Jet Mariano

Tag: becoming

  • MIT8 “The Challenge to Become”

    Day: Autumn flowers and clear sky framing the Orem Utah Temple—captured before my proxy endowment.
    Night: The Orem Utah Temple illuminated under the moon—taken after completing sacred ordinances.

    Excerpt

    Becoming is more than doing—it’s transforming. The gospel doesn’t just ask for effort; it asks for change.

    Intro

    These photos were taken on October 18, 2025—before and after my proxy endowment at the Orem Utah Temple. The sunlight and moonlight felt like bookends to a sacred day.

    I never photograph temples as a tourist. Each image is a memory of worship—an imprint of the moment I performed sacred ordinances and left a part of my old self on the altar. The lens simply helps me remember what the Spirit taught that day.

    President Dallin H. Oaks’ message “The Challenge to Become” echoed in my mind as I walked the temple grounds: the gospel is not about what we do but who we become through covenant living.

    Perspective

    The temple reminds me that becoming is a process. Every ordinance refines character. Every act of service—inside or outside the temple—draws me nearer to what Heavenly Father intends me to be.

    President Oaks’ invitation is personal: the world values performance; heaven values transformation. My work, my worship, and my quiet efforts at home and at Church are all shaping me into something more Christlike.

    When I leave the temple, I ask not, “What did I accomplish?” but “Who am I becoming?”

    Direct Quotes from President Oaks

    “It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

    “In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.”

    Practice (today, not someday)

    I will focus less on checking boxes and more on softening my heart. In every task—whether leading, fixing, or serving—I’ll remember that heaven measures growth, not status.

    Becoming Christlike happens quietly: through patience with others, humility in learning, and gratitude after every challenge.

    Final Reflection

    President Oaks’ counsel changes how I see discipleship. The gospel isn’t a checklist; it’s a journey of transformation. Every temple visit, every ordinance, every prayer adds to who I am becoming.

    I’m grateful the Lord sees me not as I am but as I can be. That vision gives purpose to every struggle, reminding me that growth is the goal—and grace is the guide.

    Pocket I’m Keeping

    “The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.”
    That single line redefines every effort I make.

    What I Hear Now

    “Keep walking. You’re not just doing—you’re becoming.”

    Behind the Shot (BTS)

    Saturday, October 18, 2025—before and after my proxy endowment at the Orem Utah Temple. The late afternoon light revealed bright autumn blooms; by nightfall, the temple glowed beneath the moon. Both shots symbolize the Lord’s invitation to grow from light to greater light.

    Link to the Talk

    The Challenge to Become — President Dallin H. Oaks
    https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/10/the-challenge-to-become?lang=eng

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

  • Today or Tomorrow, Now or Then, Endure to the End

    I become what I will — not by gift, not by chance,
    but like this still house on the prairie, rooted by water, framed by sky —
    I endure. I reflect. Today or tomorrow, now or then.

    Intro Paragraph (Why this poem?)

    There are things I rarely speak, not because they don’t matter — but because they do. Some stories are too sacred to explain plainly. I’ve carried burdens for decades — for family, for faith, and sometimes for people who never knew. This poem is not a confession. It’s a quiet map of where I’ve been and what it cost me to endure. If you’ve ever sacrificed in silence, this is for you.

    Today or Tomorrow, Now or Then, Endure to the End

    by Jet Mariano

    I become what I will—
    not by gift,
    not by chance.

    They said it was for the dream.
    But I never dreamed of this.

    Not the hauling at midnight,
    the cold linoleum behind the receiving dock

    but never my name.

    I didn’t come with love in hand—
    I came with a debt to pay.
    To rescue a soul,
    and carry a family
    across a sea of impossibilities.

    A job at USC
    became a cure for my father,
    a lifeline for my family,
    a bridge for my siblings
    to find homes I would never live in.

    And still, I smiled.

    Though phone jobs stripped my voice,
    while I studied with red eyes and calloused faith,
    and slept beside hopelessness

    They think I’m quiet now.
    They don’t know I’ve just spoken enough pain
    for a hundred lifetimes.

    I write it in playlists
    that no one plays but me.
    I express it in photographs I create—
    where silence can finally breathe.

    I date it in the margins of scripture
    where no one else will read.

    Let them think I’ve always been composed.
    Let them think the IT job made me.
    I know what made me:

    A God who watched me
    hauling furniture in Burbank
    and still whispered,
    “You are mine.”

    Today or tomorrow,
    now or then,
    endure to the end.

    © 2012–2025 Jet Mariano. All rights reserved.
    For usage terms, please see the Legal Disclaimer.

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