Yesterday I had the awesome expereince of going with all my siblings to the Temple. While there, I was thinking about the work we were doing and why we were doing it. To tell you the truth, proxy work hasn’t made a lot of sense to me–but I had come across this quote early and was pondering it. 

The turning of the hearts of fathers to children and of children to fathers, is the power of salvation for the dead, by means of the vicarious work which the children may perform for their fathers, and is in every sense reasonable and consistent. I have heard it said many times by those who oppose this work that it is impossible for one person to stand vicariously for another. Those who express themselves in this way overlook the fact that the entire work of salvation is a vicarious work, Jesus Christ standing as the propitiator, redeeming us from death, for which we were not responsible, and also redeeming us from the responsibility of our own sins, on condition of our repentance and acceptance of the gospel. He has done this on a grand infinite scale and by the same principle he has delegated authority to the members of his Church to act for the dead who are helpless to perform the saving ordinances for themselves (From Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith pg 222, available here).

While pondering I realized that I was able to have the experience of performing the temple work for someone that is dead, and they are then able to share in that experience. Even if they didn’t have the opportunity in this life to get baptized, to be sealed in the temple, or other work, I could have the experience over and over, and they can then share in mine. I felt blessed and privileged to perform the work. 

It made me think of the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Each of us has a unique experience, and somehow we can all share in each other’s experience. Only one man was ever perfect, only one man ever needed to be. Because we can now share in Christ’s perfection. The work of God is not just the salvation of one man, but it is the salvation of the entire mankind. 

I even thought that it made sense that only a small portion of people get to know of the true gospel in this life. There are many ways of evil, but only one way of righteousness.

Matthew 7: 3 ¶Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

But the wonderful blessing is that all of us can still choose our own path and where we want to end up, no matter our trials and circumstances.