Overheard in the dressing room of a clothing store:

Voice #1 “Oh, that’s so cute on you!”
Voice #2 “Yeah, but my garments show.”
Voice #1 “That doesn’t matter, just pin them out of the way.”
Voice #2 “Okay!”

From the social media account of a Latter-day Saint fitness influencer:

Comment: “Why don’t you ever wear your garments when you work out?”
Influencer: “I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”

More and more frequently over the last several years I’m hearing about church members–many of them young adults–who have been endowed in the temple and still attend church but are choosing to wear their temple garments only when it’s convenient or not at all. I am troubled by the increasingly casual attitude toward “the garment of the Holy Priesthood,” and wonder if much of it stems from a lack of understanding about what this sacred garment represents.

If we’re listening to people who tell us that wearing the temple garment is not that big a deal, we are listening to the wrong people. Who is qualified to help us understand whether or not the garment of the Holy Priesthood is important? A social media influencer, a friend who encourages you to just pin your garments “out of the way,” or prophets, seers, and revelators?

According to (then) Elder Russell M. Nelson, “Wearing the temple garment has deep symbolic significance. It represents a continuing commitment. Just as the Savior exemplified the need to endure to the end, we wear the garment faithfully as part of the enduring armor of God. Thus we demonstrate our faith in Him and in His eternal covenants with us. (1)

A COAT OF SKINS

Adam and Eve were given coats of skins to wear from the Garden of Eden into the world, but where did those skins come from? One or more animals were sacrificed to provide a covering for our first parents, just as Jesus Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice to “cover” our sins. Once we receive our endowment, we are privileged to wear the garment as we leave the temple–going into the same spiritually dreary world Adam and Eve experienced. It’s safe to say we need that shield and protection more than ever in these last days

Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman recently stated, “I [have] noticed people asking… Why do I wear the holy garment? Should I invest in a covenant relationship with the Lord? The answer to these good and important questions is simple: it depends on what degree of relationship you want to experience with Jesus Christ. Each of us will have to discover our own response to those deeply personal questions. (2)

I feel a deep desire to share my own response to the question, “Why do I wear the holy garment?” The answer may be summed up in two words: connection and protection.

CONNECTION

As a teenager, I assumed that the temple garment was all about modesty. It was many years before I began to understand that while wearing the garment helps us to preserve our modesty, the garment of the Holy Priesthood is a powerful, constant reminder of Jesus Christ and the sacred covenants we have made. It helps me feel connected to Him.

The recently updated (2023) initiatory and endowment ordinances spell out exactly what the garment symbolizes and what it reminds us of. I encourage anyone seeking to learn about the temple garment to participate in these ordinances and pay close attention to the words. You will strengthen your understanding of the significance of wearing the garment of the Holy Priesthood.

The best way I can convey how wearing the garment connects me to the Savior is by sharing a personal story:

Sometimes the simplest object can be infused with deep meaning.

My family was celebrating my mother’s 85th birthday at a restaurant when, out of habit, I glanced at the ring finger of her right hand and was surprised to see that it was bare.

“Mama, where’s your ring?” I asked quietly. She looked at me sadly before answering, “I don’t know. I woke up one morning and noticed it was missing. I’ve looked everywhere but haven’t found it. I didn’t want to tell you.”

I fought back tears of disappointment. Whenever I am with my mother, I look for the plain gold band on her finger. It’s nothing fancy, but it has a history. Mom refers to it as her CTR ring because of the two good women who wore it before her–my grandmother and great-grandmother–and she often reminds me that it will be mine someday.

Originally, the gold band was the wedding ring of my great-grandmother, Pearl. Every Sunday for years, Pearl gathered her children and grandchildren around her knee and earnestly shared faith promoting stories and spiritual experiences. Her testimony of the Savior was palpable.

Many years later, Pearl’s daughter, Ruth, lost her diamond wedding ring, and Pearl insisted that Ruth wear the gold band. Grandma Ruth was full of faith and music. Her days were filled with genealogical research and compassionate service. She was a tireless missionary.

After Ruth passed away my mother, Janice, inherited the ring. For thirty-two years that simple gold band has rested on her right hand. Mom’s faith and testimony have beamed brightly as she has consecrated her time and talents to the Lord’s work as a mother, a musician, and a missionary.

I was ecstatic when the ring was finally found–in the garbage disposal of all places! It must have slipped off Mom’s finger while she washed dishes. That was the good news. Sadly, the band had taken a few turns with the disposal’s blades and was in sorry shape. The gold was deeply gouged, and one side of the ring was sliced clear through. I drove Mom to a jeweler to see if it was possible to salvage the ring and restore it to a wearable condition. The jeweler said he’d certainly try, but it wouldn’t be perfect.

He was right. The repaired band isn’t perfect anymore, but it’s wearable. I was thrilled to see the band on my mother’s finger once again. That CTR ring is my tangible connection to three righteous women and their absolute devotion to Jesus Christ. Each time I see the golden band I am inspired to emulate the precious women it represents.

In a similar way, the temple garment reminds me that I have committed myself to a covenant relationship with the Savior; that I have made specific promises to live His laws and consecrate myself to His service. I daily wear the garment next to my skin to connect me with the object of my devotion: Jesus Christ.

PROCTECTION

In 2015, Elder Russell M. Nelson spoke of the Sabbath as a sign. His words can help us determine how to wear the temple garment properly. “I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, “What sign do I want to give to God?” (3)

When we need to make a decision about when to wear the garment or whether to wear it at all, perhaps we can ask ourselves that same question: What sign do I want to give to God?

Sister Linda S. Reeves shared similar thoughts, “There are… great blessings and protecting promises associated with the proper wearing of our temple garment. I have come to feel that I am symbolically putting on royal robes given me by my Heavenly Father. I testify… that when we strive to wear the garment properly, our Father recognizes it as a great sign of our love and devotion to Him. It is a sign of the covenants we have made with Him, and He has promised, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.”” (4) 

This is no mystical underwear; the fabric itself has no magical properties. But, as we wear the temple garment properly, power and protection come from the keeping of our covenants. Therein lies the shield and protection.

I was encouraged by a recent conversation with my young friend, “Kaylie,” who just returned home after serving a mission. Her teenaged sister took her shopping to refresh her post-mission wardrobe. As they searched through racks of clothing, her sister pulled out several items that were not compatible with the temple garment for Kaylie to try on. Kaylie reminded her, “I don’t wear clothes like that because I wear garments now.” The younger sister asked, “But you don’t have to wear your garments all the time, do you?” This was the perfect opportunity for Kaylie to teach her sibling that, “Yes. I choose to wear them all the time.”

I love the beautiful words Elder Allen D. Haynie recently taught, “We find Jesus in the temple, in every aspect of it, and we find Him in the symbolism of the garment. In wearing the garment, we declare to God that we rejoice in having Jesus’s name placed upon us in His holy house, and we remember Him always.” (5)

Notes:

  1. Elder Russell M. Nelson, Personal Preparation for Temple Blessings, April 2001 General Conference.
  2. Emily Belle Freeman, Walking in Covenant Relationship with Christ, Oct. 2023 General Conference.
  3. Elder Russell M. Nelson, The Sabbath is a Delight, April 2015 General Conference.
  4. Sister Linda S. Reeves, Worthy of Our Promised Blessings, Oct. 2015 General Conference, emphasis added.
  5. Elder Allen D. Haynie, Meeting Jesus in the House of the Lord, 2023,

https://speeches.byu.edu/speakers/allen-d-haynie/

Recommended reading:

  1. Elder David A. Bednar, Put on Thy Strength, O Zion, Oct. 2022 General Conference.