Windshield Wipers, the Temple, and Spiritual Clarity

By Anne Maxson

It has been a bit snowy and slushy where I live lately and I’ve found myself needing to use the windshield cleaner a lot more often. Sometimes, I don’t even realize how messy or dirty the windshield is until I’ve run a cycle of the cleaner and everything becomes much more clear. Similarly, sometimes I don’t realize how cluttered or unfocused my life is until I make sure to prioritize a trip to the temple. Taking time in the House of the Lord often helps me see things more clearly. 

As I was running another cycle of windshield cleaner, I remembered a talk that I heard during my mission that helped to emphasize this point. My amazing mission leaders had young kids who came with them to our mission. Some of my favorite zone conference talks were given by their kids and their lessons have stuck with me these many years later. 

In one of the talks, my mission president’s oldest daughter talked about how she was different since the last time we had seen her. She shared that she had started wearing glasses since the last zone conference. She then mentioned that she had also turned 8 and been baptized and confirmed. She related getting glasses to receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. She mentioned how both had helped her have greater perspective and understanding.

In her October 2022 General Conference talk, “Seeing More of Jesus Christ in Our Lives” Sister Tracy Y. Browning, relates a similar experience. Regarding the reflexive need to reach for her glasses first thing in the morning, she shares, “Over the years, I’ve come to recognize that this behavior illustrates my daily dependence on two things: first, a tool that helps me to clarify, focus, and ground the world around me; and second, a need for tangible guidance to continually point me in the right direction.” 

I love that Sister Browning talks about a need for continual guidance. Growing up in Northern Minnesota with months and months of treated and slushy roads, I remember thinking that someone should invent windshield wipers that were just imbued with washer fluid. They would just clean the window every time they went over the windshield, keeping them continually clean.

Focusing on the House of the Lord, can help us to have the Holy Ghost with us constantly. It can help us to recognize the Savior as our source of forgiveness and redemption. In his October 2021 General Conference address, “Make Time for the Lord,” President Russell M. Nelson has taught, “Nothing invites the Spirit more than fixing your focus on Jesus Christ. … He will lead and guide you in your personal life if you will make time for Him in your life—each and every day.” 

Our temple covenants can help us to see clearly. Even when the roads of life seem to toss up a bunch of dirt and grime, as we consider the blessings and gifts from God that are received in the temple, we are blessed with the ability to have a deeper understanding of the purposes of God and navigate the twists and turns of life. 

Tracy Y. Browning, “Seeing More of Jesus Christ in Our Lives, Liahona, November 2022, 13.
Russell M. Nelson, “Make Time for the Lord,” Liahona, November 2021, 120.