As I talk with single Mormons around the nation I often hear the disappointment and sometimes despair about their dating and marriage prospects. In a church that is so heavily focused on the family, a single member can often feel out of place and not understood. I know because I’ve felt this way. As a YSA when you compound being single with the so-called “decade of decision” when work, school, and everything else suddenly is thrust upon you, and well, sometimes you lose focus and forget a few important truths. Here are five things every single Mormon needs to remember.
1st. Your Marital Status Does Not Define You.
In a church where everything is focused on the family, it is easy to feel forgotten being single. But do not let your martial status define you. Strive to see yourself as God sees you. When God looks at you He sees one of His children, deliberately created and loved. He sees all the good that we can do; the souls that we can save, the hungry we can feed, and the downtrodden that we can lift up. I say we because I am also single. Remember, you are a child of God first and foremost.
“The sacred bonds of Church membership go far beyond marital status, age, or present circumstance. Your individual worth as a daughter [or son] of God transcends all.”
~Ezra Taft Benson
2nd. God’s Plan Is A Plan Of Happiness, Even For You.
God’s plan is not just a plan of salvation, but it is also a plan for happiness. It is a plan for your happiness. Not only is it a plan for your happiness, but His plan is for greater happiness than you can even imagine. Whereas we might feel that God has given up on us, that maybe happiness and that family we want is not in our cards so to speak, the God of the universe has not given up on you. It does not matter how depressed or forsaken you feel, or how many mistakes you have made, remember that God has a plan custom tailored to ensure you are taken care of and are happy. So when trials come, and they always will, have faith in the plan and the God who authored it.
“We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.”
~Joseph B. Wirthlin
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Aleah is a graduate of Southern Virginia University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Dance. She now works full time as a marketing and product manager, writer, and editor. She currently hosts the podcast “Single to the Glory” about singlehood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aleah served a mission in California and loves baking, Lang Leav poetry, Gaynor Minden pointe shoes, and Bollywood movies.
