Rites & Promises

I ran across this picture from our wedding day as I was looking through some of our pictures on the computer. It reminded me of something I learned from it.

I always liked this picture, but I never really saw past the fact that it was a picture of our hands and wedding rings. I had this hanging in our house several years ago. A couple of weeks after Parker passed away, our Bishop's wife came over to visit with me. She was getting ready to leave when the picture caught her eye. She stopped and admired the picture for a moment. She told me how neat of a picture she thought it was. I told her "thank you" and didn't think much of it.

The next Sunday in church was testimony meeting. My Bishop's wife got up to bear her testimony. In her testimony she talked about trials and she specifically mentioned what Daniel and I were going through. Then she brought up this picture. She talked about how much this picture had touched her. She pointed out how symbolic it was - about how our hands are on the doorknob to open the door to the temple; and how that was symbolic of us holding the keys to the rites and promises that are given in the temple. Having been married and sealed in the temple we have been promised that we will be with our son again. Our hands will literally open the door to the rites and promises one day and we will hold our son in our arms yet again.

Of course when she spoke about this she was much more eloquent. I don't even know if I am making sense or not. Nonetheless, I thought it was beautiful and the Spirit testified to me so strongly that what she was saying was true. I know that if I live up to my end of the covenants I made, I will be able to live with Parker forever. I am so thankful for this gospel and all it teaches me. I am thankful to my Bishop's sweet wife for pointing the symbolism of this picture out to me.