Consecration

     Yesterday when Russ and I went to the church's huge conference center to see if we could get up to the roof, we had a young man offer to be our guide. We never got his exact age but I would guess he is in his 30's. We know he is married and has children, the oldest of which is 8. He says he "retired" recently, which shocked us. He apparently started a really successful business of some sort then decided to sell it, making him a rich young man. He now uses his time to mostly serve. He works in the temple a couple of days a week and serves as a church tour guide a couple of days a week, then spends time with his family. He doesn't seem to be interested in just acquiring and playing with all the "toys" you might expect a male of his age to be fascinated with.
     There are lots of people that choose to have faith to the extent that they want to "give their life to the Lord." In the Old Testament, you can read the story of Hannah who gave her son Samuel to the Lord. Most people have heard of Mother Teresa, a humble woman who spent her life serving poor people and never having an interest in accumulating worldly goods. In the temple, I (and many other people) have  chosen to make a covenant with the Lord that I would do all I could to serve Him and His children. We call it "consecration." Some could see it as fanatical and conjure up visions of drinking poisonous kool-aid or beheading people who believe differently or separating self from the world in general to live a life akin to the description of John the Baptist in the New Testament. There are lots of people who believe in God, in one form or another, but not so many who choose to offer their lives to Him. It's a little scary actually. I remember years ago talking to a "born-again" Christian and asking how to just let someone else make major life decisions for you. What if you don't like what He chooses? What if you have your own preferences?
     As we toured the huge Conference Center, I was awed by the building. But as I looked over at the smaller, older Salt Lake Temple, I was even more awed. It was built over a period of 40 years without the aid of any of the special equipment used to build the Conference Center. It incorporates countless hours of labor for countless people, some more skilled than others, but all consecrated volunteers. (For the picky historians who might read this, I admit there may have been some people who worked on the structure that maybe weren't even LDS, but most certainly were.) The precise carving in the stone on the outside along with the massive weight of the stones that were piled (NO MORTAR!) to form the famous structure, and the stunning wooden doors and beautiful stained glass windows- all in perfect symmetry and accuracy. But then when you go inside- WOW! Having done some plaster work myself (you can see work we did restoring a 100-year old brick Victorian house if you go back far enough in old posts on this blog spot) and knowing a little about the fine work my daughter Angela has done with stained glass, I just couldn't stop staring at the intricate handwork all through this old treasure. Okay, it's not as old as some of the cathedrals in Europe, but it was built with the same kind of tools used in cathedrals built many hundreds of years ago. The delicate many-colored painting (I'm sure there's an official term for it) on the formed and carved plaster decorations is breathtaking. There is none of the ostentatious gaudiness found in old cathedrals. It is just painstaking, intricate work done over long hours by consecrated hands. Money cannot buy the beauty seen in the Salt Lake Temple.
     After doing some temple work today, we went to the family history center. Here there is evidence of other consecrated work. Millions of people have spent countless hours searching through, photographing, recording, and deciphering old civil records to find connections to family members- sometimes not even their own family but somebody's family. There are genealogists who earn money doing what they do, but most of the people who have accumulated the records now available are simply good people- some old, some young- who gave of their time and energy to do what they could to gather information so families through the generations could be linked.
     Every time a new temple is dedicated, the youth of the region participate in a "cultural celebration". Again, nobody is paid. Hundreds of teenagers sing and dance in costumes made by volunteers in a program written by volunteers with lighting and staging done by volunteers. The youth celebrate the culture and history of their country or region thus being educated about their history. There is a greater appreciation for those who lived before them and suffered living conditions they only read about in history books.
     The Tabernacle Choir is well known and accompanied these days by the Orchestra at Temple Square- all consecrated, unpaid volunteers who spend hours and hours perfecting their skills to produce lovely music. During the 2002 Winter Olympics, it was widely reported by amazed media that nearly ALL the hundreds of participants in the extravagant musical productions here in Salt Lake City were local volunteers. They didn't have to go outside the area or hire professionals, even for the complex skating demonstrations. Also, rumor has it that there are more pianos per household in Utah than any other state and more harps than any other state. Children in the LDS Church starting at age 3 speak in public giving short "talks" then grow up to give longer talks in front of larger groups.
Talents, all talents in general, are gifts from the Lord. We can choose to use them, improve them, and share them- or not. In the LDS Church, they are encouraged and it shows. I have long ago lost the singing voice I once thought might offer me a career of fame and fortune. I have long ago lost the supple physique that I loved to use to dance. Over the years, I have gained some skill playing the piano(not nearly a Vladimir Horowitz!) and am more confident at public speaking and organizing and managing groups of people. I will never be a name on everyone's lips or recorded in any books, but I am grateful for what talents the Lord has given me and I have consecrated all I have or will have to Him. I am not looking for applause- only a smile and a "Well done my good and faithful servant" from my Savior when I meet Him.