Nearly every aspect of our lives is organized around belonging to something.
Eternal life is not a question of current martial status but of discipleship and the keeping of covenants
Once again the mention that more than half the adults in the church are not married. They want to make people not feel lesser if they are not married.
Waiting upon the lord implies continued obedience … it does not imply biding our time. We should not feel like we are in the waiting room.
Martial status has nothing to do with capacity to serve.
Fifth, our confidence in these assurances is rooted in faith in Jesus Christ.
Clearly there was a list here and I didn’t notice until into the fourth item.
We have talked about “young single adults” “single adults” and “adults.” These designations can be administratively useful {but they can make us treat different people differently.}
The Savior’s invitation to come unto Him is an invitation to all not only to come unto Him but also to belong to His Church.
Knowing that we are loved by our Heavenly Father will help us know who we are and know that we belong to His great eternal family.
The Mayo Clinic recently noted: “Having a sense of belonging is so important. … Nearly every aspect of our lives is organized around belonging to something.” This report adds, “We cannot separate the importance of a sense of belonging from our physical and mental health”—and, I would add, our spiritual health.
This is why isolation, even voluntary isolation, is so damaging.
I personally feel the pain of those who lack a sense of belonging. As I watch news from around the world, I see many who seem to be experiencing this loneliness. I think that, for many, it is because they may not know that they are loved by Heavenly Father and that we all belong to His eternal family. Believing that God loves us and that we are His children is comforting and assuring
Our spiritual identity is enhanced as we understand our many mortal identities, including ethnic, cultural, or national heritage.
This sense of spiritual and cultural identity, love, and belonging can inspire hope and love for Jesus Christ.
Having various ways to identify ourselves can either give us a sense of unique belonging or a sense of internal discord.
When we have hope in Christ, we come to know that as we need to make and keep sacred covenants, our fondest desires and dreams can be fulfilled through Him.
The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have counseled together in a spirit of prayer and with a yearning to understand how to help all who feel alone or feel they don’t belong. We long to help all who feel this way. Let me mention, in particular, those who are currently single.
Brothers and sisters, more than half of adults in the Church today are widowed, divorced, or not yet married. Some wonder about their opportunities and place in God’s plan and in the Church. We should understand that eternal life is not simply a question of current marital status but of discipleship and being “valiant in the testimony of Jesus.” The hope of all who are single is the same as for all members of the Lord’s restored Church—access to the grace of Christ through “obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”
They are sensitive to people feeling marginalized. I’ll bet they desperately would like a way to clearly help LGBTQ members of the church feel like they belong in the church without causing confusion on unending eternal principles that people assume to be at odds with that identity.
- Scriptures and latter-day prophets confirm that everyone who is faithful in keeping gospel covenants will have the opportunity for exaltation.
- The precise time and manner in which the blessings of exaltation are bestowed have not all been revealed, but they are nonetheless assured.
- Waiting upon the Lord implies continued obedience and spiritual progress toward Him.
- Waiting upon the Lord does not imply biding one’s time.
- Waiting upon the Lord implies action.
- God offers eternal life to all of His children.
- In the final analysis, a person’s capacity, desires, and opportunities in matters of agency and choice, including qualification for eternal blessings, are matters only the Lord can judge.
- Our confidence in these assurances is rooted in our faith in Jesus Christ, by whose grace all things pertaining to mortality are set right.
For many years, we have talked about “young single adults,” “single adults,” and “adults.” Those designations can be administratively helpful at times but can inadvertently change how we perceive others.
Is there a way to avoid this human tendency that can separate us from one another?
President Nelson asked that we refer to ourselves as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That seems to cover all of us, doesn’t it?
Always try to avoid boxing someone in based on a particular aspect of their identity. Ready of us is always more than any given category. Of course, refusing to acknowledge categories can be another form of blindness as we whitewash importance differences that deserve consideration and understanding.
To you stake presidents, bishops, and quorum and sister leaders, I ask you to consider every member of your stake, ward, quorum, or organization as a member who can contribute and serve in callings and participate in many ways.
Every member in our quorums, organizations, wards, and stakes has God-given gifts and talents that can help build up His kingdom now.
To sum that up: don’t write people off, invite their meaningful participation.
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