One of the dilemmas that young, single Latter-day Saints face is finding a spouse in a challenging environment where a person’s standards might seem far-fetched or hard to live up to. Some get discouraged while others lose their self-esteem. In some instances, young people fall away and leave the church. Talking to Young Single Adults about this dilemma, they shared a few secrets to winning their hearts.
Gospel Conversion
Latter-day Saints want to find spouses who have been converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why? Because deep and lasting conversion is required in order to raise a gospel-centered family. Raising a family is filled with challenges that either build or break one’s faith. When tackling these challenges, these young singles want a partner whose faith is firm and steadfast no matter the challenge.
Raising a family also requires teaching your children the principles of the gospel and guiding them towards their own conversion. A father can only fully teach the value of conversion when he has been converted himself.
It is also important to note that gospel conversion doesn’t equate to going on a mission. Gospel conversion is having a continuous Christlike commitment to always follow the Father no matter where they are, no matter their circumstances. They want a partner whose service and commitment to the church is not driven merely by social expectations but is deeply rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Remember that you are standing on holy ground
Elder Bruce C. Hafen, in one of his talks, counseled, “When any of you—men or women—are given entrance to the heart of a trusting young friend, you stand on holy ground.” The secret to treating a date the way Heavenly Father would want them to be treated is to treat them with utmost respect and reverence.
Just like we prepare spiritually, emotionally, and mentally to enter the holy temple and make covenants with the Lord, we should also approach and build relationships with preparation, commitment, and devotion to each other, because both men and women are temples of the Lord.
Work is a spiritual necessity
Many people work to fill economic needs. But work is more than that. It is a spiritual necessity. The Lord has blessed us with gifts and talents that help us fulfill the commandment, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread”. We are all expected to become self-reliant and to provide for our own needs and those of our family.
The Lord has also declared that “fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families.” At the same time, mothers are commanded to become “primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.” Work is necessary in fulfilling these divine responsibilities.
The secret to winning someone’s heart is not about having a high-paying corporate job. It is mostly about understanding the value of work and the blessings that it can provide, not only to one’s family, but also to building the kingdom of God here on Earth.
These are just three of the secrets to winning a Latter-day Saint’s heart. There are more but these are the most fundamental, as they are the foundation from which Christ-centered relationships are built. Please feel free to comment and share the relationship “secrets” that most touch your heart below.
Done reading this 3:20am. This is great and I wanna hear more! Thanks
One important thing one should possess is the right attitude in keeping commitments, covenants, and self-confidence – positive attracts positive. All of us not only the YSA should strive to keep our eternal perspective intact, no matter what.