Excerpt
Moses removed his shoes; I can remove my impurities. How I’m preparing my heart to meet God—at the temple and at home.
Intro
“Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5).
Elder Ulisses Soares: “Taking off our worldly shoes is the beginning of stepping onto holy ground and being transformed in higher and holier ways.” — “Reverence for Sacred Things,” Apr 2025
Straight line (what he’s saying)
• Holy spaces (temples, homes, dedicated places) call for removing impurity before we approach.
• The Lord’s pattern repeats: printing office “holy, undefiled”; temple “mine holy house”; Missouri temple where the pure in heart shall see God—holiness is both place and people.
• Small, intentional acts (like forgiving in the parking lot) are today’s “shoe removal.”
• We don’t make ourselves holy; we offer our will. Christ’s Atonement does the sanctifying.
• Holiness is practical: reverence, clean hands/heart, focus, and meekness that lets the Spirit teach.
Final reflection
I arrive at holy ground with dust on my soul—hurry, annoyance, stray pride. God isn’t asking for theatrics; He’s asking for shoes—the little impurities I can actually take off.
Pocket I’m keeping
• Pause before entry (temple or prayer): breathe, confess, forgive, then go in.
• Language fast: no sarcasm or sharp words on holy days.
• Clean gatekeeping: music, media, and thoughts that fit the space I’m entering.
• Offer the will: “Lord, here are my shoes today—take hurry, take resentment.”
• Home altar: make my living room reverent before I ask for revelation.
What I hear now
Saratoga Springs Temple at sunset, the waxing gibbous rising—before the doors or the camera, I’ll take off the day’s dust. Then let Him make the moment holy.
Link to the talk
Exodus 3:5 • Elder Ulisses Soares, “Reverence for Sacred Things” (Apr 2025) • Doctrine and Covenants 94:12; 95:16; 96:2; 97:15–16 • Moroni 10:32–33 (“Yea, come unto Christ… be perfected in him… sanctified in Christ… become holy, without spot.”)
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