The Curator

Nestled in the heart of Cadston Alberta (I don't know if that's true, but it sounds like a good start) sits this temple. It's beautiful, right? Part of what makes this temple beautiful (besides the fact that my WONDERFUL friend Katie was married there) is the fact that it is a pioneer temple. The site was dedicated in 1913 and it was finished in 1923. In present day, there is a wonderful man that works here. He is the Engineer. He made a comment about a month ago to one of the designers that he was this temples "curator". How amazing is that insight. How special to have someone wathching out for, maintaining and taking care of such an amazingly beautiful place. It totally impressed me that he has such an attitude. He treats this temple as if it is a work of art, because it is.
This morning as I was riding in on the bus I kept thinking of this. I had an epiphany. I thought, what is a curator exactly. To me... it is someone who preserves, protects, maintains it's original form, ensures it is the way it was intended to be. So I looked up the definition and if you want it... here it is:

From Latin curator (“‘one who has care of a thing, a manager, guardian, trustee’”) < curare (“‘to take care of’”) < cura (“‘care, heed, attention, anxiety, grief’”).

Noun
Singular: curator
A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection

So... as I was sitting there, peering out the window of the bus I started to ponder this thought. So... if the temple has a curator, and if my body is a temple, then am I not the curator of my body? I am. Heavenly Father gave me this body in a perfect form, and this spirit came here with me, and it is MY job to take care of it, to be the gaurdian of it, I am the trustee, I should take heed, pay attention to what is happening, what it is being subject to, and feel anxiety and grief over the bad things I let in. It is my job to preserve myself, both body and spirit (my soul) and to get back, and then maintain "myself" the way I am intended (be who the Lord intends me to be). I am the curator of my soul. Me, and me alone. I am a work of art in the Lord's eyes. Do I see myself as a work of art? HECK NO! But should I? If I am the "curator" of my soul, should I not feel that way (of course in a humble way)? I should. I don't. But I should.

As I was sitting there thinking about this kind old man at the Cardston temple I thought about how he, to maintain the original beauty of that temple, went out (as the curator) and collected the original pieces of art and things that belonged in that temple, put there when it was first created. Those things have been restored. That is what I need to do. In a sense. I am so far from what the Lord intends for me to be, but all is not lost. The beauty of this is that just as the temple curator had, I too have resources to do this. I have the Lord and he will and already has given me the tools necessary to do this. And... just as in a temple, it is a life long endeavor to ensure that it is protected and preserved.

This applies to everything, I thought, the things I listen to, say, even the things I eat. EVERYTHING. It was like this amazing light went off inside of me this morning. It may sound cheesy to you, but... I am the curator of my soul. That is amazing. And I need to act as such.