temple Square but not before my grandfather decided Utah was not for him. A cafe they stopped at served Postum instead of coffee and beer wasn’t easy to find. Who were these odd people who didn’t wake up with coffee and wind down with a nice cold beer?
At my Grandmother’s urging they still went to see Temple Square. My Grandfather didn’t have much interest in religion but my Grandmother took my father from church to church trying to find what she felt was the true gospel of Jesus Christ.
Now, if I can pause a minute here and interject. If I was drawing a real “dot to dot” here, this dot would be the most important one. The dot that if we missed, the picture wouldn’t look right. Something would be missing.
My father and his parents were your typical tourists and enjoyed a Temple Square tour directed by a nice middle-aged gentleman. I can only assume my grandparents generally thought good of what they learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What I do know and what has been told many times in my family is the one thing that left an incredible impression on my grandmother.
As she spoke to the kind tour guide she was astonished to discover that he was a heart surgeon. It wasn’t just that he was a heart surgeon it was that through her questioning she found he consistently gave up days he could be working to serve at temple square. She knew heart surgeons earned a good amount of money and she calculated in her mind how much he was sacrificing.
What kind of faith and devotion must a person have to make that kind of sacrifice? She would never forget that conversation and my father would never forget her reaction.
My grandparents moved on from Utah but a lasting impact was made on their family. It was because of this man’s example that when two sister missionaries knocked on their door in New Mexico 6 years later they were immediately welcomed in.
The whole family was baptized as Latter-Day Saints that very year.
Dot #3
Years later my dad learned that one of the newly called apostles of the church was a heart surgeon. He remembered the moment at Temple Square that was the start to forever changing his family. He wrote Elder Russel M. Nelson a letter and asked him if he would have been a tour guide in the year he visited the temple. He wrote back and confirmed that indeed he volunteered giving tours during that time frame and was likely the one that gave them their tour.
Dot #4
President Russel M. Nelson is now our prophet. In just a few short weeks my family will get to go to our General Conference at Temple Square and hear our prophet speak in person for the first time. I love all the great men that have served as God’s mouthpiece but I hold a special place in my heart for President Nelson. His example planted a seed that grew into something I treasure more than anything I could ever own, buy, or be given. I’ve poured over the powerful talk he gave in April, and I can’t wait to hear the message he has to share with the world this October.
The finished picture.
Seeing all the dots now I can’t believe I didn’t realize the role the Salt Lake Temple played in my life when I chose to get married there.
I wonder how my mother’s parents would have felt if they could have known that exactly 41 years after taking that picture a granddaughter would be born, and 20 years after she would be married in that very temple for time and all eternity.
I wish my father’s parents could have lived to see that because of their actions their granddaughter was married in the temple where they were first introduced to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
I know President Nelson didn’t realize as he consecrated his time giving tours that it would not only be his words, but his example of sacrifice and service that would lead to my family embracing the gospel.
What a beautiful thing he started. My parents had 5 children, adopted 8 more and raised them all with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Many continued to share the gospel by serving missions and there will be many more missionaries among their grandchildren. Who knows, maybe one will be called to serve at Temple Square!
For me, I know I will walk across Temple Square with a little more reverence and I will see all those who serve there with a lot more gratitude.
Take the opportunity to think about something about life you love. What are the dots that led you there? Don’t be surprised when you see God’s hand in all the details. I’d love to hear your story!
