Build Now For the Future

In his final address in the most recent general conference, President Nelson spoke about temples and his desire to have temples reopened as soon as possible. He described the current efforts of the church to build temples in these words: “Forty-one temples are presently under construction or renovation. Just last year, despite the pandemic, ground was broken for 21 new temples! We want to bring the house of the Lord even closer to our members, that they may have the sacred privilege of attending the temple as often as their circumstances allow.” He then announced an incredible 20 new temples with this statement: “I ponder and praise pioneers—past and present—whose consecrated lives have helped to make this history today.” It was in the context of this discussion of temple building that he made this interesting statement that caught my attention: “We are building now for the future!” We don’t know what the future holds, but the Lord does and knows that we need temples to prepare and protect us in the difficult times ahead. I am grateful for our prophet who, though he likely has a relatively short time to live, is looking far ahead in the future to prepare the Lord’s people for the Second Coming of the Savior.

Today I had the privilege of attending the funeral of my grandfather who died at the age of 96 years old (the same age as President Nelson). He had a difficult life but left a legacy of hard work and, especially in his later years, devotion to his duties in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As I consider his life, I wonder for myself what kind of legacy I will leave when I die. What will be the themes that my children find from my own life when all is said and done? I love the description that Mormon gave us of Shiblon in the same chapter that he recounted his death: “And he was a just man, and he did walk uprightly before God; and he did observe to do good continually, to keep the commandments of the Lord his God; and also did his brother” (Alma 63:2). It’s hard to think of a more noble and praiseworthy tribute. Shiblon—an unassuming and relatively unknown character of the Book of Mormon—was remembered for walking uprightly before God, keeping the commandments, and doing good continually. That is how I hope to be remembered, but for the end of my life to reflect those attributes I must, as President Nelson suggested, build now for the future. However many years I have left, it will the kind of hard work my grandfather was known for and which Shiblon surely exhibited to build my life up how I want it to be.