Why I’m Choosing the Temple Every Week This Year

By Becky Squire

One of my New Year’s goals this year is simple on paper, but stretching in practice: I want to attend the temple every week.

Not because I think checking off attendance earns holiness. Not because I believe frequency equals righteousness. And definitely not because weekly temple attendance is realistic or possible for everyone. This goal isn’t about comparison, it’s about consecration.

The law of consecration has been on my heart for a while. We often think of it in terms of money or callings or time we give to others, but at its core, consecration is about willingly offering God our best! Not our leftovers. It’s the quiet decision to place Him first, even when it costs us comfort, convenience, or control.

For me, weekly temple attendance is an act of that kind of consecration.

It requires planning. It requires sacrifice. It requires saying no to good things so I can say yes to a better one. And most weeks, it would be easier not to go. That’s how I know it’s stretching me.

The temple is not meant to be casual. It’s meant to be sacred. It reorients my priorities and reminds me who I am and what I’ve promised. When I choose to go, even when I’m tired, busy, or emotionally full, I’m choosing to place my covenants ahead of my comfort. That’s consecration in real life.

President Russell M. Nelson has taught, "Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. Nothing will protect you more as you encounter the world’s mists of darkness. Nothing will bolster your testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help you understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe your spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing!"

That statement alone should stop us in our tracks. In a world full of spiritual noise, programs, podcasts, and productivity hacks, the prophet has been clear about where real power is found.

I’ve felt that power. The temple gives me strength I can’t manufacture on my own. It steadies my mind. It softens my heart. It reminds me that God is actively involved in my life and deeply invested in my growth. The power I receive there doesn’t stay inside temple walls, it follows me into my parenting, my marriage, my leadership, and my everyday discipleship.

That said, I want to be clear: weekly temple attendance is not the standard for faithfulness. Some people live hours away. Some are in seasons of caregiving, illness, financial strain, or limited access. Remember that the Lord honors desire and effort!

My invitation isn’t to “go every week.” It's to stretch yourself a little more than is comfortable.

Maybe that means going once a month instead of once a year. Maybe it means prioritizing family history so temple work is possible. Maybe it means simply preparing your heart more intentionally for when you do attend. Consecration looks different in every life, but it always involves trust.

This year, I’m choosing to trust that God will multiply what I give Him. My time. My energy. My willingness. If the temple truly brings us closer to Christ, then I want more of Him in my life, even if it costs me something.

Especially if it costs me something.