At the end of my row was a Navajo man without much temple experience. The workers were helping him through the ceremony. Meanwhile I was going through the ritual motions in a particularly brusque fashion. I caught myself doing it. I realized I had unconsciously decided to affect being the old hand who has seen it all before. I laughed at myself. 

The Spirit was instantly present quite strong. By laughing at myself I had brought myself into harmony with God. Because He was also laughing at me. It was a strange feeling: overwhelming peace, overwhelming love, and amusement.

There is a place in the temple where there is an invitation to ask for what we want. What we want in that holy place is to be taught what to want, by our Father. Wants are interesting things: there are superficial wants, conflicting wants, deep wants, and even deeper wants so deep we are not even aware of them. The deep want of children is to be formed by their parents. To learn what their wants ought to be. This formation usually occurs through example.

So this part of the temple ceremony reveals one meaning of the saying that we must be like little children to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Children imitate their parents with love.

“Adam” = Man, Mankind.   So the temple ceremony can be read as a recapitulation of history, beginning with the Creation and Fall and ending with a Restoration and return. So where does the preliminary investigation to see if mankind has been faithful come in? It does not seem to correspond to any particular historical phase.  Perhaps the medieval preservation of the gospel message was a triumph for which we should be grateful. There are also interesting parallels to Joseph Smith’s experience with the plates, where he had to be tested until he wanted the plates only for their revelation, not for their gold.