WWJD

     I have explained some of the work I have been doing in the temple. Besides working in the office and performing sacred ordinances, I have spent a considerable amount of time in clothing rental. We basically wear white clothes in the temple and sometimes people need to "rent" (for a very nominal fee- mostly to cover laundry costs) appropriate clothing to perform ordinances. We have all been encouraged to have our own but sometimes people are traveling and don't want to take up luggage space with clothing specifically for the temple. We have slippers and dresses and pants and other items- all white and in all sizes. I have been working there enough now that I am fairly comfortable with how to keep it all very neat and orderly. I feel good about keeping shelves well-stocked and tidy.
     Right now we have a couple serving in the temple who have purchased a house in Nauvoo (before they got their mission call) and for the past several weeks have had a daughter come to live with them. She is in her late 20's but has special needs. She is slow enough that she can't fully support herself or live independently but high functioning enough that she can learn certain tasks. She may not fully understand everything in the temple but that could be said of EVERYBODY who comes to the temple. God's ways are not man's ways, they're higher. Anyway, this young woman has been working as a "volunteer" in the temple, meaning she can do limited tasks. I was blessed to have her working with me in clothing today. As I worked with her, "training" her, I thought about how I usually work quickly and efficiently making sure things are in order. Then I thought about how Jesus would work with her. She is a cheerful, willing, sweet young woman. She truly wants to be making a contribution and you can tell. I realized that the tidiness of the clothing on the shelves was NOT the focal point. The people who come into the temple, including this young woman, are what matters most. I started being more concerned about teaching then allowing her to perform successfully and less about the appearance of "my work".
     Then I realized that this is just a microcosm of the whole existence of the Earth and all that dwell upon it. It isn't about maintaining a pristine Earth. It's about God's children learning the results of their choices, good or bad. It's about our opportunity to choose what we want to be when we "grow up" to be like our Father. Just as we watch our toddlers make messes, God watches us make messes a LOT! Just as we love our children even when they make bad choices, God loves us even when we hurt each other and ourselves. What matters is who we are becoming. God is hoping we won't continue to "make messes" but gain some wisdom and maturity. He wants us to be able to live together, and with HIM, according to laws and principles that allow a pleasant, eternal existence. What would Jesus do? (That's the acronym in the title in case you didn't recognize it.) He would treat each of us the way He would like us to treat Him and each other. We can do that......... if we choose.